Congrats and welcome Professor Peter
Lor.......................
Sjoerd Koopman wrote:
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 09:11:39 +0100
From: "Sjoerd Koopman"
To:
Subject: New IFLA Secretary General !
22 December 2004 - MEDIA RELEASE - IMMEDIATE
New Secretary General Professor Peter Lor
IFLA is delighted to announce the appointment of
its new Secretary
General, Professor Peter Johan Lor, who will
assume the position on 15
February 2005.
Professor Lor currently holds the post of
Professor Extraordinary at
the Department of Information Science, University
of Pretoria, South
Africa. Born in the Netherlands, Peter emigrated
to South Africa where
he studied at the universities of Stellenbosch
and Pretoria - later
studying at Caen in France. Following
appointments as University
Librarian at the University of Bophuthatswana,
Assistant Director of the
State Library, Pretoria, and Professor in the
University of South
Africa's Department of Library and Information
Science, Peter Lor was
the Director of the State Library. He
subsequently became the National
Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the
National Library of South
Africa, which was formed in November 1999 by the
amalgamation of the
State Library with the South African Library. In
addition, he has
served on the boards of directors of a number of
non-profit foundations,
including the boards of SABINET (the South
African Bibliographic and
Information Network), the Foundation for Library
and Information
Services Development (as its Executive Director),
and the Book
Development Foundation. He also serves on the
Executive of the Pretoria
Citizens' Advice Bureau.
Professor Lor has been a very active contributor
to IFLA and currently
chairs the Advisory Board of IFLA's Action for
Development through
Libraries Programme (ALP) and the interim
standing committee of IFLA's
Section of Library and Information Science
Journals. He chaired the
Conference of Directors of National Libraries
from 1996 to 2000 and has
served as a member of the International Advisory
Committee of the
Council on Library and Information Resources,
Washington DC. From 1996
to 1998 he was vice-chairperson of the Standing
Conference of African
National and University Libraries in Eastern,
Central and Southern
Africa.
Peter Lor was actively involved in developing
policy for library and
information services for post-apartheid South
Africa and played a
leading role in the formation of the Library and
Information Association
of South Africa (LIASA), a new, inclusive
organisation that replaced the
former separate associations. He regards this as
one of his biggest and
most satisfying professional achievements.
Professor Lor brings this wealth of
administrative, academic and
association experience to the post of Secretary
General. He believes
passionately that good libraries are essential
for the quality of life
of individuals and communities. When accepting
the appointment, Peter
stated that he is "thrilled to serve IFLA as
Secretary General because
IFLA has a unique role to empower library and
information professionals.
Individually and through our organisations we
enable participation by
all in the knowledge society and we make an
essential contribution to
building an informed, tolerant, just and
cooperative world
community."
Welcoming the appointment, IFLA President Kay
Raseroka said from
Gaborone, Botswana that she is delighted that
IFLA has secured a
professional colleague of such high calibre to
fill the important post
of Secretary General:
"IFLA's participation in the World Summit on the
Information
Society has demonstrated the major contribution
that libraries and
information services make to society. Through its
services to members
and its strong professional programs, coupled
with engagement in public
policy arenas, IFLA works to create a more
informed, just and safer
world; to preserve heritage; to support education
and research; and to
promote democratic participation and tolerance.
As Secretary General,
Peter Lor will help us influence international
agendas for the good of
humanity."
-ENDS-
Contacts:
Mr Sjoerd Koopman, acting Secretary General,
International Federation
of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA),
P O Box 95312, 2509 CH
The Hague Netherlands Tel: +31 70 31 40 884 Fax:
+31 70 38 34 827
Email: sjoerd.koopman @ifla.org
Dr Alex Byrne, President elect, International
Federation of Library
Associations and Institutions, Sydney, Australia.
Tel: +61 2 9514 3332,
Fax: + 61 2 9514 3331 Email:
alex.byrne@uts.edu.au
Professor Peter Lor, Secretary General elect,
International Federation
of Library Associations and Institutions,
Pretoria, South Africa. Tel
+27 (0)12 420 4232 Fax +27 (0)12 362 5181 Email:
Fw by: JK Vijayakumar
__________________________________
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