Africa: Conference - Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance through Effective Information and Knowledge Services XIXth Standing Conference

-----Original Message-----
From: cbatambuze@nabotu.or.ug [mailto:cbatambuze@nabotu.or.ug]
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 9:36 PM
To: IFLA-L
Subject: [IFLA-L] SCECSAL XIX-Call for papers

Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance through Effective Information and
Knowledge Services XIXth Standing Conference of Eastern, Central, & Southern
Africa Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL) 2010 Conference will
take place in Gaborone, Botswana starting from 7th September to 10th
September 2010.

Call for Papers
This is the first call for papers for the SCECSAL XIX Conference in
September 2010. Papers should address the Conference theme: "Enhancing
Democracy and Good Governance through Effective Information and Knowledge
Services"
Through the contribution of libraries and information services free
effective information and knowledge services do prevail in Africa. Free flow
of Information can play an important role in contributing to democracy, good
governance, social equality and economic growth within nations. In order to
promote transparency and accountability on a national scale, every
government needs to establish mechanisms to provide for setting out the
practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to
information. Democracy requires an informed citizenry and transparency of
information which are vital to national functioning and also to contain
corruption and to hold Governments and their instrumentalities accountable
to the governed. Information and knowledge creates a receptive, opened and
questioning nation that forms the basis for strong democracy. In today's
technological environment much can be done by libraries, media and other
information outlets to promote the principles of free and democratic
societies. It has been observed that, democracy depends both on freedom and
accessibility of information and on an informed public. African governments
must ensure that nationals have easy access to information more than ever
before so as to promote the principle of good governance, democracy, social
equality, and economic growth.
The conference organisers are calling for abstracts on a range of themes,
but not limited to:
Sub-Themes:

. Libraries, democratization process and promotion
of sustainable good governance in Africa

. Freedom of access to information, censorship to
information, Internet monitoring, and good governance

. Information privacy and confidentiality

. Libraries, human rights and democracy

. Advocacy and smart partnerships between libraries
and government in national development

. Information for poverty alleviation and social
justice

. Libraries, social equality and economic growth

. Social inclusion/exclusion, democracy and good
governance

. Digital divide and achievement of democracy

. E-governance/e-government and libraries in Africa

. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
and good governance

. Universal access to information and disadvantaged
groups

. Information literacy and democracy

. Local content, knowledge management/services, and
good governance

. Intellectual property rights and democracy

. Information services and community/national
development

. Learning organizations, democracy and good
governance

Important Deadlines (Dates)
Submission of Abstracts
Abstract proposals are due on Thursday 30 July 2009, and should be sent to:

Dr Priti Jain (jainp@mopipi.ub.bw)

or to:

Reason Baathuli Nfila (nfilar@mopipi.ub.bw) Authors will be notified about
acceptance of their abstracts by Wednesday 30th September 2009.
Accepted full papers are due on Monday 28th February 2010.

Completed papers, including abstracts, must be sent to the above addresses.
Papers should be sent as e-mail attachment (electronic). Papers and
abstracts must include the following:

. Names of speaker(s), institution, city and country

. Title of paper

. Abstract of not more than 150 words

. Full-text as electronic attachment

Papers to be presented must be written in English Registration and
exhibition details can be obtained from Dikgangb@mopipi.ub.bw, Tel. (267)
355 2459; Cell. (267)71827118, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana.