SCECSAL 23rd ends as Namibians steal the show on final day

The 23rd SCECSAL Conference came to a close on Friday 27th April, 2018 at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, Entebbe.

The five day event that started on 23rd April was the third time the Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA) was hosting the regional event, having hosted the event in 1990 and 2004.

Speaking at  the closing ceremony, SCECSAL President Dr. John Paul Anbu, conveyed his sincere appreciation to the hosts ULIA and the National Organizing Committee (NOC), the delegates and all sponsors who made the 23rd Conference a success. Dr Anbu was speaking for the last time as SCECSAL President before handing over the office to Dr Sarah Kaddu of Uganda.

The last day started off with three expert panel discussions which were well attended by delegates. More than 200 delegates from fifteen Library associations in Africa and beyond attended the Conference. 

Dr Sarah Kaddu and Dr John Paul Anbu
during the SCECSAL General Assembly

In her closing remarks, ULIA President Dr Sarah Kaddu thanked everyone for making the 23rd SCECSAL conference a great success. She noted that the process of managing the SCECSAL conference  had been long and challenging not mentioning demanding physical, material, financial, spiritual and emotional support.

The conference theme: “Positioning library and information services to achieve sustainable development: innovations and partnerships” was thoroughly addressed through pre-conference  workshops, paper presentations, session discussions, poster sessions and expert panel discussions. Fifteen sub-themes  were cross examined through fifty papers, workshop sessions and three Expert panel discussion sessions.

Between conference sessions, the SCECSAL General Council  meetings were held in which key decisions ware made including adopting the guidelines for establishing a permanent SCECSAL Secretariat and the and agreeing on the revised SCECSAL constitution to be adopted in the next coming months.  

Team Namibian delgetation chanting to victory

Worth noting is that issues of library and information services contribution to the attainment of sustainable development were debated in and out.  It is hoped that through the deliberations and resolutions made, the world in general and the SCECSAL region in particular should be a better place for all to live in without any one being left behind said Dr Kaddu who is also the new SCECSAL President.

Dr Chiku Mnubi Mchombu was the winner of the best SCECSAL 2018 paper award with her paper entitled "Access to information and Services by students with disabilities: A case study of the University of Namibia’’.  In a related development, Dr. Mchombu led her Namibian counterparts to confirm Namibia's readiness to host the 2020 SCECSAL conference in Namibia.

Clad in Namibian colors and waving national flags, the Namibian delegation matched through Ziba Conference Hall chanting a famous Namibian song of victory.

Dr John Paul also declared that the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) would hots the 2002 SCECSAL Conference in South Africa.

On behalf of ULIA and SCECSAL 2018 National Organizing Committee, we want to thank everyone who supported us and made this conference a success.

See you again in Namibia in 2020 at the XXIVth SCECSAL Conference! 

Hosts ULIA emerge winner of SCECSAL 2018 cultural evening dance competition

Participants from Namibia

Uganda Library and Information Associations and Institutions (ULIA) on Wednesday 25th April won the 2018 SCECSAL Cultural Evening dance competitions held at the Imperial Botanical Gardens, in Entebbe, Uganda.

A total of fifteen library Associations from the SCECSAL region and beyond participated in the cultural dance event. 

Like two years ago, the reigning champions Lesotho were represented by a lone performer but this time round, his antics were not enough to scoop the award for the second time in a row.

Among the notable participants in the dance were library and information professionals from Nigeria, Ghana and the Netherlands. 

SCECSAL 2020 hosts Namibia put up a stunning performance no wonder they finished second while the Kenyans made a sensational appearance on the stage.

Participants from South Africa

Meanwhile South Africa did not disappoint as usual as the Mr Mandla Ntombela led team excited the crowds.

The cultural evening was proceeded by three different excursions to Namugogo Shrines, Equator, Crocodile Village and the Source of the Nile. 

Process to select host for the permanent SCECSAL Secretariat to start in May

SCECSAL General Council adopts guidelines for the selection process in Entebbe

Delegates at the opening session
of the XXIIrd SCECSAL conference in Entebbe

The process to select the SCECSAL member Association to host the permanent SCECSAL
Secretariat will be initiated in May following the adoption of the guidelines for the process on 24 April in Entebbe, Uganda by the SCECSAL General Council.

Since its establishments in 1974, the functions of the SCECSAL secretariat have been carried out on a rotation basis by the member Associations hosting the biennial SCECSAL conferences, an arrangement that has resulted in organization losing most of its records.

The SCECSAL General Assembly resolved, in April 2016 in Ezulwini, eSwatini, to establish a permanent SCECSAL Secretariat which is currently hosted on a temporary basis by the Swaziland Library and Information Association (SWALA).

The decision of the SCECSAL General Council in Entebbe, composed of the representatives of member Associations from eSwatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, to go ahead with the process of selecting a host for the SCECSAL secretariat is a bold move considering that SCECSAL member Associations have since 1998 resisted the idea to establish a permanent Secretariat to coordinate and monitor activities and decisions of the organization.

Copies of the guidelines for selecting the host for the permanent Secretariat will be distributed to the member Associations and published soon on the SCECSAL website, and members will be asked to express their interest to host the secretariat, and later submit detailed bids to be evaluated by a five-person independent committee.

SCECSAL member Associations from Botswana and Tanzania were absent from the Entebbe General Council meeting.

Jaya Raju and Maria Musoke awarded 2018 SCECSAL author of the year awards

Prof. Jaya Raju  receiving the award from the
Mayor of Entebbe, His Worship Vincent De Paul Kayanja

Associate Professor Jaya Raju, Head of the Library and Information Studies Centre at the University
of Cape Town, South Africa, and Professor Maria G.N. Musoke from the East African School of Library and Information Science of Makerere University, were today in Entebbe, Uganda, awarded the 2018 SCECSAL Author of the Year award for the journal article and book categories respectively.

Professor Raju’s award was for her journal article "Information Professional or IT Professional? The Knowledge and Skills Required by Academic Librarians in the Digital Library Environment" published in the portal: Libraries and the Academy, Vol. 17, No. 4 (2017), pp. 739–757.

Prof. Maria Musoke receiving her award from the Mayor of Entebbe

Professor Musoke was recognised for her book Informed and Healthy: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives on the Value of Information to Health Care published by Academic Press in June 2016.

This is the third time that SCECSAL has given the Author Awards even though the award was introduced more than 20 years.

The late Professor Maurice Chifwember Lundu received the Author of the Year Award in 2000 at the seventh SCECSAL conference in Windhoek, Namibia for his book The Library in the Service of Society: Philosophical Foundation published by the Mission Press.

In 2002, at the eighth SCECSAL conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jenny Raubenheimer, then Director, Document Delivery and Acting Head, UNISA Library, University of South Africa, and John van Niekerk then Deputy Director: Library Services, Medical University of South Africa (Medunsa), received the author award (Journal Article Category) for the article - Recent developments in interlending and document supply with a focus on the South African situation, published in Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 30 Issue: 1, pp.17-24.

SCECSAL honours past and present LIS professionals

Prof. Isaac N.M. Kigongo-Bukenya (R) receiving the award from the
Mayor of Entebbe, His Worship Vincent De Paul Kayanja

The SCECSAL General Council has recognised five individuals -  one from Kenya, two each from Uganda and Zambia respectively – for their dedication and contribution to the development of SCECSAL since its establishment in 1974 and awarded them the SCECSAL Excellence Award.

The SCECSAL Excellence Award, inform of a plaque, was introduced in January this year and the SCECSAL member Associations were invited to nominate individuals to be considered for the Award, and associations from eSwatini, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Zambia submitted their nominations.

The awardees, endorsed by the SCECSAL General Council, are:

• Jafred Shalimba Musisi (posthumous) from Kenya - for his key role in founding SCECSAL. Mr. Musisi was also for many years, the institutional memory of SCECSAL. In 1998 he wrote an article detailing the history of SCECSAL in the special issue of Maktaba Journal of Kenya Library Association. This ensured that the early history of SCECSAL was not lost. Until his passing on in 2011, he was a regular participant at SCECSAL conference.

• Prof. Maurice Chifwembe Lundu  (posthumous) from Zambia - for his dedicated professional support and service to SCECSAL. Prof. Lundu was one of the few library and information service professionals outside East Africa who contributed to the formation of SCECSAL and its expansion into Central and Southern African regions and ultimately the establishment of SCECSAL. He played a key role in organizing and hosting the second SCECSAL conference, and the first outside East Africa, in Lusaka, Zambia in 1976.

• Tucker Kigongo Lwanga from Uganda - for his foresight and instrumental work in founding the Standing Conference of Eastern, and Central African Librarians (SCECAL), the forerunner to SCECSAL. In 1970, Mr Lwanga served as host Chairperson of the biennial conference of the East African Library Association (E.A.L.A). At the next E.A.L.A biennial conference, in 1972, taking into account the prevailing situation in East Africa, he proposed the dissolution of the E.A.L.A and formation of SCECAL. His proposal was accepted and SCECAL was formed and its first biennial conference was held in 1974, also recognised the first year of SCECSAL.  

• Prof. Isaac N.M. Kigongo-Bukenya from Uganda - for his continued support to SCECSAL since its formation in 1974. Prof. Kigongo-Bukenya has participated in 15 SCECSAL conferences and played key roles at the conferences including as a paper presenter, conference paper reviewer, and Master of Ceremony (MC) at SCECSAL conference events.

• Justin Chisenga, PhD from Zambia - for his more than 15 years dedicated professional support and service to SCECSAL. Since 2000 Dr. Chisenga has been SCECSAL’s “institutional memory” and he has provided support and guidance to Local Organizing Committees of SCECSAL conferences, facilitated the development of the SCECSAL brand and logo, ensured that SCECSAL has an online presence (www.scecsal.org), presented papers at SCECSAL conferences, served on several SCECSAL conference papers review committees, and has facilitated consultations on the SCECSAL constitution and various SCECSAL guideline documents.

Ms. Mwanza Aggie Kaite-Mumbi (R) from the Library and
Information Association of Zambia receiving the award
on behalf of the late Prof. Lundu's family

The next Excellence Awards will be given in 2020 in Windhoek, Namibia.

The SCECSAL Secretariat has asked the  member Associations in Botswana, eSwatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe to initiate the process of identifying  individuals from within and outside their countries to be considered for the 2020 Excellence Award in anticipation of the call for nominations to be issued in early 2019.

Photos from XXIII SCECSAL conference - Day 1

The XXXIII SCECSAL Conference is underway in Entebbe, Uganda and here are some photos from this morning's activities.

Registration in progress

Delegates from Namibia and hosts for SCECSAL 2020 conference

Prof. Maria Musoke working on her laptop

Dance troupe entertaining the delegates

Drummers and singers from the dance troupe

Some of the delegates to the conference

ULIA ready to receive delegates to the XXIII SCECSAL conference

As registration for the five-day event begins

Aloysius Mwanje (L) and Faith Akiteng (R)
at the conference registration desk

The Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA) has put in place the necessary arrangements to receive and register the delegates to the XXIIIrd SCECSAL conference which kicks off on Monday, 23 April.

Registration for the five-day conference opened on Sunday, 22 April at 14:00 local time

The biennial conference is taking place at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel and has attracted participants from countries within the SCECSAL region and outside the region including the Ghana, Italy, Nigeria and the United States of America.

This is the third time SCECSAL conference is taking place in Uganda having been hosted by ULIA in 1990 and 2004.

Representatives of the SCECSAL member national Library and Information Associations from Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and the host country, Uganda, are already in Entebbe to participate in the conference and the SCECSAL General Council meeting.

Delegates from Malawi consulting
in the registration hall

Representatives of national Library and Information Associations from Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe are also expected in Entebbe while Botswana and Tanzania have not confirmed their participation in the General Council meeting.

Expectations are high among the conference delegates as the SCECSAL General Council is set to discuss further the setting up of a permanent Secretariat, adopt the proposed amended constitution which will put in place a new governance structure for SCECSAL, confirm Namibia has the host for the biennial event in 2020 and announced the host for the event in 2022.

ULIA hosts 2018 IFLA Africa Section Mid Term Meeting

As you may be aware, it is only 2 days to XXIII SCECSAL in Entebbe Uganda. There are two pre-conferences: SCANUL- ECS and the IFLA Africa Section mid-term meeting.

It is with great pleasure that ULIA is hosting the 2018 IFLA Two Day Mid Term Meeting in partnership with Makerere University Library. 

This meeting has been graced by Prof. Tonny Oyana, the Principal of the College of Computing and Information Sciences- who welcomed the members of the IFLA Africa section to Makerere University. He noted and appreciated the role of Libraries in access to knowledge and information. He proposed that IFLA should encourage Librarians to create oral corners in the Libraries where people will go and be able to tell their stories. He also advised libraries to have a collection of maps as well as introducing virtual libraries whereby people can access information using mobile telephones.

Dr. Helen Byamugisha, the Ag. Makerere University Librarian equally welcomed the guests to Makerere University and especially to the Library.  She observed that Makerere University Library was privileged to have some of the Library staff attend the meeting as observers and interact with IFLA Africa Section committee members. 

IFLA's Manager of Development Programmes, Ingrid Bon is in attendance and she is a panelist on Expert Panel Discussion 2 during the SCECSAL  conference: "Contributions to SDGs in the SCECSAL region on 27th April. This discussion will reflect on strategies to enhance LIS contributions for the attainment of the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

Don’t miss the second pre-conference SCANUL-ECS due for Sunday 22nd April at Imperial Golf View Hotel, Entebbe. 

SCECSAL 2018 conference kicks off on Monday, 23 April

Look out for stories from Entebbe

The XXIII SCECSAL conference kicks off on Monday, 23 April to 27 April, in Entebbe, Uganda and the SCECSAL Forum reporting team will be on the ground to cover the event.

Stories and photos from the conference venue, the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel located on the shores of Lake Victoria,  will be posted on this Forum from Sunday, 22 April.

Look out for reports on the pre-conference events, conference opening session, SCECSAL Awards ceremony, key decisions from the SCECSAL General Council Business meeting, SCECSAL Cultural Evening event, host country for SCECSAL 2022 conference, and the conference resolutions, among others.

You can participate in the event by:

• following @SCECSAL and re-tweet content;
• tweeting content related to the Entebbe conference and other stories from the SCECSAL Forum blog;
• using #SCECSAL2018 hash tag.

Important Information for XXIII SCECSAL Delegates

Final Programme

The National Organsing Committee (NOC) XXIII SCECSAL 2018 is proud to announce the release of the final conference programme for the XXIII SCECSAL  due in Entebbe next week.  Over fifty library and information experts are expected to present papers and posters as well as participate in the expert panel discussions at the conference. You can now find a copy of the final program on the ULIA and SCECSAL websites. 

Weather in Entebbe and Uganda

The country is currently experiencing heavy rainfall and the weather is expected to be more cloudy than sunny for the next three weeks. You are kindly advised to carry less light clothes and more heavy clothes especially for outdoor activities like cultural gala, excursions and evening walks. Entebbe is very cold at night because of the great Lake Victoria. 

Visas

By now, delegates should have applied and received their visas or about to receive them for delegates who are required to have Ugandan visas before boarding the plane. Those who are eligible to obtaining visas on arrival should ensure that they possess the necessary paperwork to allow them enter Uganda. These include a valid passport, yellow fever vaccination card, return air ticket, invitation letter from ULIA, proof of residence (Hotel Booking) extra. These may vary according on your country of origin but you are strongly advised to carry along all and others. 

Cultural evening and related events

The cultural evening is the opportunity given to showcase cultural presentations from the participating countries. Every country is invited to present  a 5 minutes performance giving a sample of their culture (dance, song, etc.). We take your attention on the timing due to the quantity of countries performing. Delegates are advised to come well prepared with their traditional presentations. Come fired up to challenge the reigning champion Lesotho. 

The hosts have organized a number of tours for delegates on Wednesday, 25 April 2018. The tours, classified into two categories, will include visits to the Namugongo Martrys' Shrines, Uganda Museum and Buganda Kingdom Kasubi tombs, all under Category I; and to the Source of the Nile and Sezibwa Falls and the Crocodile Village – Buwam, under Category II. The cost per person, to be paid to ULIA, is US$20 for Category I tours and US$40 for Category II. Conference delegates planning to go on any of the tours should indicate their preference to secretariat@ulia.org.ug not later than 20 April 2018.

SCANUL-ECS 2018 Pre conference 

The customary pre- conference is co-hosted by NLU and CUUL. The hosts are working in close partnership with the organizers of the Twenty-Third Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL XXIII). SCANUL-ECS will be held on Sunday 22nd April at Imperial Golf View Hotel, Entebbe. The pre-conference will ride on the theme: Positioning National and University Libraries to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The delegates’ fee for this pre-conference is 50USD per delegate.  Contact haumban@gmail.com, or akatungisa@yahoo.com/akutungisa@nlu.go.ug for details of this pre-conference. 

N.B. The fees (50 USD) paid at the SCANUL-ECS are NOT in any way part of the fees paid for SCECSAL. 

      

Culture and Atmosphere around Entebbe

Entebbe is a town on a peninsula in Lake Victoria, in Central Uganda about 38 kilometers away from the capital city. The town is relatively quiet during the day and extremely quite during the night save for the sporadic echoes of aircrafts landing and taking off from the main airport in the area.  The area is endowed with busy beaches and  so many gorgeous features to view as well as the lakeside Uganda Wildlife Education Centre which protects native animals in wetlands, forest and savanna habitats. Nearby, Entebbe Botanical Garden has diverse plants, birds and monkeys. Also close by is the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which protects orphaned chimps. Come ready to view all the above and more. Entebbe has a pleasant climate for you to enjoy – it is on Lake Victoria and you can reach various choice destinations from here, most of them a short drive, or boat ride, now even  by plane or helicopter.  Don’t miss out on what Entebbe and the surrounding area has to offer .

Power Sockets

In Uganda, type G sockets are used for electricity connections. They are commonly and cheaply available on the local market.  The standard voltage in Uganda is 240 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. You can use your electric appliances in Uganda, if the standard voltage in your country is in between 220 - 240 V.

Airport pickups and Mode of transport. 

Our visitors who will safari Uganda have got variety of transport means which you can use when you are in the country. These include local motorcycle transporters  commonly known as “Boda-Boda”, Commuter Taxis, Special Hire vehicles, passenger buses and Uber. Foreign  delegates are advised to seek advice from their local counterparts on which mode of transport to use while in Uganda. Boda Bodas are fun to use and explore but you are highly advised to use it only if you are wearing a head gear (Helmet). 

Food. 

Meat or chicken stews are popular in Uganda served with rice, chapatti, ugali (a stiff maize porridge) or matoke (a cooked plantain/banana mash). For a sweet dish, locals enjoy a type of doughnut called mandazi. With Uganda's many lakes and rivers, fish are an important food. However, almost all the hotels in Uganda offer continental cuisines ranging from 5 to 20 USD.

Airport Pick and Drop

The Organizers of SCECSAL 2018 are offering complementary airport pick and drop for delegates arriving from 21st of April before 10 pm. Delegates who are interested in this service should send their flight details to Mr. Jospert Chelangat email: jochelangat@gmail.com and hotel of  residence. Most hotels offer complimentary pick and drop. Find out from the hotel you booked or else, give us your itinerary and we shall pick you from the airport upon arrival. A team of volunteers and officials will be stationed at the Airport Arrival Terminal with the huge Poster marked “SCECSAL 2018”. Kindly introduce yourself to that team on arrival at Entebbe International Airport and they will give you the necessary assistance.

On behalf of ULIA and the SCECSAL 2018 National Organizing Committee, we look forward to warmly receiving you in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. . 

Final SCECSAL conference and tours' programmes released

The final programme for the XXIII SCECSAL conference has been released and more than 50 library and information experts are expected to present papers or participate in the expert panel discussions at the conference.

The XXIII SCECSAL conference, to be held in Entebbe, Uganda, from 23 to 27 April, is expected to attract participants from within and outside the SCECSAL region.

The Uganda Library and Information Association (ULIA), host for the conference, has also released the programme for the conference tours planned for Wednesday, 25 April 2018.

The tours, classified into two categories, will include visits to the Namugongo Martrys' Shrines, Uganda Museum and Buganda Kingdom Kasubi tombs, all under Category I; and to the Source of the Nile and Sezibwa Falls and the Crocodile Village – Buwam, under Category II.

The cost per person, to be paid to ULIA, is US$20 for Category I tours and US$40 for Category II.

Conference delegates planning to go on any of the tours should indicate their preference to secretariat@ulia.org.ug not later than 20 April 2018.