TLT awards celebration 2021! Welcome Address

Prodip Roy AALIA (DCP)

Prodip Roy AALIA (DCP)

Editor, The Librarian Times

Good afternoon, good evening good morning!  

On behalf of the Librarian Times, I am honoured to welcome the program chair, Professor S M Mannan, Department and information science and Library Management, Dhaka University; respected Christine Mackenzie, the President of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, our special guests, honourable Md. Abubakar Siddique, Director-General and Additional Secretary, Department of Public Libraries, Bangladesh; Professor Dr Nasiruddin Mitul, Dean, School of Undergraduate Studies, National University, Bangladesh; Dr Naresh Agarwal, Associate Professor and Director, Information Science & Technology Concentration School of Library & Information Science, Simmons University, Boston, USA; respected Bijoy Basak, honourable Deputy Police Commissioner Chittagong South Metropolitan Police; and respected faculty members, professionals, colleagues, the students and who are, of course, our reason for being here, TLT award winners for 2021.

On behalf of The Librarian Times editorial committee, I warmly welcome all of you again to TLT’s fourth anniversary and award celebration of 2021. We are honoured and humbled by your attendance. 

We want a special welcome and thank Christine Mackenzie for joining the event as the chief guest. The LIS community is grateful for your attendance at the event. I want to mention your slogan here, Let’s work together.” 

Dear Distinguished guests,

We are very pleased to announce two new categories of awards called, Dr Md. Nazim Uddin Memorial LIS Academic/Librarian of the year award and Dr Md. Nazim Uddin Memorial Student of the Year Awards have been newly added to recognise industry professionals’ achievements and academic excellence in LIS education. To remembrance his outstanding contribution to the LIS profession Dr Md. Nazim Uddin’s family is generously supporting this award prize money. On behalf of TLT, I want to thank his family members for the support for the inauguration of the new award in the LIS history in Bangladesh. 

Dear honourable guests,

Who We Are and Why We Matter!

That’s where I would like to begin- 

The Librarian Times was founded on 2nd February 2017, to focus on increasing collaboration with Library Association Bangladesh (LAB), Bangladesh Association of Librarians, Information Scientists and Documentalists (BALID), Other LIS institutes, Government and international LIS organisations to break the professional barriers in Bangladesh.

Our mission is to overcome the Library and Information Science professional barriers, inspire professionals and contribute to the country by supporting library and information advocacy and undertaking research. Our vision is to envision a nation where library and information communities will have the opportunity to attain an excellent platform to build a literate society with collaborative practice.

As part of national and global mission and vision, we have collaborated with many individuals and organizations around the globe to celebrate TLT’s 4th anniversary.  In continuation of this, the candidate receiving the Academic (University and college) Librarian Award and the Special Librarian of the Year Award are nominated by the  Library Association of Bangladesh (LAB), the candidate receiving Dr Md. Nazim Uddin Memorial Academic of the year award is nominated by the Bangladesh Association of Librarians, Information Scientists and Documentalists (BALID), the candidate receiving the Public Librarian of the Year Award is nominated by the Dept. of Public Libraries, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the candidate receiving the School Librarian of the Year Award is nominated by the School Library Association of Bangladesh (SLABD), the candidate receiving the Medical Librarian of the Year Award is nominated by the Medical Library Association of Bangladesh and the candidates receiving Dr Md. Nazim Uddin Memorial Award (the LIS Student of the year, two awards) are selected by the Department of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka, and the University of Rajshahi.

On behalf of TLT editorial members and the event committee, I would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to everyone, for your excellent collaboration and outstanding support.  I am taking this opportunity to congratulate both the award winners and the selection committee members from different institutions who successfully completed the nomination process. Let’s congratulate them!

Dear guests,

Putting an event of this magnitude together is not a small task.  To that end, I wish to special congratulate and thank the event coordinator, Syeda Muka Begum for her tremendous support and the successful arrangement of the program. 

Over the last more than four years, TLT members have made tremendous contributions to librarianship practices, resulting in impacts in the LIS sector in Bangladesh. I would also like to thank TLT members for all the excellent work you have done for the last four years to foster goodwill amongst the LIS community in Bangladesh. I convey my greetings and good wishes for the future too. 

Dear respected guests,

We are celebrating this event in the 50th year of independence of Bangladesh, so this celebration is especially memorable for us. You are all aware that the Bangladesh government has accepted the long-standing demand of the school librarians in Bangladesh a few days ago and has given the teacher status of the school and college librarians from now on. This is a great achievement for us, so let’s celebrate and cheer up together. Hooray! 

I want to thank Loida Garcia-Febo, International Library Consultant and President of American Library Association 2019-2020; Viv Barton, President Australian Library and Information Association; Katy Manck, President – International Association of School Librarianship (IASL); Lydia S. Middleton, Executive Director Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T); Selina Sharmin, Coping Skills Librarian, Queens Public Library, New York, United State,  and Former President Ethnic Services Round Table at New York Library Association (2019-2020) President & Founder Nolak Women for Bangladeshi Women Inc. the USA; Kirsty Crawford, Programme Director, Libraries Unlimited; Devendra Potnis, Chair, SIG-III, ASIS&T and Associate Professor, School of Information Sciences, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, USA; Sapna Banerjee, Dean, Faculty Council for Post-Graduate Studies in Education, Journalism, Library & Inf. Science  & Professor, Dept. of Library and Information Science, University of Calcutta; Dr Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq,  Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka; Mostafa Azad Kamal, Professor & Dean, The School of Business, Bangladesh Open University; Dr Dilara Begum Chairperson & Associate Professor, Information Studies and Library Management, East-West University; Dr Md. Mofizur Rahman, Professor, Department of Mass Communication & Journalism, University of Dhaka; Dr Md. Nasir Uddin Munshi, Professor & University Librarian, University of Dhaka; Dr Md. Mizanur Rahman, President, Library Association of Bangladesh; Hazera Rahman, Chairman, Bangladesh Association of Librarians, Information Scientists and Documentalists (BALID); Muhammad Hamidur Rahman (Tushar) Secretary-General, Library Association of Bangladesh (LAB), Md. Anwarul Islam, PhD Associate Professor, Dept. of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka; Dr Syed Robiul Bashar-Duke, Director, Archer K. Blood American Center Library, U.S. Embassy, Dhaka; the event sponsor Rokomari.com, Miyako, AND OR the Reading Cafe and all others for their excellent contributions including sending wishing messages, attending as panellists, providing funds and continuous support.  

Dear honourable guests,

After the Award function, a panel discussion titled Crafting a Resilient Future of Library and Information Science Research and Services in Bangladesh: A Panel Discussion will be held to celebrate this special occasion. I would like to invite you to join the session with the same zoom link. We look forward to seeing you all.

– Those who cannot access the zoom link can still watch the event live on “The Librarian Times Facebook” page.

On behalf of TLT, I would like to thank Mir Adiba Awlad and MM Shoeb for moderating the whole event. Once again, thank you to our event partners, sponsors, committee members, award selection committee members, all guests, panellists and volunteers who have contributed to the success of the event and all our activities during the past four years.

Once again, welcome! Enjoy the rest of the celebration!