The 12th International Research Conference (ICULA 2022) on “Connecting People through Transformative Libraries” organised by the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Standing Committee on Libraries and Information Science (SCOLIS) of the University Grants Commission (UGC), was held in Colombo on Thursday.
The Chairman of SCOLIS, University Grants Commission, Senior Prof. Premakumara De Silva, and the Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University, Sri Lanka Prof. V. Kanagasingam, were the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour.
American Library Association (ALA) Executive Director Tracie D. Hall delivered the keynote address.
The core of the conference consisted of three technical sessions that discussed research papers on ‘Information Needs, Seeking, and Applications”, “Performance Indicators and Evaluation” and “Physical and Human Resource Challenges in Libraries”, chaired by the Professionals in Library Science Dr. Wathmanel Seneviretna, Dr. Namali Suraweera and Dr. K. Chandrani Kuruppu.
The undergraduates of the Swamy Vipulanandha Institute of Aesthetics Studies, Eastern University, Sri Lanka performed a cultural fusion dance.
A round table discussion was also held moderated by Vice President of ULA Ruvini Kodikara. President of ULA Dr. W. J. Jeyaraj, Conference Co-Chair Dr. Chaminda Jayasundara and Deputy Librarian of Uva Wellassa University, Dr. T. Pratheepan were the panellists.
University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka President Dr. W. J. Jeyaraj in a message said, “It’s been a daunting transformation for the library and Information science sector as information was being constantly generated and kept flowing despite all the dilemmas taking place on a global scale. Hence, we as library professionals had to find innovative ways to provide access to information working our way around the limitations brought around by the pandemic.
“The pandemic dealt new challenges on the table, and we had to face them head on. Librarianship has been trying to keep up with the rate of change in information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, these technologies have been radically changed by the pandemic. Now that the pandemic is over, technological devices and the way we access data using them are now a lot more powerful. We must continue to promote information literacy so that our users are able to take advantage of these resources and learn how to evaluate them critically.
“In addition, due to several other factors, libraries have been unable to update their infrastructure with modern computers and their peripherals. Some libraries are still struggling with their old hardware that is not capable to handle the new demand for information. Therefore, this conference aims to draw researchers together to pool their ideas and alternatives to address such issues in the field of library and information science.
“However, this transformation cannot be done on an individual basis. A group of like-minded researchers, passionate about making information accessible needs to brainstorm ideas and have a platform to get together and share thoughts and have an intellectual exchange. Hence, the theme of this conference is “Connecting People through Transformative Libraries”.
“The main objective of this conference is to address issues in academic libraries in the post-pandemic era. There are various topics that we also look forward to discussing; library vision, library mission statements and their implementation. The library professionals at the institutions need to work towards improving their impact on learning outcomes by identifying domain-specific information literacy standards and working with faculty members to integrate them into existing programs.”