Sarawak Annual Librarians Colloquium

Background

It began with the 1st Kolokium Pustakawan Sarawak held on 19 April 2012 organized by P.P.M. Sarawak Chapter at the Islamic Information Centre (I.I.C.). The 1st colloquium theme was "Develop, promote, and support library, library professional and institutions in the Knowledge & Information Era". The objective was to enhance understanding and to promote the information profession in Sarawak".

The 2nd Sarawak Annual Librarians Colloquium was organised by Pustaka at the Waterfront Hotel on 12 July 2018. Pustaka continues the legacy by hosting the 3rd Sarawak Annual Librarians Colloquium on 21 June 2019 at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak. It was organised as a meeting point to gather experience and sharing session for the pre and post 84th IFLA in Kuala Lumpur.

The 4th colloquium (2020) for the 1st time called SAL.co or in full as Sarawak Annual Librarians Colloquium. It intends to meet the theme Librarian.Connect.Community (L.C.C.). The theme was chosen to remind us that all librarians must strengthen our role, establish networking and keep "Inspire, Engage, Enable, Connect". It was held virtually via zoom meeting on 06 June 2020 in conjunction with Malaysia Librarian's Day 2020.

The theme for the 5th colloquium (2021) is "Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Librarians in ASEAN: Challenges to Librarians in Sarawak. Which aim to look into the past, analyse the present and foresee the future and it was held virtually via zoom meets and Pustaka YouTube Channel and Pustaka Social Media platform on 05 April 2021.

SARAWAK ANNUAL LIBRARIANS COLLOQUIUM 2022 (SAL.CO 2022)
22-24 June 2022

Introduction

The Covid-19 crisis has thrown into sharp focus the importance of digital connectivity in our daily lives. The post Covid-19 “new normal” will see the increase in speed, device and impacting existing library services and activities.

How can a library be a change agent to accelerate digital development in unserved or underserved areas? Curating activities or initiatives through online services will significantly contribute to the intensification of Sarawak’s Digitalization Agenda. As librarians , it is our shared responsibility to contribute to the immersion of the community towards greater participatory development in Sarawak, especially for the community in adopting a new way of life through digitalization.

Objective Of The Colloquium
1. To be a venue for librarians, especially in Sarawak, to share knowledge and experiences, interact and network.
2. To discuss issues affecting librarianship.
3. To provide input to the stakeholders on policy issues affecting libraries and librarianship.

Theme
Post Covid: Sarawak Libraries Way Forward

Sub Theme
1. Development: Physical and Human Resource Providing skills required to transform process and service delivery while upgrading facilities and infrastructure.

2. Services: Library service through a post-COVID lens During the pandemic, libraries met the challenges of adapting services even when their physical doors were closed. Now that libraries across the country are reopening, they face new challenges and see fresh opportunities to serve their communities

3. Technology: Libraries and COVID-19: Opportunities for innovation When the COVID-19 pandemic started back in 2019, the library and information sectors had to adapt and went through several phases, the most typical being closure, reopening and adaptation to the ‘new normal’

4. Inclusivity: Online Learning The COVID-19 pandemic has placed online learning, blended or hybrid provision as the ‘new normal’ in libraries. For most libraries, especially those lacking in online presence, the pandemic has caused numerous challenges. However, it has also been a catalyst for change and resifting of priorities. For librarians involved in the delivery of information skills/literacy training, a renewed mission is emerging, addressing access and connectivity to resources, designing for online education and fostering the development of digital literacy of library users.

5. Open Access: Toward a Post-Covid World of Open Access The global scale of the current pandemic has led to what feels like a remarkably unprecedented level of solidarity in a world pulling together (while standing apart) amid this common cause of fighting the spread of Covid-19. In the area of scholarly communication, publishers have been not only creating public access to Covid-19 collections of research and professional resources.