[LIS-Forum] A refreshing welcome to new members by Karnataka State Library Association (KALA) - A Report on KALA's new members meet (fwd)

[Byrappa, Ananda (GE, Research)]

Dear LIS Professionals,

Karnataka State Library Association (KALA) had organized 'new members'
meet' recently in Bangalore. Following is the brief report on the event.

Ananda Byrappa
General Secretary,
Karnataka State Library Association (KALA)
http://www.kalaonline.com
________________________________________________________________________


A refreshing welcome to new members by Karnataka State Library
Association

Young, fresh and eager faces, matching smiles on older faces....this was
the refreshing scene at the new members gathering at the National Centre
for Science Information (NCSI) in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Campus on Friday, February 6th 2009. The evening's programme had been
well orchestrated by the Karnataka State Library Association (KALA) core
team and that certainly paid dividends in the enthusiasm and keen
involvement shown by the large gathering present there.

The main speakers were Prof. V.G. Talwar, recently appointed Vice
Chancellor of Mysore University and  Mr.N.V. Satyanarayana, Director of
Informatics India Ltd. Both have had an amazing trajectory of growth in
the profession; Prof. Talwar reaching the highest pinnacle in the
academic arena while Mr. Satyanarayana has achieved it in the
applications to the business world. However, the most significant
characteristic of each one of them is their humility combined with hard
work and discipline, which became apparent to all as they spoke. Their
talks were truly an invaluable learning for all professionals in the
field and so it was for young and old as we listened to their inspiring
presentations that memorable evening.

Prof. Talwar succinctly covered the essential and vital signs that every
librarian must possess.. His compact and concise package touched upon
the qualities of leadership, discipline, hard work and above all a
smiling friendly face that users can relate to. The skills of
communication, the ability to use language articulately and the need for
a belief  in oneself were also highlighted by him. In addition, he said,
each one of us must become a PRO and even acquire marketing and
managerial skills to best serve the user and the institution. He ended
by wishing KALA all success in their future programmes for the
professionals and friends of the library.

Mr. Satyanarayana congratulated the marketing techniques of the young
KALA team which had set goals and reached them. He appreciated their
acumen in setting time targets because without that, plans remain as
dreams and never touch reality. He exhorted the young librarians to go
in for an image makeover since the work that they do is sometimes
high-jacked by other IT professionals and they rise much faster than
library professionals. Therefore it is vital that librarians take stock
of their assets and present themselves in a more attractive package!

One question he posed had us all thinking. What is the advantage that a
library has over Google or any online information service? The answer
was a revelation. Physical space!
This is a very crucial aspect because users can actually meet, discuss
and come up with many other possibilities for social and cultural
interaction by using this real space.He also reminded us that as
librarians we do have a strong feeling of connectivity. As he said, no
other group of professionals seems to have such a vibrant system of
group gatherings. Therefore it is up to us to make use of this strength
in the best possible way.

Anand Byrappa, the indefatigable Secretary of KALA introduced the
speakers and described  some of the activities of the Association
including the creation of the website.

The President, Prof. Ravichandra Rao welcomed the gathering and shared
the many exciting plans that KALA has for the next few months. He also
told the members to expect only email communication in future!

The Vice-President, Mr. Francis Jayakanth rounded off the excellent
evening with a well-worded vote of thanks. 
___________________________________________________________

Report Compiled by: Mrs. Usha Mukunda, Vice President, KALA

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