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International Conference of Asian Special Libraries
New Delhi, India
By Reeta Sinha, Senior Collection Development Manager
Article originally featured January 2009
The Asian Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) has been organizing many regional meetings and workshops recently, and the first International Conference of Asian Special Libraries (ICoASL2008) was held in November 2008 at the India Islamic Culture Centre in Delhi, India, in association with the Indian Association of Special Libraries and Information Center (IASLIC) and Society for Library Professionals (SLP).
I had the opportunity to attend the First International Conference of Asian Special Libraries (ICoASL).
November is generally considered one of the best months to visit India when it comes to the weather. The monsoons have ended by then but the fog and cold temperatures that blanket Delhi for the winter haven't yet arrived. November 2008 was no exception. Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s and 80s - make that, 20s and 30s Centigrade -greeted librarians from around the world who came to Delhi to attend a conference hosted by the Asian Chapter of the Special Libraries Association (SLA).
The First International Conference of Asian Special Libraries (ICoASL2008) was held November 26-28 and entitled "Shaping the Future of Special Libraries: Beyond Boundaries." In the words of the organizers, the conference was designed to provide a global view of trends and developments in the library profession and to provide opportunities for information exchange, knowledge sharing and networking. Reflecting a major theme in special librarianship particularly, speakers at the conference and attendees included librarians and information professionals from all sectors of the information industry – knowledge managers, IT and content providers.
One only had to page through the conference program to see the diverse scope of the conference. Contributed papers related to topics common to libraries around the world including social networking, web-based library services, information literacy, Web 2.0 and libraries, e-learning, and professional competencies. Other papers focused on familiar subjects but in the context of libraries in South Asia. Examples include copyright policies for digital libraries in India and assessing the information needs of people in rural India. The conference also included a dozen or so poster sessions and brief product information sessions by various STM content providers.
It would be impossible to provide an account of all the sessions at the conference, but a few highlights follow.
In the opening session, Stephen Abrams, SLA President, provided inspiring examples of projects and activities conducted by special librarians that have made a difference to their users. He encouraged attendees to participate in SLA and view the conference as a valuable networking opportunity. Next, a glimpse into the future of knowledge management systems was presented by the Vice President of Knowledge Management for TCS-Tata Consultancy Services, a major sponsor of the conference and one of the premiere consulting companies in India.
The session Digitization of Manuscripts provided a fascinating look at the work librarians at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts are doing to preserve, catalog and provide access to, essentially, the cultural heritage of the Indian sub-continent. Partnering with libraries across India, sacred texts and cultural artifacts that are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old are being digitized or microfilmed, making them available to the public, perhaps for the first time.
In Bluetooth Technology: an Analysis of its Role in Library and Information Science, a programmer at the Institute of Economic Growth at the University of Delhi made a compelling case for using Bluetooth technology to deliver library information to users efficiently and cost-effectively on mobile devices such as PDAs and cell phones, which are ubiquitous in Asia, much more so than personal computers or laptops. Why does Bluetooth make sense, particularly in India? Of the 45 million cell phone users in India, 10.4 million, according to the speaker, were enrolled university students. The ability to deliver electronic content, whether in library collections or campus websites, using a technology that consumes very little power, a major issue for Asian countries, and for all practical purposes, at no charge, could be a radical development in higher education for a country like India.
In a keynote address, the CEO of Plunkett Research, Ltd., an industry research firm based in Houston, ran through a list of the top 10 business trends we need to know about to succeed. These include the population shift taking place worldwide as the number of those over 60 increases, the soaring costs of health care and of energy, massive global financial restructuring - as evidenced by recent events, and the Third Screen – the mobile or cell phone (screens 1 and 2 are the TV and the PC, respectively).
On a personal note, ICoASL 2008 was the first library conference I have attended in India. I was thrilled when this opportunity to participate as a speaker and an exhibitor presented itself while I was in India to visit friends and relatives. The conference facility, the beautiful India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC), with its blue mosaic tile work both inside and out is located in a part of Delhi known for its gardens and the tombs of Mughal rulers from centuries past. Vendor exhibits as well as the tea and lunch breaks were held outside, allowing attendees to enjoy the wonderful weather. I was fascinated by the ceremonial aspects of the conference, something I have not usually seen at professional conferences in the U.S. The IICC's auditorium stage, or dais, was decorated with gorgeous flowers in white, orange and saffron – the colors of the Indian flag. The conference opening was marked with the 'felicitation' of the keynote speaker and special guests including the SLA President, SLA Past President Rebecca Vargha and SLA's CEO Janice Lachance. Each was introduced and presented a bouquet of flowers and then, to 'release' the conference volume, each was presented with a gift-wrapped volume of contributed papers that were presented at the conference. Throughout the conference, moderators and invited speakers were presented with tokens of appreciation after each session as well.
I was also impressed by the enthusiasm of the organizers and attendees. This was the first time that the SLA-Asian Chapter conference was held in India and judging from the almost 300 who attended and comments overheard, it was a huge success. The conference provided a wonderful opportunity for librarians from academic, governmental and corporate libraries to network and learn from each other. Many library school students from India also attended, as well as library school faculty members. As I listened to the speakers and questions or comments from the audience, I realized that libraries in India and other parts of Asia are struggling with the same kind of issues seen here in the U.S. – lack of adequate funding, collection budgets that can't always accommodate the demands and needs of users, licensing and other access-related issues in the context of electronic resources, and change, change and more change. In short, despite the differences and distances, as professionals, whether you're a librarian here or one working on the other side of the world, we have so much in common and much that we can learn from each other.
The Second International Conference of Asian Special Libraries will be held February 10-12, 2011 in Tokyo, Japan. The conference theme is "Building User Trust: The Key to Special Libraries Renaissance in the Digital Era."
For more information about the Asian Chapter of the Special Libraries Association please visit their website at http://units.sla.org/chapter/cas.
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