From Wednesday 21 to Friday 23 April 2010, Tallaght, the administrative centre of South Dublin County hosted the Library Association of Ireland/cilip Ireland Joint Conference on the theme of Smart Libraries. A total of one hundred and nine delegates from all over the island of Ireland, from the UK and from a wide range of library services attended along with eleven trade exhibitors. Ash from the Icelandic volcano prevented two speakers and another ten delegates who had booked from attending.
The raison d’être for the conference was outlined by Siobhán Fitzpatrick, President of the Library Association of Ireland in her introduction to the conference brochure where she noted that in these pressing times we need to operate to the optimum, to be efficient and effective and to communicate smartly with our users, our parent bodies and our funding agencies. We need to think smart, work smart and communicate smartly. These ideas were echoed by Elga Logue of cilip Ireland who stated in her introduction that the current recession was forcing all of us to look at smarter ways in which to deliver cost-effective and efficient library services that still advocate quality.
Mr. John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government who officially opened the conference on Wednesday afternoon, spoke of his support for libraries. In his address, he noted that Einstein once commented that ‘in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity’ and that we could therefore say that library authorities, on both sides of the border, are now confronted with unprecedented opportunities in the midst of the current economic difficulties. He added that today, when the requirement for the skills and knowledge to participate fully in an information society is more necessary than ever, libraries have a central role in ensuring that the public has access to resources they need throughout their lives.
The wide conference programme addressed the challenges and opportunities outlined by the Minister by providing a forum for thought-provoking papers on communications, the ways in which we engage with the various media and how we might use these more advantageously. In addition the conference sought to update the delegates on smart collaborative, cost-effective access models which benefit the public at little cost to the exchequer.
The Conference Brochure details the conference talks, presentations, workshops and events. Conference presentations will be made available on this website once they have been collated.
Thanks to all the speakers for their enthusiasm and for sharing their wide knowledge and expertise. Thanks are also due to Georgina Byrne, County Librarian, South Dublin Libraries and to her staff for hosting and for facilitating the conference. Mayor Mick Duff and County Manager, Joe Horan were most welcoming and supportive. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir!