World Library and Information Congress: 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council

"Libraries for the future: Progress, Development and Partnerships"

19-23 August 2007, Durban, South Africa

Call for Papers

E-learning discussion group

Theme: In search of quality and collaboration

E-learning is playing an increasingly significant role in our professional lives, either as a medium through which we learn, or as an activity that our library services must support. The IFLA Professional Committee, at the request of the Education and Training Section, the Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section and Information Literacy, has approved the inclusion of a discussion session on e-learning in the IFLA Conference programme in Durban 2007.

Elearning seems a more flexible, more partecipatory pedagogy, so that we are moving away from a technology focus to learning processes focus. What we hope is empowerment of students and more international collaboration of LIS schools for the selection, creation, use and re-purposing and re-use of content. The aim of the Discussion Group is discussing best practices for successful implementation and working together for improving future courses.

LIS educators and practitioners are invited to submit proposals for presentations that provide perspectives on how e-learning is contributing to continuing professional education and development for LIS, and its implications for the operation of library services.

Proposals may focus on, but are not limited to:

Assessment and learning outcomes in the e-environment;
The role of collaboration in e-learning;
Library support for e-learners.

The conference takes place in Durban, South Africa, August 19-23, 2007. The overall conference theme is "Libraries for the future: progress, development and partnership".

No financial support can be provided, but a special invitation can be issued to authors of accepted papers.

Papers must be submitted in one of the official IFLA languages (English, French, German, Russian, Spanish).

Important dates:

Please e-mail abstracts (in English, French or Spanish, 300-500 words) by 15 March 2007 to the Co-Convenors of the Discussion Group:
Anna Maria Tammaro
E-mail: annamaria.tammaro@unipr.it or
Sylvie Chevillotte
E-mail: sylvie.chevillotte@enssib.fr or
Ian Smith
E-mail: i.smith@latrobe.edu.au, accompanied by the following information:

Abstract
Names of presenter(s)
Position or title of presenter(s)
Employer or affiliated institution
Mailing address
Telephone/fax numbers
E-mail address
Short biographical statement and resume

Notifications of the abstract's acceptance will be issued by 31 March 2007.

The deadline for submission of full papers (camera ready copies): is 10 May 2007.

Papers should not exceed 10-12 pages, including abstracts and references.

Accepted speakers will be permitted to speak for no more than 15 minutes to introduce the main themes in their paper, and will be expected to stimulate discussion about it.