The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and its Library and Information System (Sibl) have the honor to hold the XVI edition of the National Academic Libraries Seminar (SNBU) and invite librarians and information professionals to attend the event will happen on October 17 to 22, 2010, at the Convention Center at Hotel Intercontinental.

Throughout more than 30 years, the SNBU has been the preferred venue of librarians and information professionals working in academic environment, promoting new knowledge transmission, allowing the experiences exchange, disseminating scientific progress and proposing actions and policies in information area.

In 2010 we will discuss the state of the art the academic libraries after decades of fast modernization, use and adaption to new technologies and management changes, a fact that motivated our invitation to the opening speech, made to Prof. Murilo Bastos Cunha who in 2000 wrote about the UL’s outlook and its future to the year 2010. The date of the seminar was thus to be perfect to be done to rethink what we want to be the goal for encouraging the development of activities that will follow.

This edition also innovates by incorporating the II International Digital Libraries Conference-Brazil (SIBD-B), which had its first version in 2003 as a workshop at the University of Campinas. Due to the success and relevance, the event is now held annually in the state of São Paulo to discuss trends, uses and digital environment managements. Similar themes approached the two events, qualifying them and also promoting the opportunity for integration between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo professionals.

Digital environment, access x ownership, information architecture, preservation and digital restoration, academic libraries on the web, skills and abilities, standards for academic libraries, management, institutional repositories, accessibility and social interaction, academic extension programs are some of the proposed themes approaches.

The satisfaction and pride to bring this seminar to the city of Rio de Janeiro motivate the organizing committee to submit an event which, besides stimulating the debate about the performance of academic libraries against the information technology challenges, reveals the best and most beautiful city can offer.

The success of the XVI SNBU and SIBD-Brazil is to participate!

Paula Maria Abrantes Cotta de Mello
President of XVI National Academic Libraries Seminar (SNBU)
Coordinator of Academic Library and Information System of UFRJ