Libraries: Sustainable and Resilient Community Hubs
23/05/2019
The ACURIL 2019 conference which will take place from June 2-6, at the Renaissance Convention Center, in Oranjestad Aruba. Theme of the conference is: ‘Access and Opportunities for All: Caribbean Libraries, Archives and Museums supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals’. The program will present Speakers and Keynote speakers who will discuss interesting topics within the major theme and sub-themes selected, and more so, Special interest and Content area groups, Workshops, a Caribbean Research Posters Gallery, an Information Industry Exhibitors Pavilion and visits to libraries, museums and archives.
One of the speakers is Ms. Jemi Lacle, Project Manager and Partnership Lead, Open Data and Analytics, World Bank Group. She is focused on driving transformative social and economic change in the international development arena. She will give a presentation on Wednesday June 5, in the morning. And this is the abstract of her presentation:
The world is continuously changing, the exponential growth of digital innovation has changed the way we read, communicate, acquire, share and process knowledge and information. Libraries are also being disrupted in the twenty-first century by technological, political, social, economic, and environmental factors – around the world many modern libraries are shifting from their traditional roles as transactional libraries to vibrant relational hubs. While the lending of books and printed materials have decreased worldwide, the usage of libraries as public social spaces and meeting places has increased drastically in the past years. Libraries have become increasingly important for communities and serve as centers for civic engagement, life-long learning, business hot spots for entrepreneurs, exhibition spaces for art and culture, maker space areas and innovation hubs. Libraries are free accessible public spaces that allow everyone no matter race, nationally, age, gender religion, language, disability, socio-economic status or educational attainment to feel safe and talk, exchange ideas and find new opportunities and understandings in today’s ever-changing world. More than ever before, libraries play a key and unique role in wider community conversations about 21st century ‘glocal’ challenges and solutions, and resiliency for a more equitable and sustainable future for all.
The event is an excellent opportunity for continuing education in the field, to share knowledge and experiences regarding the best practices and the alternatives with other colleagues, in order to provide access to information for all; to familiarize with new trends in our endeavor interacting with providers of information products and services; to increase opportunities to strengthen our networking and communities of practice. The cultural and social activities will also serve as an opportunity to share the rich and diverse experiences of the Aruban and Caribbean communities.
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