Archive for Conference News

What to expect at the last day of sessions and… see y’all soon!

On Thursday, learn from a group of brilliant minds behind everything from coastal fisheries research, genomic databases, special libraries, OceanDocs training, and beyond…

#IamPortArkansas

Our first keynote for Thursday will be Dr. Brad E. Erisman, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. He will be presenting on “The Coastal Fisheries Research Program at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute”

Following Brad will be another keynote speaker, Dr. Chris Bird, Associate Professor at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. Chris will be presenting on “Diversity of the Indo-Pacific Network and the Genomic Observatories MetaDatabase”

Soak in their incredible research with a tea break before jumping into more programming:

How does a small library grown into a scientific information center? Olga Kopytova and Aleksei Baiandin at the A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS in Russian Federation, Crimea, will tell you in their talk on “A Small Library That Could.” In the meantime, have a look at their growing repository!

We’ll also get another chance to hear from the dynamic trio Teresa de J. Barriga Ramírez, José Luis Ortíz Galindo, and Laura M. Pérez Rojas at the Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CICIMAR-IPN), Mexico. They will be presenting on “The Embedded Librarians a Strategy for Special Libraries in Times of Change.” If that’s not an intriguing title, I don’t know what is.

For our closing program there will be an “Aquatic Commons and OceanDocs Training and Work Party” led by Sally Taylor and Pauline Simpson. Lunch included!

Aye aye captain Sally!

A little about Sally…

Sally is a science librarian at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) where she supports students and faculty in biology, fisheries, forestry and resource management. Currently she is on a 6-month secondment as the Research Data Services Librarian at UBC. Sally has been an IAMSLIC member since 2000 when she attended her first conference close to home in Victoria, Canada. She was IAMSLIC President in 2013-2014 and is now Chair of the Aquatic Commons Board.

A little about Pauline…

Pauline has worked in marine information management all her working life. She was Head of Information Services at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK and in retirement continues to support IAMSLIC Aquatic Commons and several continuing IODE Projects: OceanDocs, OceanExpert, the new ODISCat and particularly the Ocean Best Practices System as Project Manager. Pauline has held several roles in IAMSLIC including President. She is attending as IODE representative and hopes to contribute to the discussions on forging a new relationship and building joint projects between IAMSLIC and IODE.

Best of luck to everyone on Friday for the Bay Boat Tour, Sand Sculpting Competition, and/or Beachertoberfest!

We hope you have the finest of weather over in Texas, but just in case, make sure to have a look at this list of what to pack before you hop on your plane.

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Dancin’ around the world in Texas

The Wednesday afternoon of our conference will introduce us to a varity of speakers from around the world, and just in time too, because we need to know who everyone is before our banquet Wednesday evening… oh yes, there is a Texas banquet planned with plenty of dancing expected, yeehaw! We hope you’ll have time to have purchased your very own stetson by then, I will make it my mission to do so!

We’re dancing from Texas to the Philippines to last year’s host Uganda where we will hear from an exciting line up, followed by our amazing poster exhibition!

To lead the dance, another IAMSLIC vetern Daryl L. Superio will no doubt guide his co-authors, Myrna T. Luceño, Maria Vanessa T. Bendali-an, Anna May A. Yap-Zerrudo, Joel A. Ciriaco, and Erish G. Estante-Superio in telling us about “Pawikan on FB: Facebook as a Source of Information on the Current State of Sea Turtles in the Philippines”. I think we’ll be giving this talk the famous blue thumbs up.

This time last year some of us might have been cruising on Lake Victoria, but this year Lake Victoria comes to us with Eva Mutongole Wamala from the National Environment Management Authority, Uganda presenting to us on “Our Waters, Our Life. The Role of National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Library in the Collection, Storage and Dissemination of Environmental Information for the Conservation of Lake Victoria in Uganda.”

Eve was teaching the children how to make mats and bags from the palm tree leaves that can be found along the shores of Lake Victoria and in the process she also talks about how to conserve them for the future use.

A little about Eve…

Eve is a librarian by profession and holds a Master of Science in Information Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science. Currently, she is working as the Senior Librarian, in-charge of both the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Reference Library and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Resource Centre. She has 30 years’ experience working with different libraries in Uganda. She has partnered with colleagues over the years to set up five libraries and more than 50 environment information resource centers around Uganda. The Library is in the process of setting up more resource centers and by December 2020, the number will have increased to 100. During the course of her work, she has attended more than 10 professional trainings in different areas of Library and information science. Eva also attended many professional congresses and conferences to which she is a member where she presented papers on open access and information repackaging and some of these have been published in newsletters and journals. She has also published a book for adult academic reading on Environmental Information in Industries: Provision, Access and Use by Environmental Information Managers” LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing. Eve loves reading and writing and currently is also working on several projects to enhance reading and writing for children in Uganda. She has published titles in children’s literature, one of which concerns awareness about the local environment.

We have a great poster session in the late afternoon, which always proves super informative:

Building A Successful Partnership: Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Publications and Aquila, Joyce M. Shaw, Gunter Library, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, The University of Southern Mississippi.

A little about Joyce…

Joyce Shaw has served as the Head of Gunter Library at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (Ocean Springs, MS, USA) since December 1995. In 2008 she was invited to join the faculty of University Libraries (The University of Southern Mississippi) as an associate professor, awarded tenure in 2009, and promoted to Professor in 2015. A 23-year member of the International Association of Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers (IAMSIC), in 2013-2015, Shaw served as the SAIL regional affiliate’s Representative on the IAMSLIC board. She served three terms as Chair of the Special Libraries Section of the Mississippi Library Association. She is a graduate of Rosary College (now called Dominican University, River Forest, IL, USA) with an MLIS and Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL, USA) with an MA in Urban Studies. Her service activities include membership in and past-president of the Rotary Club of Ocean Springs and Co-Zone Captain for the Mississippi Coastal Clean-Up. The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, founded in 1949, is the only marine laboratory in the state of Mississippi. The Gunter Library serves the students, faculty, and researchers at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and the School of Ocean Science and Engineering at Southern Miss.


Preservation, Collaboration, and Visualization: How a Book Becomes an Experience, Morgan Witte & Anne Moser, Water Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison


Anne and Morgan showing off their hard work installing the Under the Surface exhibit at the Water Library.

A little about Anne and Morgan…

Anne Moser is Senior Special Librarian in the Wisconsin Water Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Education Coordinator for UW Sea Grant Institute. Since 2008, she has managed a small library focused on freshwater science with an emphasis on the Great Lakes and the water resources of Wisconsin. As education coordinator, she manages the hands-on experiences, training and education resources that promote Great Lakes literacy for formal and informal educators and their leaners.
Most of her own programming revolves around outreach and education to lifelong learners interested in aquatic and Great Lakes sciences, from preschool age through retirement. She participates in events such as preschool story times at public libraries, a tall ship sail around Lake Michigan with formal educators and presentations to the public on the Great Lakes issues.
Anne has worked as a special librarian in Madison, Wisconsin and Seattle, Washington over the course of her nearly 30 year career in libraries in local government, environmental consulting and higher education. Water has gotten a grip on her and she is deeply grateful to work in this area of environmental science. Anne holds a B.A. in Spanish and Art History from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and an M.A. in Library and Information Studies from the UW-Madison.

Morgan Witte is a recent MLIS graduate from UW-Madison and worked at the Aquatic Sciences Center as a graduate project assistant with the Wisconsin Water Library. One of Witte’s projects involved a repository of groundwater reports on the Water Resources Institute website. She standardized the format and made sure information was complete to optimize the reports’ usefulness and discoverability. She has also revived the Water Library’s blog, AquaLog.

Building on the Past: Tracking Research Output and Impact, Kathryn Lage, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories / Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Katie in beautiful Bamfield, BC.

A little about Katie…

Katie Lage is the Librarian for the MLML/MBARI Research Library, the joint library of the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). The MLML/MBARI Research Library collects broadly in support of research and teaching in the physical and biological marine sciences as well as ocean engineering and technology. I teach and develop programming on library research methods and on the changing landscape of scholarly communication. I have an interest in open data, data citation, authors’ rights, and in the use of GIS and geospatial data in research.


Finding Facts to Fight Fake News About the Climate Crisis, Zoe Pettway Unno, NNLM PSR Biomedical Library, University of California Los Angeles.

A little about Zoe…

Zoe Pettway Unno is the Education and Outreach Librarian at the NNLM PSR Biomedical Library, University of California Los Angeles. Zoe started her library career in the healthcare sector as a medical librarian and then the manager of Library Services and Physician Education at Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center; followed by roles as Science Librarian at California State University, Fullerton, and Science and Engineering Librarian and Head, Science and Engineering Library, at USC. She has experience in management, leadership, and science literacy in special and academic libraries. Her interests include scholarly communication, science communication, and the popularization of science. She develops outreach activities to meet the needs of diverse library users. She has presented on innovation, outreach, and science literacy in libraries.

The afternoon will finish with another recent host of our IAMSLIC conference, Mexico! We will hear from Teresa de J. Barriga Ramírez, José Luis Ortíz Galindo, and Laura M. Pérez Rojas from
Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CICIMAR-IPN), Mexico. This super trio have teamed up in the past to bring us an excellent talk, and we expect the same in Port Aransas on ““Learning Chests” ALFIN Strategies Implemented by the Academic Library to Promote the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Biological Resources Through the Active Participation of Children and Youth from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.”

Finally, we will get to do some real Texas dancin’ at our evening banquet. We’re told that…

Texans learn how to dance from birth. You learned dancing with your Momma or Daddy at an early age. The two-step and waltzes are big in Texas dance halls and honky-tonks. It’s not hard but you gotta know what you’re doin’. So get your boots on and start practicing.

Head over to our conference website to watch some of the videos Dave posted on dancing or talking like a Texan!

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From hurricans to admin to integrity, we’ll have it all in #IamPortAransas

Welcome back to our pre-conference news. With the conference less than a week away, who’s ready and rarin’ to go?!

I’ve just checked the weather and it looks like we’re in for a mostly sunny day in Port Aransas next Wednesday… and it’s just as well because we’re looking at the “Effects of Hurricane Harvey on Water Quality, Productivity and the Planktonic Food Web” this morning, which is our opening address from Dr Edward J. Buskey, Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Marine Science, The University of Texas at Austin. We’re aware of the devastation Harvey caused on the surface, so it will be very interesting to hear about the effects naked to the eye.

Keri Baker and Jaime M. Goldman from Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic, Campus Library will talk to us on “Currents of Change II: Reshaping the Landscape of the University ETD Administrative Process”. It’ll be great to gear how the admin process can be changed for the better… hopefully they’ll have some recommendations on cutting down on some of the workload!!

Keri Baker and Jaime Goldman

A little about Keri…

Keri Baker is one of two subject specialist librarians at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Campus (OC) Library. In addition to her MLS degree from Florida State University, she also holds a BS in Marine Biology from Eckerd College.   She joined the team 6 years ago and helped launch the university’s institutional repository, NSUWorks.  In addition to her reference work for the OC Library, she is the point person for Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography’s student, faculty and staff content in NSUWorks and actively manages all faculty and staff Selected Works profiles.

A little about Jamie…

Jaime Goldman is one of two subject specialist librarians at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Campus (OC) Library.  Jaime has a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology, with a minor in Chemistry from Coastal Carolina University; a M.S. in Marine Biology and Coastal Zone Management from NSU; and a M.S. in Library and Information Studies, from Florida State University.  Jaime has worked with the NSU Libraries for over 18 years and enjoys being able to combine her marine and library science education and experience in her work at the OC Library in providing reference and instruction services while also overseeing the library’s operation.   Jaime was part of the initial committee that designed and set up the NSUWorks IR and served as the initial liaison to the Oceanographic Campus.  She also coordinated the creation of the NSU ProQuest ETD portals for dissertation and thesis submission and now chairs the NSU ProQuest ETD Administrative Group. 

After a nice cuppa to keep you alert, we’ll hear from Michelle Leonard- Marston, Science Library, University of Florida- On “Implementing Research Integrity in Undergraduate Research”. Michelle is always great to present for us here at IAMSLIC and this is sure to be a very informative talk.

Michelle Leonard-Marston

A little about Michelle…

Michelle is the Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources Librarian at University of Florida. From 2010-2012, Michelle served as the Principal Investigator for a large National Science Foundation (NSF) grant project “Gaming Against Plagiarism,” an interactive online game about ethics in the STEM disciplines, and has served as a grant review panelist for NSF. In April 2017, Michelle received a travel award to attend the Department of Health & Human Services Office of Research Integrity Short Course on RCR Instruction (SCoRCRI). She is the co-coordinator for the UF RCR Stakeholders Group, a campus-wide initiative to bring together faculty who teach RCR in their curriculum.
Michelle is also the Editor for the UF Journal of Undergraduate Research and has co-authored a book on user-driven acquisition!

We might have a chance for some networking and sunshine (a very important combination in my book!) mid-morning for those of us not involved in the IAMSLIC business & executive meetings that will follow Michelle and take us through to lunch.

Stay tuned for the next blog post to hear about the exciting line up we have after lunch. We know we’re making you green with envy, tempting you with these blog posts, but it’s still 4 days away, any chance you can convince your library to let you come join the fun?!

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Presenter Profile Series: Legacy Data, Hidden Collections and Lidar

We’re honoured to kick off day two of the conference with an impressive welcoming committee from the University of Texas, and of course our President Jeanine Scaramozzino. Our first morning talk will be led by Daureen Nesdill on “Ensuring the Legacy Data for the Southern Right Whale is FAIR.”

A little about Daureen…

Daureen Nesdill’s experience working in both medical and ecological research and her interest in data management led to her being named the Research Data Management Librarian at the J. Willard Marriott Library, Univ. of Utah in 2006. In this role, she led a task force investigating the services and resources necessary for the library to develop a data management program. Her responsibilities include assisting researchers with data issues, overseeing submissions to the data repository, and teaching workshops in data management, data storage options, and DMPs. In addition to her data management duties Daureen is a member of TRAIL (Technical Report Archive and Image Library) providing open access to U.S. federal technical reports.

Dr. Admanda Whitmire and Molly Engelbrecht will follow Daureen, giving a talk on “Subversive Gatekeepers: Developing Methods For Enabling Remote Access to Hidden Collections”. Those of you who tuned into the last blog post will know Amanda from the Data Management Workshop, so here is a little on Molly.

A little about Molly…

Molly works as a Librarian in the Cadet Hand Library, Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Davis. She provides instruction in the use of specialized library resources to undergraduate classes, performs reference and research functions for the BML community, curates several special collections, and offers outreach services. Not only is she an active member of IAMSLIC, she also serves as an officer of the Eastern Pacific regional chapter, Cyamus.

We have another home grow hero to start our Keynote talks with Dr. Jeffrey G. Paine speaking on “Rapid Response on the Texas Coast: Acquiring Post-Harvey Lidar and Imagery to Assess Storm Impact and Monitor Recovery.”

A little about Jeff….

Jeff coordinates near-surface geophysics projects at the Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin. His principal research interest, geophysical applications in the shallow subsurface, combines an academic background in geophysics and extensive professional experience in near-surface strata. He specializes in applying borehole, surface, and airborne electromagnetic induction methods and seismic reflection and refraction methods to help solve geological, hydrological, environmental, and engineering problems. He has served as principal investigator in more than 45 studies funded by State, Federal, and regional agencies and has published more than 130 articles, reports, and abstracts. He is the 2010 recipient of the Gold Award from the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society.

We have an exciting line up to follow Dr Paine’s keynote talk which we’ll be bringing to you in the next post. We don’t want to wear you out with all the good stuff in one sitting, this is not a Texas BBQ after all. So stay glued to the blog, Twitter or Facebook page for your next installment!

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Countdown is on to Texas!

We are just bursting with excitement at IAMSLIC HQ to welcome everyone to Port Aransas! Can you believe that our conference is just 11 days away!?! In fact, here’s Dave Baca, past President of IAMSLIC and current conference committee member sharing some of that excitement with you:

We promised that we’d keep you posted on all our activities and speakers for our conference, so here’s an update on that…

We’re kicking of #IamPortAransas in style with a Data Management Workshop facilitated on Sunday 20th @ 10.30am by Jessica Trelogan and Amanda Whitmire. You are in safe, knowledgeable hands here as both Jessica and Amanda are Data experts. This is a must attend event if you know nothing about Data Management, know a little, or want to advance your knowledge- it’s tailored for everyone!

Jessica Trelogan
Dr Amanda Whitmire

Jessica is on home ground, coming to us from the University of Texas Libraries and Dr Whitmire, a veteran of our IAMSLIC Conferences is Head of Miller Library at the Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford’s research outpost on the coast at Pacific Grove, California.

The Executive Board will meet following the workshop, giving the rest of us time to get ready for the B.E.A.C.H. P.A.R.T.Y.!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve very excited about this. I’ve never been to an American beach party, although I’ve been drip fed a diet of them through my TV since the early days of 90’s Beverly Hills 90210. I’m sure a Texas beach party won’t disappoint.

There will be a shrimp boil and bonfire catered by Rollin’ Tide Boil Company . The boil will include wild caught Gulf Shrimp, corn on the cob, smoked sausage, new potatoes and Vidalia onions. Vegetarian and non-shellfish options will be available. The Reception will include tents, seating, Tiki torches and several beach bonfires. Dessert is traditional and Key Lime S’mores! Music will be provided by Rollin’ Tide. Texas beer and wine, margaritas, water and iced tea will be available.
#IamPortAransas Beach Bonfire

Have we tempted you yet? Come on, join us in Texas!

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EURASLIC XVIII – Registration and abstract submission open!

Registration and abstract submission for 18th Biennial Conference of the European Association of Aquatic Sciences Libraries and Information Centres are open now.

Submissions may be made for oral presentations, country/institutional reports or posters.

Deadline for submitting proposal: March 15, 2019
Deadline for abstract acceptance: April 5, 2019

All the details about submissions, registration and payments can be found at the conference webpage http://euraslic2019.irb.hr/

Sofija Konjevic
EURASLIC Executive secretary

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Presenter Profile Series: Caroline Kobusingye and Onan Mulumba

Our final post for #IAMSLICUganda’s Presenter Profile Series features Caroline Kobusingye and Onan Mulumba. We hope you enjoyed this year’s Presenter Profile Series and we look forward to sharing more about our amazing presenters next year for the 45th IAMSLIC Conference in Port Aransas, TX, USA!

A bit about Caroline… 

Caroline is a Country Focal Point of the UN – Technology Bank Project, Uganda. She is the National E-resources Coordinator for the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL) and, Head of the Periodicals Section at Makerere University Library. As the e-resources coordinator, she oversees the country’s e-resources activities which include: licensing and negotiations with the publishers, marketing and promoting the usage, trouble shooting to ensure that institutions have seamless access to e-resources, monitoring and evaluation of the usage, organizing and facilitating information literacy workshops among others. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Library and information Science and a Masters of Science in Information Science.

A bit about Onan… 

Onan Mulumba is a Country Focal Point of the UN – Technology Bank Project in Uganda. Additionally he is an Agricultural Librarian and the Head of the Agricultural Libraries at Makerere University, Uganda. Onan is ex-Research4Life users’ representative on the Executive Council and Winner of Research4Life Unsung Heroes award 2013. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences and a Master’s Degree in Information Science.

Onan and Caroline will be presenting on…

Title: Digital Access to Research: prospects of the Technology Bank Project of the United Nations

Abstract: In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly officially established the Technology Bank Project aimed at supporting and strengthening Science, Technology and Innovations in selected Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The focus area of the project was to promote digital access to research and technology in LDCs. Working in partnership with research4life, a partnership of 5 UN agencies (WHO, FAO, WIPO, ILO, UNEP), highly rated science publishers, Cornell and Yale Universities, that have been providing free access to global academic research through the five research4life programmes, as well as, in Collaboration with the Uganda Focal Persons, the Technology Bank aims to achieve its objective. This presentation, therefore, will aim at expanding awareness of the project activities in Uganda, the mode and scope of operation, and to build a partnership base through which the project will enhance research, technology and innovation in Uganda.
Keywords: Digital Access to Research; Technology Bank; Research4Life, Research, Innovation

They can be contacted through…

Email: omulumba@gmail.com, ckobs.angel@gmail.com dar.technologybankug@gmail.com

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Presenter Profile Series: Coffi Ferdinando Rock GBEDO

Next on our Presenter Profile Series we have Coffi Ferdinando Rock GBEDO.

A bit about Coffi…

My name is Coffi Ferdinando Rock GBEDO from Benin Republic. I’m 30 years old and a holder of a bachelor degree in archival sciences (2013) and four years degree in library and information sciences (2016). I’m fonds of foreign languages and apart from French our official language, I’m capable to speak fluently English and a little German and Japanese.

My career in the domain started in november 2014 after my recruitment by Benin’s government. Since then, I’ve been working as a librarian at Benin Institute for Halieutic and Oceanographic Research (IRHOB). I’m also a volunteer at Drabo Public Library where I work every staturday from 9h-13h. Drabo Public Library is working for sustaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union 2063 Agenda in the community.

As a volunteer at a public library, I have the opportunity to attend the Strengthening Innovative Library Leaders workshop organized by African Library and Information Institutions and Associations (AFLIA) in Yaoundé on may 2017. It was also an opportunity to particpate in 4th African Library Summit and 2nd Conference of AFLIA at Djeuga Palace Hotel, Yaoundé, Cameroon. Since march 2018, I’m part of the second cohort of the Program, International Network of Emerging Library Innovators – Sub-Saharan Africa (INELI-SSAF). From 2 to 7 july 2018, I attended the 3rd African Public Library Summit and the Roundtable of African Ministers in charged of public libraries at INKOSI LUTHULI International Convention Centre, Durban – South Africa.

Talk to Coffi in Entebbe about…

– Digital Library Collections Management ;
– Marine information resources management programs
– Training/internship at marine information resources centers
– Scholarship in Library and information sciences

Coffi will be presenting on…

Title: Access to marine and aquatic sciences information in the Benin Republic.

Abstract: Information production in our societies is getting more and more breathtaking. In Benin Republic, Marine and aquatic information is produced by many organizations such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery, Institut de Recherches Halieutiques et Océanologiques du Bénin (IRHOB), Faculty of Sciences and Technic of Abomey-Calavi University, etc. It is clear that the functioning of those institutions will be affected by diverse types of information. What do we do to meet the growing information needs of these users? This paper lays emphasis on tactics used by the library of Benin Institute for Halieutic and Oceanographic Research (IRHOB) not only in following the national rhythm of information production in the field but also in providing its users with the appropriate information.

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Presenter Profile Series: Maria Kalentsits

Second up today we have Maria Kalentsits. Learn more about this #IAMSLICUganda presenter below.

A bit about Maria…

Maria Kalentsits has been working with the ASFA Secretariat since 2015. Her previous assignments were with the Estonian Marine Institute as a librarian and with the University of the South Pacific (Fiji) as a Coordinator of the Pacific Islands Marine Resources Information System (PIMRIS). Prior to joining the ASFA Secretariat, she worked for FAO as the Fisheries Librarian between 2011 and 2015. Within the ASFA Secretariat, Maria is currently carrying out essential duties of the ASFA Editor-in-Chief.

Maria was the IAMSLIC President in 2012-2013 and hosted two IAMSLIC conferences – in 2008 (USP/PIMRIS, Suva, Fiji) and 2015 (FAO, Rome, Italy). She is representing FAO/ASFA at the Aquatic Commons Board and is a member of the FAO-IAMSLIC Joint Activities Group.

You can talk to Maria in Entebbe about…

ASFA partnership and evolving information needs in the aquatic and fisheries sector. Maria likes gardening, reading and swimming.

Maria will be presenting on…

Title: FAO ASFA Secretariat Update: ASFA – IAMSLIC Co-operation

Authors: Maria Kalentsits, FAO (Presenter) & Tamsin Vicary, FAO

Abstract: The co-operation between FAO and IAMSLIC is developed based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed by these organizations back in 2005. The presentation will report on the state of activities of mutual interest that ASFA is involved in. A brief overview of transitional changes that ASFA is proposing will be provided.

Connect with Maria through…

Email: maria.kalentsits@fao.org

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Presenter Profiles Series: Arame G. Ndiaye Keita

Wow! Day 1 of #IAMSLICUganda has already begun! We have had a few more presenter profiles come in, so don’t forget to check our Presenter Profile Series as we post our last few profiles today. To start off today we are featuring Arame Keita, head of the Documentation and Information Unit of the Marine fisheries Department under the Ministry of Fishery and Marine Economy in Senegal.

A bit about Arame…

Arame G. Ndiaye Keita is acting as the head of the Documentation and Information Unit of the Marine fisheries Department under the Ministry of Fishery and Marine Economy in Senegal and has been there for many years.

She holds an MLIS from the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal (UCAD), School of Library, Documentation and Archives (EBAD) and previously a Bachelor in the same field at that same university.

Arame is one of the founding members of the regional group of Africa and served in various IAMSLIC’s committees. Currently, she is acting as the representative of AFRIAMSLIC.

She worked on a number of projects and initiatives related to marine information management in Africa ie IOC/ IODE/ODINAFRICA project and continues to serve on various boards, committees, and working groups. She also is a staff member-lecturer of Regional Training Center of Senegal developed in the framework of Ocean Teacher Global Academy program.

Arame will be presenting on…

Title: Development and Introducing to the new website project of the Regional Group of IAMSLIC for Africa-AFRIAMSLIC.

Abstract: AFRIAMSLIC is the regional group of IAMSLIC for Africa. IAMSLIC provides a forum for sharing ideas and resources within the various aquatic and marine science disciplines. IAMSLIC has six regional groups: AFRIAMLIC, Cyamus, EURASLIC, Grupo Regional Latin America, Pacific Islands, and SAIL. AFRIAMSLIC aims to exchange and explore ideas and issues of mutual concern through cooperation within Africa and to build strong links with other national, regional and international aquatic and marine science libraries and information networks.

To enhance communication and resources sharing among members of the group and increase better access to information resources, an AFRIAMSLIC website will be developed under WordPress and hosted by IAMSLIC. The basic framework of the website is already created. The next steps will be the configuration and customization of the site as well as addition of new contents. The paper will report on the success and the challenges in the development of the website..

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