Congress
10 August 2007
The Department of Arts and Culture invites media to the World Library and
Information Congress that will take place from 19 to 23 August 2007 at the
Durban International Convention Centre. In 2002 the Library and Information
Association of South Africa (LISA) won the right to host the 73rd edition of
the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
Conference. The then Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology
pledged its support to the bid on behalf of the South African government.
IFLA, now called World Libraries International Congress (WLIC), holds its
World Library and Information Congress in different countries every year. It is
the most prestigious event in the international library and information
services sector and it is a great honour for South Africa to host the
Conference. It is the leading international body representing the interests of
LIS and users.
The Conference provides a kaleidoscope of networking opportunity for
librarians from all over the world and the sharing experiences. Previous hosts
include Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Jerusalem, Boston, Glasgow, Berlin,
Buenos Aires, Oslo and Seoul 2006.
The 2007 General Conference to be hosted by LIASA in Durban, will only be
the second ever held in Africa. The first was in Kenya in the 1970s. The
average number of delegates who attended the World Congress in the past ranged
between 3 500 and 5 000 from over 100 countries. The Congress will discuss the
following topics: IT and Research, Library Frontiers, Multicultural Library
Services, Best Practices, Managing E-Resources, Preservation Management,
Northumbria Intâl, Managing Technologies, Cont Professional Dev, African
Libraries, Information Literacy, FAIFE, LIS for Print Disabled and
Parliamentary Libraries.
In addition to the closed meetings and discussions, there will be
various other events. The main events include a press conference (17 August),
an opening ceremony (19 August), Minister Z Pallo Jordanâs Cultural Evening (22
August), library visits (22 August) and the closing ceremony (23 August).
Media enquiries: Mack Lewele
Cell: 082 450 5076
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
10 August 2007
