Paper delivered at the Sabinet Client Conference, 6 September 201

Satgoor, Ujala

Rhodes Repository (SEALS)

New Frontiers of Librarianship

South East Academic Libraries System (SEALS)

New	  Frontiers	  of	  Librarianship	  Ujala	  Satgoor	  Sabinet	  Client	  Conference	  06	  September	  2013	  John	  F	  Kennedy	  	  Presidential	  acceptance	  speech,	  1960	  	  	  We	  stand	  today	  on	  the	  edge	  of	  a	  new	  frontier-­‐-­‐the	  frontier	  of	  the	  1960s,	  a	  frontier	  of	  unknown	  opportunities	  and	  perils,	  a	  frontier	  of	  unful;illed	  hopes	  and	  threats....	  The	  new	  frontier	  of	  which	  I	  speak	  is	  not	  a	  set	  of	  promises-­‐-­‐it	  is	  a	  set	  of	  challenges.	  	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 2 Venturing	  forth	  to	  new	  frontiers…	  The	  unexplored	  or	  undeveloped	  region	  which	  lay	  beyond	  the	  fringe	  of	  settled	  settlements	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 3 DeMinition:	  Frontier	  0 Any	   new	   Mield	   of	   learning,	  thought,	   etc.	   or	   any	  part	  of	   a	  Mield	  that	  is	  still	   incompletely	  investigated	  Webster’s	  New	  World	  	  Derived	  from	  15th	  	  century	  French	  meaning	  “borderland”,	  which	  referred	  to	  the	  region	  of	  a	  country	  that	  fronts	  on	  another	  country	  	  	   A	  border	  between	  two	  countries	  	  The	  developing,	  often	  still	  “uncivilised	  or	  lawless”,	  region	  of	  a	  country	  	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 4 Frederick	  Jackson	  Turner,	  1861-­‐1932	  American	  historian	  noted	  for	  the	  Frontier	  Thesis	  in	  “The	  SigniMicance	  of	  the	  Frontier	  in	  American	  History”	  (1893)	  Abandoned	  old	  practices,	  institutions,	  beliefs	  and	  ideas	  	  Forged	  a	  new	  identity	  based	  on	  a	  pioneering	  spirit	  Found	  new	  solutions	  to	  new	  problems	  created	  by	  their	  new	  environment	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 5 When	  you	  enter	  the	  frontier	  zone,	  you	  are	  changed	  by	  the	  encounter!	  “The	  signi<icance	  of	  the	  Frontier”	  Unlimited	  free	  land	   Unlimited	  opportunity	   Optimism,	  future	  orientation,	  shedding	  of	  restraints	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 6 CONTEXT	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 7 National	  Context:	  Develop	  an	  informed	  nation	  0  To	  understand	  the	  impact	  of	  the	  past	  on	  the	  present	  	  §  Redress	  iniquities	  of	  the	  past	  0  To	  create	  an	  acknowledgement	  and	  appreciation	  of	  existing	  diversity	  	  §  Foster	  effective	  communication	  across	  cultures.	  0  Stable	  democracy	  &	  progress	  §  Safeguarding	  of	  human	  rights	  0  To	  educate	  future	  leaders	  who	  will	  represent	  these	  values	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 8 Socio-­‐economic	  context	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 9 2011	  Census:	  SA	  “young”	  population	  60%	  <35	  15m	  <14	  years	  old	  71%/4.7m	  unemployed	  are	  youth	  (15-­‐34)	  30%	  of	  girls	  (15-­‐19)	  –	  pregnancies	  • Higher	  prevalence	  of	  HIV	  amongst	  girls	  By	  age	  22,	  56.6%	  of	  youth	  –	  neither	  studying	  nor	  working	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 10 New Frontiers of Librarianship 11 SA	  LIS	  context	  0  190	  years	  0  Transformation	  Charter	  §  National	  Library	  –	  2	  campuses	  §  Legal	  Deposits	  –	  5	  §  Public	  &	  Community	  Libraries	  –	  1800	  §  HE	  Libraries	  –	  23	  §  School	  Libraries	  –	  	  	  25	  145/	  19	  940/	  	  	  3	  388/1817	  §  Govt.	  libraries	  –	  79	  §  SA	  Library	  for	  the	  Blind	  0  10	  Library	  Schools	  0  Dept.	  of	  Arts	  and	  Culture	  §  National	  Archive	  	  	  0  Dept	  of	  Basic	  Education	  0  Dept	  of	  Higher	  Education	  &	  Training	  0  National	  Council	  for	  Library	  and	  Information	  Services	  (NCLIS)	  0  CHELSA	  –	  Committee	  for	  Higher	  Education	  Libraries	  of	  South	  Africa	  0  Library	  &	  Information	  Association	  of	  South	  Africa	  (LIASA)	  www.liasa.org.za	  	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 12 SA	  LIS	  Context	  0 National	  	  §  Development	  of	  an	  educated	  and	  informed	  citizenry	  0 Professional	  0 Historical	  legacy	  0 Redress	  of	  separate	  facilities	  §  Staff	  mindset	  	  -­‐	  CPD	  0 Transformation	  Challenges	  0 Role	  of	  libraries	  -­‐	  Recreation	  vs	  Education	  0 Structure,	  competencies	  and	  responsibilities	  §  Academic	  &	  Public	  libraries	  –	  huge	  disparaties	  §  School	  libraries	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 13 Alignment	  of	  LIS	  to	  national	  	  imperatives	  1.	  Redress	  and	  equity	  	  	  	   	   	   	  2.	  Social	  and	  economic	  development	  3.	  Social	  cohesion	  	   	   	   	   	   	   	  	  	  	  	  	  4.	  Social	  inclusion	  5.	  Poverty	  eradication	  	   	   	   	   	   	  6.	  Diversity	  and	  responsiveness	  7.	  Nation	  building	  	   	   	   	   	   	  8.	  Entrenching	  a	  culture	  of	  reading	  9.	  Developing	  a	  national	  literature	  in	  South	  Africa’s	  indigenous	  languages	  	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 14 We	  stand	  today	  on	  the	  edge	  of	  a	  new	  frontier-­‐-­‐the	  frontier	  of	  the	  1960s	  3rd	  decade	  of	  democracy,	  a	  frontier	  of	  unknown	  opportunities	  and	  perils,	  a	  frontier	  of	  unful;illed	  hopes	  and	  threats....	  The	  new	  frontier	  of	  which	  I	  speak	  is	  about	  unful;illed	  not	  a	  set	  of	  promises-­‐-­‐it	  is	  a	  set	  of	  challenges!	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 15 Is	  librarianship	  at	  a	  new	  frontier?	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 16 WHAT	  IS	  THE	  NEW	  FRONTIER	  FOR	  SOUTH	  AFRICAN	  LIBRARIANS?	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 17 New Frontiers of Librarianship 18 LIBRARIANS	  CONNECTING	  WITH	  	  EACH	  OTHER	  • ENHANCE	  COMPETENCIES	  &	  REMOVE	  SKILLS	  IMBALANCE	  TO	  CREATE	  A	  STRONG	  COHORT	  OF	  LIBRARIANS	  WITH	  A	  COMMON	  UNDERSTANDING	  &	  VISION	  OF	  AN	  INFORMED	  NATION!	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 19 Librarians	  	  Information	  Health	  &	  Hygiene	   Economic	  empowerment	   Poverty	  eradication	   Education	  ICT	  Skilling	  Programmes	  &	  services	  COMMUNITIES	  LIBRARIANS	  CONNECTING	  TO	  COMMUNITIES	  	  FOR	  ACCESS	  TO	  INFORMATION,	  RESOURCES	  &	  SKILLING	  	  	  FOR	  PERSONAL	  AND	  COMMUNITY	  DEVELOPMENT	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 20 REDEFINE	  	  RE-­‐IMAGINE	  	  REPURPOSE	  REINVIGORATE	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 21 -­‐	  Attitude	  -­‐	  Give	  new	  meaning	  to	  the	  practice	  	  -­‐	  Our	  purpose	  -­‐	  Strategic	  position	  of	  your	  library	  -­‐	  Leadership,	  strategies	  and	  activities	  	  _	  Competencies	  &	  skills	  sets	  	  -­‐	  Commitment	  to	  developing	  an	  informed	  nation	  -­‐	  Libraries	  as	  cornerstones	  of	  democracy	  	  RedeMine	   -­‐	  Think	  differently	  -­‐	  Consult	  &	  engage	  -­‐	  Organisational	  Culture	  &	  values	  -­‐	  Leadership	  –	  inclusive	  &	  collaborative	  -­‐	  One	  organisation,	  many	  leaders	  -­‐	  Innovation	  -­‐	  Technology	  as	  an	  enabler	  -­‐	  Reconceptualise	  services	  &	  practices	  -­‐	  Viability	  of	  the	  profession	  &	  libraries	  Re-­‐imagine	   -­‐	  Library	  Spaces	  -­‐	  Desired	  spaces	  -­‐	  Community	  spaces	  -­‐	  Appropriate	  assessments	  and	  measurements	  -­‐	  Collaborative	  learning	  &	  innovative	  thinking	  -­‐	  Easy	  access	  to	  information	  	  -­‐	  Support	  for	  the	  realisation	  of	  the	  MDGs	  and	  post-­‐2015	  	  	  	  Repurpose	   -­‐	  Personal	  learning/lifelong	  learning	  (CPD)	  -­‐	  Personal	  branding	  -­‐	  Build	  networks	  -­‐	  Be	  informed	  -­‐	  Get	  involved	  in	  the	  professional	  association	  -­‐	  Be	  engaged	  -­‐	  Broadening	  your	  professional	  horizons	  -­‐	  Partnerships	  -­‐	  Become	  community	  development	  partners	  -­‐	  By	  being	  the	  best!	  	  Reinvigorate	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 22 Going	  Forward…Social	  Activist	  Librarians	  	  0  Abandon	  the	  old	  complacencies	  &	  negative	  attitudes	  0  Forge	  a	  new	  identity	  based	  on	  a	  pioneering	  spirit	  0  Be	  bold	  &	  conMident	  0  Recognise	  the	  unlimited	  	  opportunity	  available	  to	  you	  because	  of	  where	  you	  are	  located	  0  Be	  optimistic	  about	  the	  future	  by	  working	  on	  shedding	  your	  present	  restraints	  0  Create	  the	  new	  environment	  that	  enables	  you	  to	  embrace	  new	  innovations	  and	  solutions	  0  It	  is	  perfectly	  Mine	  to	  practice	  librarianship	  differently	  here	  in	  Africa!	  Back	  to	  Turner…	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 23 LIASA’	  NEW	  FRONTIER…	  0 Engagement	  between	  LIS	  educators	  &	  employers	  –	  new	  competencies	  &	  skills	  sets	  0 Commenced	  the	  process	  for	  SAQA	  Professional	  Body	  recognition	  –	  redeMine	  the	  profession	  0 Hosting	  IFLA	  2015	  in	  Cape	  Town	  0  Opportunity	  to	  showcase	  §  	  the	  impact	  of	  the	  profession	  on	  social,	  educational	  and	  economic	  	  development	  §  Our	  best	  practices	  §  You	  to	  get	  involved…	  	  As	  the	  custodian	  of	  professional	  values	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 24 So,	  according	  to	  the	  deMinition…	  (Webster’s	  New	  World	  College	  Dictionary)	  0 Any	  new	  Mield	  of	  learning,	  thought,	  etc.	  or	  any	  part	  of	  a	  Mield	  that	  is	  still	  incompletely	  investigated	  …	  	  	  0 The	  new	  frontier	  of	  librarianship	  is	  wide	  open	  for	  you	  to	  explore,	  	  investigate	  and	  	  take	  ownership…	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 25 UJALA	  SATGOOR	  DIRECTOR:	  RHODES	  UNIVERISTY	  LIBRARY	  LIASA	  PRESIDENT,	  2012-­‐2014	  u.satgoor@ru.ac.za	  president@liasa.org.za	  	  New Frontiers of Librarianship 26 

Paper delivered at the Sabinet Client Conference 6 September 201

SEALS Digital commons

http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/services/Download/vital:6976/SOURCEPDF

New Frontiers of Librarianship

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