Call for applications: Open Knowledge Award of Excellence for African Librarians

The African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) has been promoting the entire open knowledge ecosystem (Open Access, Open Data, Open Education, and Open Science) through webinars on Open Science, OERs, Open Access, publication of The UNESCO OER Recommendation and Open Knowledge: An Overview for African Librarians and short courses on Openness, Open Data Management, and Early Literacy Development (with a major strand on Open licensing) for the African Library sector.

An operating grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has enabled AfLIA to develop a course on Inclusive OERs, which would be launched at the 6th Conference and 8th African Library Summit to be held in Windhoek-Namibia from 18th – 23rd May, 2025. Also, with the grant, AfLIA is instituting an Open Knowledge Award of Excellence for African Librarians.

The Award

African librarians are at the forefront of the championing Open Access, Open Data, Open Educational Resources (OER), Open Science and Research, and indigenous knowledge preservation. Through innovative projects, advocacy, and digital transformation, Librarians provide services that enable research visibility, equitable learning opportunities, and knowledge sovereignty. However, while numerous African library professionals contribute to opening up knowledge, their efforts often go unrecognized, which limits motivation and sector-wide momentum. This Award is the first of its kind in the African Library Sector, and has been launched by AfLIA to:

1. Recognise and celebrate a standout African librarian advancing open knowledge.
2. Showcase impactful initiatives that are driving knowledge accessibility, equity, and innovation in-country and across Africa
3. Inspire the African library sector to embed open knowledge principles into policy and practice.

Award Package

The Open Knowledge Award of Excellence for African Librarians will include:

1. Conference Sponsorship Package
   • Fully paid registration fee to participate in the 6th Conference and 8th African Library Summit in Windhoek, Namibia.
   • Accommodation and meals for the duration of the conference.
2. Travel Scholarship
   • Round-trip flight tickets to Windhoek, Namibia.
   • Ground transportation to and from the airport and conference venue.
3. Customized Honour Plaque/Citation
   • The award winner will receive a specially designed honor plaque during the Cultural Night and Dinner at the conference.
   • A small award ceremony will be held to recognise and celebrate the Champion’s contributions.
4. A featured article published on AfLIA’s website to highlight the winner’s contributions, achievements and impact in advancing open knowledge in Africa over the past 10 years.

The winner of the Award will commit to leading advocacy and learning activities for engraining open knowledge practices within the African Library sector for a stipulated period.

Eligibility

1. Open to African librarians working in academic, research, public, or special libraries.
2. Open to Librarians from English and non-English speaking African countries.
3. Applicants must have demonstrated impact on open knowledge initiatives with traceable results.

4. Contribution to policy advocacy, training, or capacity building towards open knowledge in Africa.
5. Commitment to knowledge equity, decolonization of knowledge, or local content development.

Assessment and Selection Criteria

The Champion AfLIA is looking for within the African Library sector would meet most or all of the following criteria:

• Have openly licensed works, including open educational resources (OERs), books, translations, datasets, peer reviewed journals, conference papers, or any other open access research outputs. These works should be publicly accessible and traceable online.
• Have been involved in advocacy activities promoting open knowledge practices and/or policies at institutional, national, or continental levels. These activities must be traceable and accessible online through either published articles, event participation, policy contributions, or public engagements.
• Have actively collaborated with institutions, networks, or organizations to advance open knowledge initiatives in-country or across Africa.
• Involved in training, mentorship, or capacity-building initiatives on open knowledge, open licensing, or related areas that support librarians, educators, researchers, or community members in adopting open knowledge practices.
• Have worked on initiatives that promote African languages, indigenous knowledge, or local content in open knowledge spaces.

Key Dates

• Application deadline: 3^rd April 2025 (11:59 PM GMT)
• Conference dates: May 18-23, 2025

Application process

If qualified and interested, click here to complete the online form.