COVID-19 isn’t forever, but experts in various fields have agreed that the transformation this global pandemic has catalyzed must inform our march to the future.
Libraries have not been spared the impacts of the coronavirus, with governments and health experts cautioning against visits to shared spaces and physical, onsite interactions — two things that make up the pre-pandemic library experience.
What have libraries learned since COVID-19 disrupted their operations and even caused months-long halts in many corners of the globe? In the inaugural MyLOFT Global Library Forum hosted via Zoom on Nov. 25 and 26, software solution and services company Eclat Engineering will gather thought leaders worldwide to zero in on the best practices and learnings spawned by the pandemic experience.
“We were motivated to organize this event because we want to be able to bridge the gap that Covid-19 has created in our industry. We are eager to bring our peers from the Library Industry together to shed light on the different ways to emerge stronger as we all face the new normal”
Eclat Engineering introduced MyLOFT to help institutions provide access to the right digital resources without being onsite, a feature that has helped subscribing libraries continue delivering their services to patrons holed up at home. On the first day of the forum, Eclat Engineering’s assistant vice president for business development, Amit Shukla will render a more detailed introduction of the helpful MyLOFT platfom.
Also on Day 1, Adrianne Herrick-Juarez, Director of the Park City Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, will discuss the “Library Leadership” Podcast. The new media platform has featured in-depth discussions with experts on some of the most important issues for libraries. Podcasting has surged in popularity recently as an effective companion for listeners during the pandemic.
Filipino social entrepreneur Iliac Diaz will introduce his “Light a Library Project,” which has brought his award-winning “Liter of Light” initiative to underfunded libraries across the Philippines. His work has brought a sustainable waste management solution in many communities and ultimately made libraries and student centers conducive to learning. Diaz is a UN Prize winner who has spoken multiple times at Ted Talks.
Bohrene Chakroun, Director of Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems Division at UNESCO, will then share about his agency’s attempt at “Connected Learning,” a project aimed at addressing the digital divide resurfaced by COVID-19. To this day, some 3.6 billion people are left without reliable access to the Internet. This gap has left many youngsters and lifelong learners disadvantaged as the world moved toward distance learning to continue schooling during the pandemic.
Taking the final slot is Heather Stringer. She has written extensively for the American Psychological Association on mental health trends among immigrants, inmates and, very recently, learners. At the MyLOFT Global Library Forum, she will share her findings from “Libraries as Mental Health Hubs,” an article from April 2020 discussing an emergent need for US libraries to provide mental health support to visitors.
Day 2 will begin with Dr. Helen Asamoah Hassan homing in on the prospects for libraries and library associations in the post-pandemic scenario. She is the university librarian at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana and the executive director of the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions.
An expert in knowledge management and information studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, will then share “What Covid-19 Made Us Realise About The World We Live In.” Succeeding him is a Fireside Chat with Sara Pink of the British Council Libraries and Mark Ritchie, Eclat Engineering business development vice president.
Professor Anil Gupta of the Indian Institute of Management will speak about the self-empowerment some communities have generated when given open access resources and creative options to access information, such as MyLOFT. The event caps off with motivational speaker Billy Dela Fuente introducing the “Champion Mindset.” This final talk will motivate librarians to keep their spirits up, strive to fulfill goals and continue thinking up solutions.
The first-ever MyLOFT Global Library Forum is designed to help libraries and like-minded individuals around the world to come up with forward-thinking and resilient services that maximize growth opportunities in areas like information and communication technology.
We packed a powerhouse line-up of speakers to help the library community emerge stronger together as we faced the new normal.
Don’t miss this event and register now through this link: https://bit.ly/32VT3aJ
