CONSAL XV, 29-30 May 2012 at Bali, Indonesia
Day 1: 29 May 2012
Oom Swastiastu! (Hello in Balinese language)
A total of 27 participants represented Singapore in the 15th Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians 2012 (CONSAL XV), which was attended by other 697 participants from 21 countries. The conference was held from 29 to 30 May 2012 at Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel, Bali, Indonesia, with the theme “National Heritage: Preservation and Dissemination”.
The opening ceremony was launched by the Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare, Agung Laksono, who was accompanied by the Director of National Library Indonesia, Ms. Sri Sularsih. The event was further graced by the Balinese Legong dance which involved intricate finger movement and expressive facial expressions. Did you know that the dance has become culturally symbolic, and it has been used to advertise Bali to the world since 1920s? (Source: Davies, S. (2008). The origins of Balinese legong Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde Vol. 164, No. 2/3 (2008), pp. 194-211. Retrieved on July 19, 2012, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27868481)
Balinese Legong Dance during the Opening Ceremony
After an afternoon of 6 plenary sessions, we were treated to a welcome dinner by the beach at the Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel. Besides the scrumptious food, we were entertained by several performances of cultural and contemporary dances and songs.
Welcome Dinner by the Beach at Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel
Day 2: 30 May 2012
The following day was filled with parallel sessions of presentation and sharing of papers, by not only the library practitioners from CONSAL, but other countries like Australia, Netherlands and the USA. There were 5 presentations from Singapore. The conference was also complemented with exhibitions participated by 33 local and international vendors/partners.
The day ended with the closing ceremony, where it was announced the 16th CONSAL will be held in Thailand. The representative from Thailand shared that the conference will most probably be in May 2015, where it will be a season full of local fruits like sweet mangoes, rich durians and many more!
Some of Delegates from Singapore including LAS president Gene Tan.
All participants were invited to the gala dinner held at the Bali Art Center, Denpasar, which was a nice end to the conference. While waiting for the bus to bring us to the dinner venue, we were mesmerised by the gorgeous sunset of Bali, Indonesia. Enjoy!
Gorgeous Sunset in Bali, Indonesia
Oom Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, Oom! (The way Balinese people end their conversation)
Reported by Noriahni Ismail