In December 2009, I spent two weeks in my hometown (Lahore, Pakistan) to visit my parents and other family members. On the invitation of Pakistan Library Association (PLA), I conducted a one-day training course on “Information Management in Learning Organizations’ on 23 December 2009 for local information professionals.

This course was jointly organized by PLA (Punjab), Knowledge and Information Management Academy (KIMA), and the Punjab University Library. The course was inaugurated by Prof. Mujahid Kamran, Vice Chancellor, University of the Punjab, who emphasized that library and information professionals need to develop new competencies and get ready to play an important role in the fast emerging knowledge society.

Some 50 LIS professionals participated in this course and I was very impressed with their enthusiasm and the level of interaction.  I covered topics such as role of information management (IM) in learning organizations, information management cycle, IM and strategic planning, and information and knowledge audit. This event was repeatedly covered by one local TV channel in its evening news bulletins. My nieces and nephews were very excited to see it on TV.  

Let me also tell you a little about my hometown. Lahore is a historical city and capital of Punjab province. It is the second largest city of Pakistan after Karachi and its population is estimated around 7.5 million. One common thing among people in Lahore and Singapore is their love for food. You can have plenty of choices as almost all types of cuisines are easily available in Lahore. However, Chinese restaurants are more popular, although food served by them is quite different from Chinese restaurants in Singapore.  You can get more information about Lahore from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahore.

Dr Shaheen conducting a workshop in Lahore

Dr Shaheen conducting a workshop on "Information Management in Learning Organizations" in Lahore

— Shaheen Majid