1st INDIA PUBLIC LIBRARIES CONFERENCE CONCLUDES SUCCESSFULLY IN NEW DELHI To discuss how public libraries can be regained as public places for seeking information and knowledge, for the first time in India, an international conference-cum-workshop on public libraries was organised. The three day „India Public Libraries Conference 2015‟ (www.iplc.in) was held at India International Centre (IIC), Lodi Estate in New Delhi during March 17-19, 2015, comprising of a two day conference on the theme “Transforming Public Libraries in India: Envisioning the Future” and a one day parallel workshops for library officials, professionals, academics and students. The meet was a part of a comprehensive initiative launched by non-profit Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and Developing Library Network (DELNET) with support from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen and upgrade public libraries in India along with a host of public library stakeholders and partners. The IPLC 2015 was inaugurated by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Hon‟ble Minister of State, Prime Minister‟s Office, Government of India. The respondent to the 'Recommendations for the Future of Public Libraries in India' during the valedictory session was Shri Raghav Chandra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. The IPLC 2015 had its support from the Ministry of Culture. It was attended by more than 350 participants comprising of international and national speakers, delegates from national, state, district public library domains and other public library professionals. Three parallel workshops and a study tour were organised on March 19th. Workshop 1, titled “Building Strong Library Associations” was conducted by Ms. Jan Richards of the Public Library Association, Australia and Ms. Winnie Vitzansky of the Public Library Association, Denmark. It focused on the steps in creating library associations and on empowering library professionals, representatives of state libraries and students to maintain these associations to better represent the interests of libraries. Workshop 2, titled “Redesigning and Modernising Your Library Space” was conducted by Mr. Ari Katz, Regional Director of Beyond Access, IREX (USA). It focused on the philosophy of appropriate library design. An introduction to methodologies and concepts was followed by extensive group work during which the participants created their own library spaces using building blocks. The third workshop, “Linking Children and Students with Public Libraries” was conducted by Ms. Sujata Noronha, Director of Bookworm, Goa and a literacy and library consultant with the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. The purpose of this workshop was to build a common understanding about children‟s sections in Public Libraries by focussed sharing, understanding the key elements of libraries, exposing participants to various kinds of books available and methods of engaging and linking users with various books through activities including a read aloud of a chosen book. After the workshops, it was time for the participants to experience first-hand, some model libraries in Delhi. The group visited the Delhi Public Library (DPL) in Sarojini Nagar and met with the librarian Ms. Sudha Mukherjee and her staff where she highlighted the legacy of the DPL and of the initiatives undertaken to prepare the library for the digital age. The last stop on the study tour was the Wonder Room at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), where Mr. Shibu Itty and Ms. Sridevi told the group about the steps that RGF has taken in making the Wonder Room an inviting and inclusive space for children of the area. The draft recommendations of the IPLC 2015 have been finalised and are now open to public library stakeholders for comments and suggestions for wider representation of views and innovative ideas to make the public library ecosystem better in India. Already, a lot many suggestions and recommendations have been received during the IPLC 2015 conference. The final set of recommendations shall be submitted to the national and state library authorities including the Ministry of Culture, State Education Departments in charge of public libraries, grant making agencies and other key policy and implementation agencies. Comments and suggestions on the draft recommendations are invited from March 24 – April 4, 2015.