CONFERENCE THEME ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL: CARIBBEAN LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES AND MUSEUMS SUPPORTINGTHE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
PROCEEDINGS 2019
Access and Opportunity for All : Caribbean Libraries, Archives, and Museums Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Acceso y Oportunidades para Todos : Las Bibliotecas, Archivos y Museos del Caribe en Apoy o a los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de las Naciones Unidas
L’Accès et l’Opportunité pour Tous : Les Bibliothèques, Archives et Musées des Caraïbes Soutenant les Objectifs de Développement Durable Des Nations Unies
Behind the logo of ACURIL XLIX “The conch has a nurturing reference but is also still a means of communication through local and regional music. The “sound colors” are from the Sustainable Development Goals International logo and represent that we all are part of the problem, but most importantly: the solution.” Ryan Daniel Oduber, Contemporary Aruban artist and designer.
1
Contents FOREWORD - Monique Alberts, ACURIL President 2018-2019 .......................................................... 4 CONFERENCE DEDICATION: ................................................................................................................ 5 ROSEMARY DE PAULA .......................................................................................................................... 5 ALICE VAN ROMONDT .......................................................................................................................... 5 BLANCA HODGE .................................................................................................................................... 5 LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE - Astrid J.T. Britten & Lourdes B. (Des) Croes ........................ 6 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ACURIL ............................................................................................................. 7 Institutional members.............................................................................................................................. 7 Association members ............................................................................................................................... 8 Personal Members ................................................................................................................................... 8 SUNDAY JUNE 2ND: PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS ................................................................... 9 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9 *9:00 to 11:00 am - Report of the Pre-‐Conference Workshop: The Creation Of Caribbean Makerspaces (Onsite, Virtual And Mobile) For The Benefit Of All . ...................................................... 9 MONDAY JUNE 3RD: SUB-THEME 1: INFORMATION SERVICES AIMED AT POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND FOOD SECURITY................................................................................................ 10 .................................................................................................................................................................... 10 *9.30 a.m.-10.30 a.m – Keynote-Food Security And Poverty Alleviation: The Empowering Role Of Media And Information Skills by Jesus Lau ........................................................................................... 10 *1.30 p.m.-2.00 p.m. Keynote: Go School For Information by Paul Geerders ..................................... 12 *3.30 p.m.-4.30 p.m. -Special Interest Groups: Archives And Document Management Special Interest Group ........................................................................................................................................ 12 *4.30 p.m.-5.30 p.m. - Roundtable I: Evidence-Based Practice And Continuing Professional Development Content ............................................................................................................................ 13 *4.30 p.m.-5.30 p.m - Roundtable II: The Virtual Reference Services And Electronic Resources ....... 13 .................................................................................................................................................................... 15 TUESDAY JUNE 4TH: SUB-THEME 2: PROMOTE LITERACY AND LIFELONG ......................... 15 *9.00 a.m-9.45 a.m.-Keynote - The Role Of Local Libraries In The Netherlands In Preventing Social Exclusion by Maaike Toomen ................................................................................................................ 15 *11:00 am. 12:00 pm. Paper Presentations based on Subtheme 2: How To Develop Sustainable Collections For Your Community by Daniel Boivin (Canada) ................................................................ 17 Paper II: Security Policymakers In The English-Speaking Caribbean by Shamin Renwick (Grenada) 18 *1.30 p.m.-2.00 p.m - Keynote -*Literacy* Is *Life* Itself! by Marilyn Alcalá-Wallé, Minister of Education, Science, Culture Sports (Curaçao) ....................................................................................... 21 2
*2.00 p.m.-2.30 p.m Keynote - Circular Economy : A New Name For Sustainable Development by Dr. Armando Lampe, Minister of Education, Science and Sustainable Development (Aruba) ................. 23 *3.00 p.m.-3.30 p.m. Paper presentations based on Sub-theme 2: ..................................................... 24 • Showcasing how the University of Guyana uses Digital Technology to Empower its Clientele with Special Needs Presenters: Clyden Harris, Debra Lowe and Simmone LaRose (Guyana) ......... 24 • Supporting Literacy and Lifelong Learning Strategies through Libraries Presenter: Joy Ysaguirre (Belize) ................................................................................................................................ 24 • The Library’s New Role in this New Era: A Pillar for Teaching, Learning and Research via its Literacy Programme (IL) Presenter: Nalisa Bhagwandin and Simmone LaRose (Guyana) • El movimiento de Informática Comunitaria con el Proyecto ENLACE de la Comunidad de Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Presenter: Jeannette Lebrón-Ramos (Puerto Rico) Moderator: Jane Smith (Suriname) Rapporteur: Arlene Alleyne Regis (Trinidad and Tobago) ................................................................ 24 WEDNESDAY JUNE 5TH: Subtheme 3: Libraries and sustainability Subtheme 4: Integrated strategies to achieve multiple SDGs ......................................................................................................... 25 *9.00 a.m.-9.45 a.m.- Keynote - Libraries : Sustainable And Resilient Community Hubs by Jemi Laclé. ................................................................................................................................................................ 25 *9.45 a.m.-10.30 a.m - Roots Redux: The ‘Jaden Kwéyòl’ And Climate Change Mitigation From The Lens Of The Development Of The Cassava Industry In St.Lucia, Through Research, Education, And The Integration Of Environmental Principles Throughout The Entire Production Chain by Laurent Jean Pierre .............................................................................................................................................. 25 *11.00 a.m.-12 .00 p.m. Paper Presentations based on Subthemes 3 and 4:...................................... 26 • Developing Symbiotic Partnerships in Cultural Heritage Preservation and Access: A Small....... 26 Island Case Stud. Presenters: y by Renwick Heronimo and Peter Scholing (Aruba) ....................... 26 • Co-production of SDG Data: a Possibility for Academic Institutions to Close the Gap................. 26 Presenters: Jocelyne Croes and Ghislaine Nicolaas (Aruba) ............................................................. 26 • Latin American and Caribbean Library Associations Advocacy Actions towards the .................. 26 Inclusion of Libraries in the Fulfillment of the SDGs. Presenter: Oscar Saveedra (Mexico) .......... 26 THURSDAY JUNE 6TH: Subtheme 5: Libraries contributing to peaceful and just societies. ............. 27 .................................................................................................................................................................... 27 *11.00 a.m.-12.00 p.m. Paper Presentations based on sub-theme 5: ................................................. 27 • Introducing Emerald Open Research, a new open access-publishing platform. Presenter: Valerie Robillard (Brazil) ................................................................................................................................. 27 • When Lines Are Down: Celebrating Cuba! And the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) ...... 30 Collaboration, Solidarity, and Mutual Aid. Presenter: Laurie Taylor. ............................................. 30 *12.00 p.m.-1.00 p.m - Keynote - Libraries: Sanctuaries For Authentic Communication by Professor Cees Hamelink. ....................................................................................................................................... 31 Local Organizing Committee .................................................................................................................... 33 3
FOREWORD - Monique Alberts, ACURIL President 2018-2019
Dear Acurilians Acuril 2019 was a wonderful conferece. We exchanged ideas on how we as information professionals can contribute to the Sustainable development goals. In this proceedings you will find information about the conference presentations and reports of the question and answers and discussion topics.
4
CONFERENCE DEDICATION:
ACURIL 2019 ARUBA honored three distinguished Library Directors of the Dutch Caribbean.
ROSEMARY DE PAULA
Former Director of the Public Library in Willemstad, Curaรงao (1968-2002)
ALICE VAN ROMONDT
Biblioteca Nacional Aruba, in Oranjestad, Retired Library Director; ACURIL Past President, 1986-1987, with the conference entitled Caribbean Collections: Crisis Management; Strategies for Libraries, held May 10-15, 1987, in Miami, Florida
BLANCA HODGE
Philipsburg Jubilee Library, in St. Maarten, Retired Library Director; ACURIL Past President, 1991-1992, with the conference entitled Resources Management in Libraries and Research Centers of the Caribbean, held on May 17-23, 1992, in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago 5
LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE - Astrid J.T. Britten & Lourdes B. (Des) Croes
6
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ACURIL President 2018-2019 Mrs. Monique Alberts, Dutch Caribbean Library Association alberts.sxm@gmail.com Executive Secretary Dr. Luisa Vigo-Cepeda, Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de la Invormación, Universidad de Puerto Rico. executivesecretariat@acuril.org Vice-President/President Elect 2019-2020 Dr. Berthamae Walker, University of the Bahamas Libraries berthamae.walker@cob.edu.bs Immediate Past President 2017-2018 Ms. Kumaree Ramtahal, Personal Member, Trinidad & Tobago kumaree.ramtahal@sta.uwi.edu Treasurer Mrs. Almaluces Figueroa Ortíz Caribbean Regional Library and Latin American Studies, Library System, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus acuriltreasureraf@acuril.org
Institutional members Service Commun de la Documentation, Université des Antilles (MartiniqueGuadeloupe) Represented by Mme. Anne Pajard. 2017-2020 anne.pajard@martinique.univ-ag.fr University of Technology, Jamaica Represented by Mr. David A. Drysdale, Library Director 2018-2021 dadrysle60@yahoo.com Biblioteca Nacional Aruba Represented by Mrs. Astrid Britten, Library Director. 2016-2019 a.britten@bibliotecanacional.aw FOKAL (Foundation Connaissance et Liberté) Represented by Mr. Eric Toussaint,Director of Library Program in Haiti. 2018-2021 etoussaint@fokal.org 7
The Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago Represented by Mrs. Cheryl Peltier-Davis. 2017-2020 cheryl.peltier-davis@sta.uwi.edu Programa de Bibliotecología y Ciencias de la Información, Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, República Dominicana. Represented by Dra. Dulce María Núñez de Taveras,Program Director, 2018-2021 dulcenunez@pucmm.edu.do
Association members Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) Represented by Mr. Miguel Asencio. 2017-2019 masencio@fiu.edu ACURIL, Puerto Rico Chapter. Represented by Ms. Jeannette Lebrón-Ramos, President. 2018-2020 jeannette.lebron2@upr.edu
Personal Members Mr. Mario Torres-Ramos, Sistema de Bibliotecas, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Rio Piedras. 2017-2019 mario.torres2@upr.edu Ms. Gretchen M. Carrasquillo-Ramos, ACURIL Executive Technological Team, Personal Category. 2018-2020 gretchen.carrasquillo@upr.edu
8
SUNDAY JUNE 2ND: PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
*9:00 to 11:00 am - Report of the Pre-‐Conference Workshop: The Creation Of Caribbean Makerspaces (Onsite, Virtual And Mobile) For The Benefit Of All . Presenters were Luisa Vigo-‐Cepeda -Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies, University of Puerto Rico luisa.vigo@upr.edu Christie Mettes (christie@metabolic.nl); Manuel Rojas (manuel@metabolic.nl) ? (Biblioteca Nacional Aruba); Gretchen Carrasquillo , (Law Library, University of Puerto Rico). (Ramosgretchen.carrasquillo@upr.edu) Fifteen colleagues attended the presentation. The theoretical part regarding the Makerspace movement, with characteristics and benefits for libraries, was presented by Dr. Luisa Vigo-‐Cepeda; a special presentation on the BLAB (or Brenchies Lab) and Mobile Makerspaces experiences at the Biblioteca Nacional Aruba was made by Christie Mettes and Manuel Rojas. Brenchie’s Lab is a publicly accessible makerspace in Aruba, aimed to bring open technologies for people to use freely to create what they see as important. The Biblioteca Nacional Aruba has also developed a Mobile makerspace, built in a bus. The mobile makerspace visits different schools to provide additional and different activities with opportunities to experiment with diverse technologies. Finally the platform Big Blue Buttomhttps://bigbluebutton.org/ was introduced by Gretchen Carrasquillo Ramos for the use with the Virtual makerspace for conferences, workshops. The BLAB and Mobile makerspaces will receive the ACURIL President’s Award 2019 tonight. The makerspaces at the Biblioteca Nacional Aruba seeks to support the democratization of technology by fostering a shared space for the young and adults to experiment and work together towards a more inclusive and circular future in the country. Brenchie’s Lab envisions an evolving set of community managed spaces where everyone is part of the open source technology community, and where spaces function as incubators for community based innovation that can be tested, co-‐developed, and implemented in the country. The shared experience proved to be an exciting one and stimulated a positive reaction of all attendees. The Mobile Makerspace will be shown today outside the Renaissance Convention Center, from 10:00 am to 12:00Noon for those willing to visit the model.
9
MONDAY JUNE 3RD: SUB-THEME 1: INFORMATION SERVICES AIMED AT POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND FOOD SECURITY
*9.30 a.m.-10.30 am – Keynote-Food Security And Poverty Alleviation: The Empowering Role Of Media And Information Skills by Jesus Lau Speaker: Prof. Jesus Lau, University of Veracruz (México) Moderator: Dulce Maria Nuñez-Collado (Rep. Dominicana) Rapporteur: Ayanaana Alleyne Cumberbatch (Trinidad and Tobago) Key Points from Presentation Information comes in different formats and through different channels. In keeping with the theme of access and opportunity for all, questions remain, how do we make sure we can achieve this theme? Can we make this a possibility? The answer, it may not be 100% possible but we can see how far we can achieve this goal. Developing countries such as Singapore who has a great education system is working to achieve this goal. So, the more educated the population the greater the chance to achieve this goal. SDG’s 2030 is asking for us as information professionals to be better poised to address the issues of peace, war, gender, equitable access to information etc. There are 20 SDG targets that talk about information access and meeting these targets is the vital ingredient to accomplish the SDG’s. IFLA has been working assiduously to help push this SDG agenda forward. Bangladesh for example has achieved great improvements in libraries. Bangladesh continues to encourage libraries to be a part of this movement and align themselves with the different ways they can support the SDG’s. There are different ways libraries can focus on supporting the UN’s SDG’s which are: Nationally, Regionally, Locally, Institutionally. Libraries have a great opportunity to impact society by enabling other libraries to contribute to this initiative. We have the opportunity to enable our media (including social media platforms as this forum helps to drive the information) with the skills and competencies to promote information sharing. This would all work together to create a more information ready society. The challenge of course is facing low-income societies. This creates a challenge in achieving equity and places the society at a disadvantage in achieving this goal. At all levels, there is a need to encourage more volunteerism (e.g. doctors) by working with schools, rotary clubs etc. can help the community and give more information. These types of initiatives require leadership. 10
Accomplishing the first SDG can impact upon all the rest. Achieving this goal can help change the state of the others. Access to public service e.g. how to have a garden or how to preserve fruits for future use. Poverty alleviation – how to prevent man-made disasters or react or respond to man-made disasters. Food Security - what can we do to eat better especially since the Media has changed the way we eat. Libraries can play a part to bring greater attention and visibility about better eating habits. How to help the local community to market their local products. SDG Exercise at 10:13am Feedback from Exercise: Mr. Drysdale (Jamaica) SDG ACTION
RESOURCES REQUIRED
Academic library contribution to Computer lab and Information national development: literacy Librarian information literacy to online pharmacy students
SGD GOAL(S) NUMBERS 4 (Quality Education)
Eric Toussaint Haiti (Haiti) SDG ACTION Introduction to business management
RESOURCES REQUIRED Tutor in business management and space
SGD GOAL(S) NUMBERS 1,2,8,9
Ms. Williams (Aruba) SDG ACTION Giving equal access to information and education with focus on primary and secondary school population
RESOURCES REQUIRED Space and librarians
SGD GOAL(S) NUMBERS 4 (Quality Education)
Comments: Cheryl Peltier Davis – Trinidad and Tobago There is a need to recognize ACURIL as a premier conference at the regional level to keep track of our libraries in the region by seeing and sharing how they are supporting the UN’s SDG’s. Response: Libraries have to change the way they see themselves by making the library a living space for our respective communities. Final Comments from presenter: 11
Access to equal access to information and education. Elementary and Secondary – support at the level of research support at the level of research at the primary and secondary programs during the school term. IFLA’s SDG acceleration and the bottleneck assessment: There are libraries who are a part of this movement but we need to focus on our actions by: 1. Sharing our stories on the IFLA map 2. Be an advocate for the library and find ways to play a more meaningful role in this project. 3. Encouraging libraries to be a part of the SDG’s Align, Advocate, Share your stories.
*1.30 p.m.-2.00 p.m. Keynote: Go School For Information by Paul Geerders Speaker: Paul Geerders, The Netherlands Moderator: Ardis Hanson (Florida, USA) Rapporteur: Ray Ganessing (Trinidad and Tobago)
*3.30 p.m.-4.30 p.m. -Special Interest Groups: Archives And Document Management Special Interest Group Chair: Margot Thomas, St. Lucia, Co-Chair: Lorraine Nero, Trinidad and Tobago, Co-Chair: Izaskun Herrojo-Salas, Dominican Republic. Eighteen persons were in attendance. The Archives and Document Management SIG met on two occasions during the 49th ACURIL conference and had two excellent presentations. The first meeting was held on Monday June 3rd in the Ocean Suites, between 3:30 -4:30. There was one presentation by Mrs. Margo Thomas, National Archivist of St. Lucia and former ACURIL Executive Council Member. The presentation was a review and discussion of the recently published book “Decolonizing the Caribbean Record: An Archives Reader edited by Jeanette Bastien, John Aarons and Stanley Griffins”. Among the highlights of the presentation were: 1) the homage she paid to ACURILEANs who published in the work, 2) She explained that this work filled a niche in the Caribbean archival profession by providing an opportunity for our voices to be heard, Caribbean people writing our archival history. She pointed out that more publications are needed about archives in the Caribbean and encouraged attendees to do so. One important recommendation which came from the attendees was that the name and scope of the SIG be 12
expanded to include museums. Therefore the SIG group title can read: Archives, Document management and Museums. There was overwhelming support for this recommendation. The second meeting was held on Wednesday June 5th at the same venue between 1:00-2:00 pm. Ms. Kumaree Ramtahal of Trinidad and Tobago presented on “Sustainable Access to Cultural Heritage: the Indian Caribbean Museum of Trinidad and Tobago.” She gave an overview of the operations, showed examples of the museum’s exhibit, discussed some challenges and provided recommendations for the way forward. The presentation generated lots of discussions particularly on the topic of identifying ways to fund private museums. There were 11 attendees.
*4.30 p.m.-5.30 p.m. - Roundtable I: Evidence-Based Practice And Continuing Professional Development Content Chairs: Ms. Jane Smith, Suriname, and Dr. Ardis Hanson, US. 7 attendees, representing health/medical libraries from Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Aruba, and Curaçao. Dr. Hanson provided a workshop on “Advanced Searching and More in PubMed”. She covered a number of features, including the use of the clinical queries as a supplement to other point of care resources, the PubMed index list, retracted articles aggregator, and the value of the clinical trials resource. She also provided an overview of PubMed Labs, the PubMed development site, available for public use and comment. Attendees engaged in lively discussions regarding user behaviors and issues teaching medical students, fellows, residents, and clinical faculty. A second issue that was identified was the simplification of the PubMed Labs interface that may affect precision and relevance in searching the medical literature.
*4.30 p.m.-5.30 p.m - Roundtable II: The Virtual Reference Services And Electronic Resources The Virtual Reference Services and Electronic Resources Content Area Roundtable met on Monday 3rd June, 2019 in the Main Conference Hall, Aruba Renaissance Convention Center, Oranjestad, Aruba. Mrs. Jeannette Lebron-Ramos , Chair, Mr. Mario Torres Ramos, Co-Chair and Ms. Kumaree Ramtahal, Co-Chair. There were 2 presentations. The presenters were:
13
Ms. Lorraine Nero, Senior Library, Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. Ms. Nero presented on the topic Ethics for Digital and Social Media Research: Conceptualizing an Information Literacy Module. The second presentation was done by Ms. Jeannette Lebron-Ramon and Ms. Gretchen Carasquillo-Ramos, Librarians at the Law Library, University of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico. They presented on the topic Servicio de Referencia Virtual en bibliotecas del Caribe: El Caso de la Biblioteca de Derecho de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. This Roundtable attracted 50 participants and there was some lively discussion at the Q&A session.
14
TUESDAY JUNE 4TH: SUB-THEME 2: PROMOTE LITERACY AND LIFELONG
*9.00 a.m-9.45 a.m.-Keynote - The Role Of Local Libraries In The Netherlands In Preventing Social Exclusion by Maaike Toonen Speaker: Maaike Toomen, Program Manager, Basic Skills of the National Library of the Netherlands Rapporteur: Aleesha Chinnia-Benny
Key points: Role of local Libraries in the promotion of basic skills to prevent social exclusion of vulnerable target groups. Basic skills relate to: work and income; health; finance. Local libraries on a local level have certain goals to obtain - providing information for people who need it; providing opportunities on development and education; promoting reading and getting acquainting with literature; organizing programs for getting acquainting to art and culture. The National library’s role involves coordinating, and networking. At the national level – manage a network of public libraries of services by reconciliation, coordinating, education and information, representation, promoting, and most importantly, maintaining national digital libraries. The 2 important pillars that govern the public libraries are Non formal education; Help and support. In 2015, National Program Library for Basic Skills was set up. This program was set up to help people who are unable to read and write, through informal education. Staff training is important, especially as libraries are moving from classical to modern libraries, by offering courses to assistant users who cannot read or read, and even those who lack digital skills. Local libraries do not only provide basic skills, but also information desks, where people can come to get assistance with filling out digital forms. Help and support is very important, as the public libraries work closely with the Ministry of Education, Culture & Science; Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Justice and Safety. The Ministry of Internal Affairs providing funding to develop a project that is now being implemented. Q&A: Question 1:
Giving the library a learning role that is very important to society, especially for those who really need, but how do you run all those one-to-one courses? 15
Answer:
Question 2: Answer:
Question 3: Answer:
Question 4:
Answer:
It is different in library-to-library or how large the groups are. They are usually 6 to 8 persons in a group, 1 librarian and 1 volunteer. It is sometime one to one or 2 people to ten participates. Lianne Lenora – How do you bring people into the and reach them? When you ask people on the street what is the library, they say that the library is for lending out books. We are in the transition from moving to classical libraries to libraries with more broad activities and all kinds of services for people. It really takes a lot of effort as it really not a logical place for them since they do not have a lot of reading and writing skills, and do not like to read books. We have to develop that skill and we are still at the beginning of this. One of our main goals is to reach more people. In reaching these people, we involve the target groups in communication and marketing tools. Cooperation is really important. Dominican libraries are trying to become more of a digital element. How can libraries become part of this digital change that is occurring? In the Netherlands, the society has already become more digitalized. Within the last decade, the government institutions have been digitalizing their services. This gives a lot of opportunities to people, but there is some danger in that people who cannot deal with online services will be excluded. The libraries in the Netherlands have been dealing with the process of digitalizing by lending of e-books, and by having online services with digital contact and various websites. It is important to provide extra support for people who are unable to deal with online services. Obviously, there are lot of stakeholders involved, for example, government, libraries, and the broader community. How do you keep everyone satisfied, i.e. meet you goals and follow the agenda of the government? We have to define our roles, such as what are the government institutions doing? What are the libraries doing? What are the local organizations doing? Libraries are there for the courses they offer, as well as their services, which are their goals. There is an agreement with the government that they have to send 40,000 people to the libraries. This agreement is the government’s goal, and the libraries’ objective is to educate these 40,000 people.
Comment 1: Monique Alberts - In St. Marten, I was the director of the Library, and we tried to set up a program low literate persons. We experienced people saying that they hated school. However, before we can help them we need to test them. So we invited them to the library for a fun activity, and everyone showed. We then told them that next week there will be a test. The next week no one showed up. Comment 2: The most important targeted group is the government, as they lack digital skills. All the digital projects have failed because of the incompetence of the
16
government; they do not understand the projects that they start up. There was never any parliamentary discussion about the digitalization. It was simple imposed on them. End: 9:49 am
*11:00 am. 12:00 pm. Paper Presentations based on Subtheme 2: How To Develop Sustainable Collections For Your Community by Daniel Boivin (Canada) Topics of the presentation • Libraries Evolving • Learning Centered Thinking • Practical Considerations • The Facilitated Collection • Enabling Transformation • Sustainable Collection Services In his presentation highlights the evolution of libraries over time, at a given time was dedicated space for readers. These spaces were eventually converted for spaces to be dedicated to the development of book collections and not for readers. These spaces were no longer focused on the reader. Then, the paradigm has changed to one where the libraries focuses on the user, created environments for the user. In this era the spaces are returned to the use. This is creating a Leaning Center area, the challenge is to maintain these spaces for student learning. In 2016, a survey of Ithaka 2016 Library was carried out, where 26 priorities were established, of which they are presented for the purposes of this presentation 6. • Providing a physical space for student collaboration • Providing a physical space for independent student learning and study • Facilitating access to materials through inter-library loan or other borrowing agreements • Providing reference instruction to undergraduate classes • Licensing electronic journal A paradigm related to the creation of these spaces is established for the user. LearningCentered Paradigm, Scott Bennett was quoted "In the twenty-first century, we need to constantly affirm that the most important educational function of physical library space is to foster a culture of intentional learning." Library spaces are being redesigned, such as the University of Iowa, where small spaces dedicated to collaboration are created. They also have spaces with simulators on a large scale, where the environment is aimed at learning. The use of the spaces in the libraries should be rethought, with the circulation of printed books going down, the availability of these spaces for other purposes should be evaluated. How much investment is needed to keep these resources printed? 17
Currently there are efforts aimed at sharing resources with other libraries, avoiding duplicity. There must be balances between the book spaces and the spaces for the users. The efforts should be directed to the shared collections and the development of collections according to the needs of the user. With strategies where data and statistics are analyzed so that a quick and correct decision can be made.
Paper II: Security Policymakers In The English-Speaking Caribbean by Shamin Renwick (Grenada) This presentation is based on a chapter of the PhD thesis of Dr. Shamin Renwick, title The information experience of food security decision-makers in the CARICOM region a study of Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and Barbados. Abstract In searching for information, people’s perceptions and perspectives on a subject influence how effectively they search and find pertinent information. This chapter examines policymakers’ perceptions of food security; their thoughts on constraints to decision making for food security; the constraints on enhancing food security; and their recommendations to enhance levels of food security in three CARICOM countries. Using a qualitative approach, 17 policymakers in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Belize were interviewed using a semi-structured schedule of open-ended questions. The results revealed that policymakers across the countries had differing definitions of food security; voiced a multitude of constraints; and had various recommendations for enhancing food security. These were reflected in the seven themes identified, of which one was the lack of information in the Caribbean regarding food security in regional territories. Of significance, is the finding that the study countries identified with different levels of insecurity risk. As a result, there were differences in what they would choose to focus on to enhance their levels of food security. Also pertinent was that few areas of regional cooperation were identified. One implication of these findings is that their information seeking methods, information needs and resulting indicators to be monitored would vary across countries and a single regional plan to manage the information required to support food security should be streamlined to cater for the demands of the specific territories. Topics of the presentation • • • • • • •
Information Seeking Evolving Definition of Food Security Research Questions Methods and Sample Findings Perceptions of Food Security Information Required for Food Security Decision Making 18
• Constraints to Enhancing Food Security According to this research, this study seeks to know how policy define food security, what they observe as constraints and what they see as possible solutions also affect the type/kind of information they supporting their decision making. Dr. Renwick defined Food Security and what does it consist, term has evolved over time ah had its origins in the 1972-1974. This situation affected, among other things. This situation affected, among other things, by population issues, trade, poverty, accessibility and availability of food, land issues, climate change, natural disasters, and areas of conflict. Others concerns which affect the Caribbean as hurricane and earthquake prone area are: • Dependence on imported food • Farming and food production issues • High cost of transport • Volatility of food availability • Increasing food prices • Increasing incidence of diet-related diseases The questions about the research were the following: • How do policymakers define food security? • If food security a conscious perspective when policymakers are undertaking their job responsibilities? • What are the constraints and recommendations which decision-makers propose for enhancing food security? • Is making information available and accessible seen as a solution in enhancing levels of food security? The methods used for this research were the following ; face to face interviews of policymakers and policymakers are not often studied as the main constraint is the time available for participation in a study. Seven themes were identified; varying perception and focus of food security, food security, a conscious perspective, countries have different issues with planning and decision making, lack of information for food security planning and decision making, wide ranging constraints to enhancing food security or decision making for food security, numerous strategies to improve food security levels and few of regional cooperation identified. This research identified unique country perspectives: •
•
Barbados o Natural disasters and national security, with the possibility of the food being a political weapon to bring down a movement. o Sufficiency was as tourists had to be catered Belize o Cultural o Persons felt food secure 19
o Government needed to reflect on who was affected by their policies o Lamented the lack of inter-ministerial linkages • Trinidad and Tobago o People believed they would always have access to food o Food security planning was a talk shop o People were mostly unaware of the food crisis in 2007-2008 as importers simply brought in different brands. o Conclusions of this research In all, seven themes were identified and discussed. It appeared that the perception of food security varied when persons defined it from a personal point of view despite the assumption that it was a common notion. The definitions of food security varied widely across persons and countries. Whereas, there was some commonality in the definition of food security where availability and accessibility were concerned, there was more variation in the keywords and aspects used to conceptualize food security. These eclectic perspectives were also reflected in the numerous strategies raised regarding thinking about enhancing food security. This implies that persons will identify different information needs and have varying information seeking habits as their focus varies. Such considerations have resulted from people’s experiences, the needs of the job and the food security risks they believe affect the country. This does, of course, affect their decision making, compromises and plans of action. Whether policymakers are conscious of food security issues when making decisions or deciding on policy or plans means that they will consider the implications of their strategies on the food security risks of the country as it is assumed that food security is a major objective of doing agriculture and of the Government. The implication of this finding is that about 73% of policymakers are conscious of food security when making decisions and it will influence their planning. This consciousness appears, on the basis of the responses, to be based on working in their current jobs as they would have learnt of the importance or become more concerned, if their experiences and education had not already had this effect. Each country had different issues with planning and decision making as there were different planning scenarios; concerns with planning; and approaches to evaluation of plans. The assumptions for this are that the food security risk in each country is widely different. The implications are that one size does not fit all and any regional plan must allow for variations according to the needs of the country. This would be based on the realities that there are different resource bases, history, culture, educational background and experiences, and most significantly, different reasons (e.g., chronic or transitory, conjunctural or structural, at the aggregate or household/individual level) as to why food security risks vary among countries. As expected the diverse resource base as well as the varying culture and experiences would mean that different issues would affect populations in the countries under review. Wideranging constraints in doing agriculture and the numerous strategies to enhance food security point to the multitude of issues that affect agriculture and food security. It was assumed that there would have been greater commonality of the issues implying that a single plan or a few homogenous indicators may not be representative. Nonetheless, policymakers remain concerned (and optimistic) and have many ideas yet to be tried. Several eclectic suggestions to 20
enhancing food security were made by participants including, leadership, possibly political leadership was advanced as key. This view was supported when P 15, TT, emphasized that “Food security needs concerted efforts…Government has to buy into the idea that cohesion is necessary and only a Prime Minister can articulate this.” Since CARICOM is seen as a group of states working together for mutual benefit, it would be assumed that there may have been more extensive areas of regional cooperation. Whereas, it is taken for granted in discussions regarding food security in CARICOM countries, that the mainland countries like Belize and Guyana where there is a lot more land than the SIDS, it was novel and a break in tradition to have respondents in Belize express a possible change in policy to now favor greater trade and interaction with the Central American states with regard to food and agriculture. The implication is that for regional planning, consideration of what Caribbean policymakers believe to be important must be acknowledged, including the strengthening of decision making by sharing information more efficiently. The recognition that there is a lack of information for food security planning and decision making means that information is indeed considered as an important factor in decision making and planning. It is assumed that information has a role in what the policymakers are asked to do. The implication is that more importance should be given to making relevant and appropriate information available. Despite the abundance of information available via the Internet, accurate, targeted and timely information on the Caribbean in areas relevant to food security decision making and planning is mostly unavailable.
*1.30 p.m.-2.00 p.m - Keynote -*Literacy* Is *Life* Itself! by Marilyn Alcalá-Wallé, Minister of Education, Science, Culture Sports (Curaçao) Moderator: Cheryl Peltier-Davis (Trinidad and Tobago) Rapporteur: Judith Wright (Trinidad and Tobago) Topics of the presentation 1. Importance of literacy 2. Curacao among the Caribbean libraries 3. Supporting literacy strategies as identified in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Mrs. Alcala-Walle noted the following key points: • • •
That literacy is very important in our lives and has to be defined. Literacy is more than reading and writing. The context of literacy is expanding as well as the skills to access the technology 21
Literacy is power – It lies in the capacity in the person to connect with the world in which they live as individuals, in the community, and the world. • Literacy is a human right – (showed a video “Literacy in a digital world”) She highlighted there were 781,000,000 illiterate adults worldwide and hence the need for literacy to be redefined. Having said that she defined literacy according to Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Literacy Day. She also noted that without literacy it is difficult to comply with the other SDGs and that literacy is essential to the acquisition of life skills. •
She made the point very clear that in Curacao “we don’t have to but we want to develop our people and develop the SDGs. In order to achieve this, they are working on a number of areas, two of which include: 1. Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting life-long learning opportunities for all 2. Ensuring all youths and a large portion of adults receive literacy opportunities She explained some of the challenges being faced by the public libraries in Curacao and put forward some areas of priority to be addressed. Important to note there is collaboration in the Dutch Kingdom (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands) and they are all working together to redefine literacy. They also recognized that they need to continue working with parents and encourage literacy in the home. In conclusion, Mrs. Alcala-Walle ended with a quote: “Education is not preparation for life: education is life itself”, (John Dewey). The session was well attended and large in numbers. Question. 1. Margot Thomas (National Archives, Saint Lucia) Comment: In the presentation it was said that 781,000,000 people worldwide are illiterate. Those numbers are not good and she feels that we in the Caribbean are at the highest spectrum. Question: Do you think that the policy makers have a vested interest in keeping the population illiterate so that the population will remain dependent on them? She feels the politicians want to keep it that way. Answer : This government wants the people to develop themselves to maximize their potential. It is important to have the correct information in order to use the right strategies. The four countries in the Dutch Kingdom (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands) are working together to eradicate illiteracy. Noting that four years in government for education is too short a time to make real impact. 22
*2.00 p.m.-2.30 p.m Keynote - Circular Economy : A New Name For Sustainable Development by Dr. Armando Lampe, Minister of Education, Science and Sustainable Development (Aruba) Moderator: Cheryl Peltier-Davis (Trinidad and Tobago) Rapporteur: Judith Wright (Trinidad and Tobago) Presenting before a well-attended audience, Mr. Lampe told that he chose this setting – ACURIL 20109 to present for the first time Aruba’s strategic vision to become a sustainable circular island economy called – the Circular Economy (CE) Vision 2050. He noted that today the concept of development now has a negative connotation because it is synonymous with economic growth. He believes that now there is a need to see development not simply in financial terms but also in other areas. He advised that the CE is gaining significant international recognition with the – take, make waste, local/global economic model. He posits the CE model is a sustainable one implying that sustainability is a key feature of the CE and this can be achieved by bringing sustainable production and the use and reuse concept in the economy. The government of Aruba have initiated the sustainable CE and has the following goals: 1. To improve the investment climate in Aruba and the need to start to use organic materials right away 2. When purchasing products change from single use plastics and substitute with biodegradable materials He expressed the importance of not seeing waste as simply waste anymore but to see it as an asset. Additionally, he advised that several agencies in the UN system have started talking about CE. At a meeting held 1st October, 2018 – there was a formal meeting about CE. Conclusion The sustainable CE paradigm addresses one of the key SDGs here in Aruba. That is prosperity which must go beyond material concern. We must adopt a simple lifestyle. We should not teach our children that the aim in life is to just make money. We need to become more aware that we need few things in life to be happy and the few things we need to be happy, we use very little. Questions 1. Laurent Jean Pierre, (Ethnobotanist, St. Lucia). Please expound on the stewardship responsibility. How do we fit in the CE and what are our responsibilities? The Pope said that we need to be faithful not fateful stewards. 23
Answer: Wise words from a religious Guru, Jesus Christ and Mahatma Ghandi said – To see the change you have to be the change. In other words let the change start with me. 2. Monique Alberts (ACURIL President 2019) Aruba’s former government stated they were going to achieve 100 percent renewable economy by 2020. How will they achieve this? Answer: The new government realized that that 2020 goal was a bit ambitious and so they have set a new target for 2050 with the implementation of the CE because they have some work to do. It made no sense to do a project if its sustainability was not possible. They needed to put things in place to ensure their efforts are sustainable.
*3.00 p.m.-3.30 p.m. Paper presentations based on Sub-theme 2: •
Showcasing how the University of Guyana uses Digital Technology to Empower its Clientele with Special Needs Presenters: Clyden Harris, Debra Lowe and Simmone LaRose (Guyana)
•
Supporting Literacy and Lifelong Learning Strategies through Libraries Presenter: Joy Ysaguirre (Belize)
•
The Library’s New Role in this New Era: A Pillar for Teaching, Learning and Research via its Literacy Programme (IL) Presenter: Nalisa Bhagwandin and Simmone LaRose (Guyana) • El movimiento de Informática Comunitaria con el Proyecto ENLACE de la Comunidad de Río Piedras, Puerto Rico Presenter: Jeannette Lebrón-Ramos (Puerto Rico) Moderator: Jane Smith (Suriname) Rapporteur: Arlene Alleyne Regis (Trinidad and Tobago)
Moderator: Jane Smith (Suriname) Rapporteur: Arlene Alleyne Regis (Trinidad and Tobago)
24
WEDNESDAY JUNE 5TH: Subtheme 3: Libraries and sustainability Subtheme 4: Integrated strategies to achieve multiple SDGs
*9.00 a.m.-9.45 a.m.- Keynote - Libraries : Sustainable And Resilient Community Hubs by Jemi Laclé. Speaker: Jemi Laclé, Project Manager and Partnership Lead, Open Data and Analytics, World Bank Group (Washington,USA) Moderator: Anne Pajard (Martinique) Rapporteur: Dorcas Bowler (Bahamas)
*9.45 a.m.-10.30 am - Roots Redux: The ‘Jaden Kwéyòl’ And Climate Change Mitigation From The Lens Of The Development Of The Cassava Industry In St.Lucia, Through Research, Education, And The Integration Of Environmental Principles Throughout The Entire Production Chain by Laurent Jean Pierre Speaker: Laurent Jean Pierre, Ethnobotanist (St. Lucia) Moderator: Anne Pajard (Martinique) Rapporteur: Dorcas Bowler (Bahamas)
25
*11.00 a.m.-12 .00 p.m. Paper Presentations based on Subthemes 3 and 4: • Developing Symbiotic Partnerships in Cultural Heritage Preservation and Access: A Small Island Case Stud. Presenters: y by Renwick Heronimo and Peter Scholing (Aruba) • Co-production of SDG Data: a Possibility for Academic Institutions to Close the Gap Presenters: Jocelyne Croes and Ghislaine Nicolaas (Aruba) • Latin American and Caribbean Library Associations Advocacy Actions towards the Inclusion of Libraries in the Fulfillment of the SDGs. Presenter: Oscar Saveedra (Mexico) Moderator: Carmen Santos-Corrada (Puerto Rico) Rapporteur: Jane Smith (Suriname)
Paper presentation based on subthemes 3 and 4: Only one session had questions c.q. comments . Title: Developing symbiotic partnership in cultural heritage preservation and access : a small island case study. Presenters: Renwick Heronimo and Peter Scholing Comments: 1. Mirto Laclé will provide information from his private collection 2. People with the local librarian a. Storytelling with children b. Organize sessions and sit with elderly, provide information about the digital portal of the library Question about legislation and laws regarding unique materials The Intellectual Property Office gives information. Artistic property is well protected. There is no library law; needs legislation.
26
THURSDAY JUNE 6TH: Subtheme 5: Libraries contributing to peaceful and just societies.
*11.00 a.m.-12.00 p.m. Paper Presentations based on sub-theme 5: • Introducing Emerald Open Research, a new open access-publishing platform. Presenter: Valerie Robillard (Brazil) Abstract This paper introduces you to Emerald Open Research (EOR), a new and pioneering way to rapidly publish a range of research outputs Open Access (OA), from original research articles to case studies and data notes. Research is freely available to read, download and reuse, reaching a truly global audience. In addition, Emerald Open Research offers open peer review, controlled by the author and an open data policy. Why is it relevant to the role of the academic librarian? “The fundamental mission of any library is to connect people with information and the goals of OA make librarians a natural advocate for promoting greater access to scholarly works.” (Engeszer and Sarli, 2014, p. 404)1. By promoting EOR, academic librarians will be playing a more prominent role in supporting OA initiatives. As such, librarians should provide enhanced access to EOR by linking the platform through library catalogue, making EOR a part of the federated search. If possible, they should be planning to set-up an Open Access Fund to allow scholars to publish Open Access, including in EOR, by funding article processing charges (APCs). EOR provides librarians with the option of working with their authors to explore new methods of communicating and disseminating their research results. Finally, libraries would be afforded relief to their collection budgets as publishers adopt alternative business models that shift subscription costs from institutional subscribers to a system of fees paid by the author, the author’s institution, or the funding agency supporting the work. Background and rationale In 2018 Emerald Publishing launched a new open access platform Emerald Open Research which has been developed with the open research service provider, F1000. This platform allows authors to publish any types of content open access, supported by a CC-BY 4.0 licence (the least restrictive licence). EOR is made of six subject gateways aligning themselves with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Sustainable Food Systems; Healthy Lives; Responsible Management; Sustainable Cities; Education and Learning; and Digital World. By launching this open access platform, Emerald wants to offer authors innovative ways to increase the discoverability, accessibility, and potential impact of their work. The company is also supportive of the UN SDGs: The UN goals are universal, inclusive and indivisible. This new channel will ensure that research outputs in these vital areas reach a truly global audience, without delay. Finally, Emerald wants to support the reproducibility of research. Reproducibility is one of the 27
biggest challenges facing science today. The Emerald Open Research publishing model supports research integrity, reproducibility and transparency. How does it work? Submitting an article is easy with our single-page submission system. The in-house editorial team carries out a basic check on each submission to ensure that all policies are adhered to. Once the authors have finalized the manuscript, the article (with its associated source data) is published within a week, enabling immediate viewing and citation. Expert referees are selected and invited, and their reports and names are published alongside the article, together with the authors' responses and comments from registered users. Authors are encouraged to publish revised versions of their article. All versions of an article are linked and independently citable. There are many good reasons for being open about referee identities and comments. First: We believe that secret refereeing, where authors don't know who has reviewed their work and referees don't have to publicly stand by their comments, opens up the possibility of bias. Referees who review work that competes with their own may be tempted to unfairly criticize or delay its publication. Second: Referee reports can be interesting and informative and we believe that everyone should have a chance to see them. At their best, they offer an objective critique that adds real value to the article in question for authors and readers alike. It is also interesting to see the range of reviews some papers receive – positive, negative and neutral – which often reflects the real breadth of expert opinion in controversial and cutting-edge areas of research. Third: If referee reports are kept secret, referees get no credit for their contributions. They devote an immense amount of time and effort to reviewing other researchers' work and advising them on how to improve it, and it is fair that this should be recognized and acknowledged. And finally, publicly accessible, signed reports tend to be better written and more constructive than anonymous, behind-the-scenes reviews – this has also been shown in randomized controlled trials. So the act of publishing the reports actually improves the quality of the advice the authors receive. How much does it cost to publish? All content published on Emerald Open Research is fully Open Access immediately upon publication. The publication costs are covered through APCs. APCs in Emerald Open Research are based on word counts, irrespective of the article type. APCs are only charged for articles that pass the pre-publication checks and are published. WORD COUNT PRICE up to 5000 words US $1200 5000-8000 words US $1500 8000-15000 words US $2500 What is the benefit for authors? Emerald Open Research is focused around the needs of our authors, giving authors the best opportunity to increase discoverability, accessibility, and impact of their work. Author-led: The author - not an editor - decides what is published. Authors can suggest their own referees and can cite the open referee comments that vouch for the quality of the work. Speed: The rapid publication time means results and new findings can be shared without delay. 28
Choice: The platform welcomes a wide range of research outputs allowing authors to get credit for all stages of their work, from datasets and methods to negative results. Transparency and Trust: The ease of access, our open data policy, and transparent peer review system are designed to offer full transparency. This also helps to combat reproducibility issues by allowing research results to be analyzed, reused and replicated by other researchers. This increases trust and credibility and will help you make a stronger impact. The story so far As of the 13th of May 2019, the platform has published 11 articles. These articles cover a range of topics aligned to the SDG goals such as ‘Reconnecting with nature: Developing urban spaces in the age of climate change’ and Integrating education for sustainable development into a higher education institution: beginning the journey. The average review time is currently 15 days and we have a total of 27 peer review reports now available for anyone to view. We have met a few challenges on the way: New concept – The publishing model for Emerald Open Research is very new for most authors and they may not be comfortable and familiar with processes such as open peer review. Impact mindset – Most authors are still under pressure to publish in high impact journals and are therefore asking if Emerald Open Research has an impact factor. The platform does not have an impact factor. We want to move beyond impact being the single metric for research which is further demonstrated through our recent signing to DORA. Funding – The social sciences market does not have as much funding as STEM subject areas. This means there is a lack of funding for APCs compared to other open research models. We therefore need to work on building relationships with key funders within the gateway areas. Regional Differences – Although the drive for open research is becoming more apparent across the globe there are still some regions where there is not as much focus on open research. However, we have been encouraged by the feedback received by the community worldwide. Examples include: “Emerald deserves real kudos for the development of Emerald Open Research. We think it further demonstrates its commitment to the open agenda, which will help to increase its standing as a thought leader in driving that agenda in the HSS community.” “I think having access to a broad range of work others are doing is good. It might make it possible to link up with those with whom we share a common interest.” What’s next? It is vital we put all a lot of our efforts into the success of Emerald Open research. To reach this goal, we will be: Working with our communities - We want to work with the following communities to develop relationships that will help drive Emerald Open Research within our market. Funding bodies Institutions Government bodies Organizations Author case studies – We want to work with those authors who have published on the platform and use them as open research advocates. Author acquisition campaigns – We will be using external data to target authors per each gateway, taking into consideration key elements such as funding and regional 29
differences. Conference Engagement/Advertising Opportunities – We will be using Emerald Open Research to drive conversations around our position around open at conferences this year. In conclusion, EOR is an initiative truly reflecting Emerald’s commitment in supporting meaningful real world impact. EOR reduces the barrier to collaborative research between different types of audiences through data sharing, transparency and attribution. Most importantly, findings of key importance for society become immediately accessible for everyone to use. References Emerald Open Research website (May 2019). General information about Emerald Open Research. Retrieved from https://emeraldopenresearch.com 1Engeszer, R. J., & Sarli, C. C. (2014). Libraries and open access support: new roles in the digital publishing era. Missouri medicine, 111(5), 404–407.
• When Lines Are Down: Celebrating Cuba! And the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) Collaboration, Solidarity, and Mutual Aid. Presenter: Laurie Taylor. Moderator: Davis Drysdale (Jamaica) Rapporteur: Berthamae Walker (Bahamas) This presentation spoke to the power of collaboration and the work of the Digital Library o The Caribbean (DLOC) in building access to unknown or hard to access information. The project involved DLOC partners/non-partners in providing access to Cuban resources. Key players are the Biblioteca National de Cuba and the University of Florida, USA. Given the political realities between Cuba and the rest of the “free” world, the presentation discussed a project designed to further develop the availability of Cuban related resources from within and outside of Cuba through collaboration. Collection focus is on research materials, maps, photos, newspapers, among others formats, in an effort to further build access to Cuban resources. Another key partner involved in the project is Worldcat who will contribute to making the digital resources accessible. Other partners with Cuban collections.
30
*12.00 p.m.-1.00 p.m - Keynote - Libraries: Sanctuaries For Authentic Communication by Professor Cees Hamelink. Speaker: Cees Hamelink, Professor of International Communications, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) Moderator: Shamin Renwick (Grenada) Rapporteur: Gretchen Carrasquilo-Ramos (Puerto Rico) Key points from presentations: Professor Hamelink talked about optimism. He finds it important to have an optimistic approach to life and work. That is the path he chooses. Optimism make him believe that we all can achieve all the SDG’s that this conference is talking about. This was a presentation mainly based in philosophy about being optimism while giving examples of his experiences and important events in history about Islam, Muslims, and others (and living with multiple identities). He talked about us about being the only species that can communicate in the way we do and the importance of it. We are now connected than before but connected don’t necessarily mean communication. He made emphasis in the importance of communication and battling ideas among each other’s. An experience he did with his students about theorizing what people they observed were going to communicate and how. Sadly, it wasn’t published because of breaking all the privacy rules. “We need to engage in a deep dialogue. To learn to dialogue. And for a deep dialogue patience is needed.” – emphasis the keynote speaker made. As well, the importance of express when one doesn’t know something or what others are talking about. It’s really important to be honest so a deep dialogue can be achieved. He also talked about how lying is a problem. As well the lack of patience to communicate. Also, the fast live we all live, we have no time nor patience to stop, listen and communicate. “We should learn to waste our time again”, he stated. Librarians of the world to be united and to communicate always. He was thankful for Madam President for inviting him to ACURIL. He was also thankful for the awesome audience. Question & Answer: Q: Margot Thomas, Saint Lucia - If you considered both sides of an argument, you can be accused… what can we do like people like me try to see both sides? Library and also Achieves are also a Sanctuary. A: He likes questions, but he doesn’t have answers for that. Empathize with others, not simply sympathized. You should always be open to listen. He gave an example of Donald Trump. In 31
basic schools we should teach kids that you mustn’t lose your temper when there is an argument. Q: María Ester Camacho, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo - She gave the thanks to ACURIL for giving the opportunity for this presentation. She asked how, as librarians, can they achieve all the objectives having a deep dialogue convey? Do they have in their hands, time and space these skills to achieve this? A: I think librarians can do more than you tend to believe. And the he gave an example when he was in Netherlands. You all have to march for a better future and better planet. Don’t be obsessed with numbers, it will all matter if you can just make only one person think differently. You will see the improvement. Q: Tania Henriquez, Biblioteca Juan Bosh – In Dominican Republic we do have spaces for activities where users talk and communicate. We have sanctuaries and spaces like one called “Música entre libros” where user communicate with librarians. Also, through music. These spaces are necessary to communicate with the community and get to know them and their needs. Libraries are in effect a sanctuary. It was just a commentary and thank you so much for this presentation. A: That’s an example of a small victory. Number of persons attending: 70 aprox.
32
Local Organizing Committee
Coordinator Astrid Britten Co-Coordinator / Exhibitors Relations Lourdes Croes Treasurer / Exhibitors Relations Lilian Semeleer Core Group Members Gina Jie-Sam-Foek Zetsia Ponson Peter Scholing Audiovisual Group Ryan Oduber Alexis Tromp Media Department Biblioteca Nacional Aruba Registration, Hospitality & Secretariat Group Michelle Roos and team Sophiene Maduro-Verhaegh Graciela Nedd- Cheng With the cooperation from all colleagues from the Biblioteca Nacional Aruba: Main Building Oranjestad Branch San Nicolas Arubiana-Caribiana Volunteers/Friends of Biblioteca Nacional Aruba
33