African Library Summit 2013

In 2011 the IFLA Africa Section, IFLA Regional Office of Africa  and UNISA Library hosted a successful African Library Summit(ALS). A follow up to that Summit was the African Public Library Summit (APLS) in September 2012.  On July 2-5,  2013 the IFLA Africa Section, IFLA Regional Office for Africa  and UNISA Library will host the second African Library Summit.

The theme of the ALS 2013 is "The horizon and beyond", http://www.unisa.ac.za/africanlibrarysummit  . It will focus on leadership issues in the digital age, innovation and co-operation.  It is open  to library, information and knowledge practitioners who have an interest in African libarianship in the 21st Century. It will be preceded by a series workshops on matters pertinent  to development of libraries , including a programme for emerging leaders. More is available at the websitehttp://www.unisa.ac.za/africanlibrarysummit 

This series of Summits has been an excellent avenue of African Library and information leadership to formulate frameworks that  move African libraries forward. They have provided a forum for Government Officials and Library leaders to engage on libraries as development agencise. It is anticiapated that the forth coming summit will challenge leadership to think outside the box, while inspiring emerging leaders to think about next libraries.

I am delighted to be part of this series of  library summits. They not only enhance the role of African libraries in development but bring African knowledge into deigital spaces. I look forward to seeing many of you in Pretoria in July at the African Library Summit 2013.