Call for Papers — Open Sessions IFLA WLIC 2018

Access to Information Network – Africa (ATINA) Special Interest Group

Theme: "Mechanisms and Metrics for Mainstreaming Knowledge, Libraries and Information Services in Democratic Governance and Development Programmes"

IFLA Access to Information Network – Africa (ATINA) Special Interest Group is seeking proposals for papers to be presented at its Open Session at the 2018 IFLA World Library and Information Congress/ 84^th General Conference and Assembly, 24-30 August 2018, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Transform Libraries: Transform Society.

ATINA, sponsored by Africa Section, is an IFLA Special Interest Group of global network of development information professionals engaged in the task of broadening effective access to knowledge and information for democratic governance and development.

The session will focus on the question: How could access to knowledge, libraries and information services (KLIS) be better mainstreamed in institutional, local, national and international development policies and programmes, including the Sustainable Development Goals?

Sub-Themes:

Papers must address one or more of the following sub-themes:

• Elements of effective mainstreaming: strategy, process and outcomes towards knowledge-based approach to democratic governance and Sustainable Development Goals;
• Dimensions and mechanisms of advocacy and intervention in policy and strategy formulation, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
• Foundations: Universal norms and positive standards, including rights-based and capability approaches;
• Achieving inclusion of KLIS on the political and institutional agenda: changing the points of entry, discourse and narrative;
• Indicators and metrics: including achieving clarity on what constitutes access to knowledge and information;
• KLIS in programmes and budgets: as means and ends; and
• Cases and best practices: including KLIS embeddedness in local democratic governance and development.

Proposal guidelines:

Proposals must be original work of author(s), written in English or French, and include:

1. Title of proposed paper:
2. Name(s) of author(s).
3. Professional role (or official title of author(s)).
4. Author’s institutional affiliation, if any.
5. Author’s e-mail address and telephone number (s).
6. Abstract of the proposed paper (about 500 words); and
7. Short professional profiles of presenter(s) – about four lines.

Papers and presentations:

The open session will feature several papers of 3000 to 5000 words in length, each to be presented in 10 minutes in about 10 slides. 

Important deadlines:

29 January 2018:	Submission of paper proposal: a four-page (about 1500 words) extended abstract and outline to demonstrate relevance to the session.
5 March 2018:	Notification of acceptance or rejection of proposal.
15 April 2018:	Submission of completed paper for inclusion in the programme
15 May 2018:	Submission of presentation.

Submissions:

All proposals must be received by 29 January 2018.

Please email your proposals and completed papers to:

Mr. Abraham Azubuike
Convener, IFLA Access to Information Network-Africa (ATINA),
Email: aazubuike@yahoo.com

Please note

At least one of the paper’s authors must be present to deliver a summary of the paper during the program in Malaysia. Abstracts should only be submitted with the understanding that the expenses of attending the conference will be the responsibility of the author(s)/presenter(s) of accepted papers.

All papers that are presented at the WLIC 2018 will be made available online via the IFLA Library under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Authors of accepted papers must complete the IFLA Authors’ Permission Form.

All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by IFLA, but a special invitation letter can be issued to authors.

Source: https://2018.ifla.org/cfp-calls/access-to-information-network-africa-atina-special-interest-group