Paper presented at the 3rd African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) Conference and 5th African Library Summit (Nairobi, Kenya, 19-24 May 2019). The paper, titled 'Professional development for young librarians matters! An Initiative for Young African Library Innovators - IYALI' summarizes learning and experience emerging out of the Initiative for African Young Library Innovators (IYALI), implemented from 2017 – 2019 by EIFL in partnership with AfLIA and IFLA (the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions).

IYALI is an intensive international learning, sharing and networking experience that aims to connect young African public librarians (aged under 35) with their peers outside of and within Africa, to enable them to explore new public library service ideas and to see their own work and achievements from a different perspective.

The paper discusses how the programme impacted on the lives and work of two groups of IYALI participants (a total of 28 participants from 13 countries). The IYALI experience for the first group took place in Eastern Europe in 2017; the second group travelled to southeast Asia in 2018. Both groups experienced workshops on library service innovation, training in communications, library visits and participation in the IFLA World Library and Information Congress. Based on feedback, the paper concludes that the experience was positive, building participants’ confidence and equipping them with the skills needed to introduce new ideas and services in their libraries. 

Download the PowerPoint presentation here.