Talking Notes

2nd International Virtual Conference Transformation of Knowledge Repository

into Knowledge Economy”
1. I am pleased to address intellectuals, veteran professors, academicians,
researchers, and professionals in the field of library and information
sciences at the Pakistan Library Welfare Organization's (PLWO) 2nd
International Virtual Conference "Transformation of Knowledge Repository
into Knowledge Economy".
2. In a knowledge economy, the production of goods and services is based
primarily upon knowledge-intensive activities, which have been central to
the economic development of a society.
3. UNESCO emphasizes that knowledge societies must be built on four pillars:
freedom of expression; universal access to information and knowledge;
respect for cultural and linguistic diversity; and quality education for all.
4. No institution can be proven as effective as libraries are in creating
knowledge societies. In the west, libraries play an effective role in
facilitating access to information, in sustaining lifelong learning,
strengthening the knowledge culture, enabling research and international
collaboration, supporting innovation, and commercialization of research
5. It is, however, unfortunate that libraries in Pakistan are far behind in
donning the role of knowledge hubs. This can be attributed to inadequate
funding, weak infrastructure; lack of automation and digitization, and poor
development of library-related standards.
6. If we want to improve the library and information services, we need to
integrate the modern emerging trends and technologies like Library
Automation, Digitalization, Institutional Repository and Digital Library
Services, Remote Login, Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning.
7. A part of this, we must create a culture of sharing knowledge through
libraries by bridging the gap between readers to build a knowledge base.
8. Libraries should not merely be a hub of information rather it must nurture
the tendencies of tolerance, respect of others opinions, and
pro-social/developmental debates among its readers. In nutshell, they must
act as socialization agents for society.
9. Free access to information coupled with guidance from the established
institutions like libraries can prove instrumental for social change.
Integrating modern trends in our libraries would make our libraries more
attractive, affective, and affirmative that will create an enabling
environment for new approaches of economic development. HEC Digital
library is playing this role effectively and catering to information needs of
thousands brains of the country.
10.It is encouraging that, in Pakistan, the government and social/corporate
enterprises like Pakistan Library Welfare Organization and similar others
have realized working on these trends and are emphasizing on
governments and universities to adopt these trends for their libraries, thus
contributing towards transforming t libraries into cybraries.
11. I congratulate the conference organizers on encapsulating such a fantastic
idea as "Transformation of Knowledge Repository into Knowledge
Economy." The Punjab Higher Education Commission is there all the time,
by all its means, to play its role in transforming our universities into
knowledge hubs, thus strengthening the knowledge economy.