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Call for Papers "Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance through Effective Information and Knowledge Services" XIXth Standing Conference of Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL) 2010 Conference Botswana Library Association Gaborone (Botswana) 7-10 September 2010 __________________________________________________ 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 todays 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: - 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 Submission of Abstracts Abstract proposals are due on Tuesday June 30th 2009, and should be sent to: Dr Priti Jain ([email protected]) or to: Reason Baathuli Nfila ([email protected]) 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. Contact: Boipuso Dikgang Faculty of Science University of Botswana P Bag 0022 Gaborone Botswana Tel: +267 355 2459 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.scecsal.org/conferences/2010/2010.html __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org
