Kristin Pekoll, assistant director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, says that librarians and teachers often feel frustrated by these efforts to restrict the scope of reading. “More and more, they are reaching out to our office for support because they’re feeling silenced by their administrations,” she says. “While the fear of … Continue reading Banned Books Week Roundup 2015
The opening session on August 16 began with a dynamic performance by South African actor, poet, and author Gcina Mhlophe, one of the few women storytellers in the country. Against a backdrop of images of African scenery and wildlife, Mhlophe described how creativity and musical rhythm were born long ago on the continent, and people … Continue reading Strong Libraries, Heritage, and Crises: IFLA in Africa
Awards at the closing session included naming IFLA Past President Ingrid Parent, university librarian at the University of British Columbia, as Honorary Fellow, IFLA’s highest award. The award noted her “landmark work” in producing the 2013 IFLA Trend Report, which identified five high-level trends that are shaping the information society. Among other awards, the IFLA … Continue reading Rewarding the Past and Looking to the Future
Musa Wakhungu Olaka, African global and international studies librarian at the University of Kansas, described the collaboration between the University of Southern Florida (USF) and Ibuka, an umbrella organization of various groups representing survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. “The Rwandan genocide was a major tragedy to Rwanda and humanity,” Olaka said, “that resulted in … Continue reading Preserving Africa’s Heritage
The most recent documentary, Street Librarian (2015), is about an outreach librarian in the Morogoro region of Tanzania who has taken upon himself the job of making the country an information-literate society one person at a time. Edward Fungo—working with the help of Libraries for Development, a project of the Finnish Library Association in cooperation … Continue reading Edward Fungo, Street Librarian
The play centers on the life of Hypatia, a Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who lived and taught in Alexandria, Egypt, and was killed by a Christian mob in AD 415. In introducing the play, former LIASA President Naomi Haasbroek said that after its first performance it resulted in many provocative discussions “about access to … Continue reading Hypatia and the Philosophy of Knowledge
Simon Edwards, director of professional services for CILIP, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in the UK, said the scope of potential crises that librarians face worldwide is vast, ranging from personal crises to community, national, and global crises that threaten the entire species. “Government agencies also classify crises as sudden (with an … Continue reading Libraries in Times of Crisis
The musical highlight was a powerful performance by 3 Tons of Fun, Cape Town’s most popular all-female group, who belted out American soul classics as well as South African pop tunes. Troupes of African drummers and traditional dancers entertained the strolling delegates sipping regional South African wines, while stilt walkers posing as giraffes and other … Continue reading IFLA Cultural Evening Provides 3 Tons of Fun
Anne Leer, WIPO deputy director for copyright and related rights, said that the reason the treaty was so massively successful was because “IFLA members were so active in promoting it. This is a good example of what we can achieve if we communicate what is needed on national and international levels.” The message was simple, … Continue reading Expressly about the Marrakesh Treaty
Paul Hover, assistant director for international outreach initiatives at Virginia Tech’s Newman Library, told American Libraries the story: At the end of May 2015, the Rainbow Riders Childcare Center in Blacksburg, Virginia, was visited by a longtime teaching friend, Andrea Dixon, who was getting ready to travel to South Africa to visit a new school. The … Continue reading Fifty Pounds of Books, Paper, and Toys Delivered to South African Preschoolers
“The library gave us little orange cards assuring that we were diligent members,” Segobye said, “and taught us how to access knowledge resources.” A teacher had urged her to get a card and expand her horizons because the “high illiteracy rates throughout the continent especially affect the prospects for girls and women.” Segobye said that … Continue reading Why 2030 Matters: Libraries and South Africa’s Future
The 2016 fellows were announced August 18 during IFLA’s World Library and Information Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. The fellows are: Idowu Adebgilero-Iwari, Elizade University, Nigeria Željko Dimitrijević, National Library of Serbia Penninah Musangi, Karatina University, Kenya Rhea Jade Nabusan, Tarlac College of Agriculture, Philippines Shaharima Parvin, East West University, Bangladesh The fellowship program … Continue reading Five Librarians Selected as OCLC Fellows
