Dr Raj Patel - Inspiring keynote at the ACRL 2011 Conference

Raj Patel succeeded in doing exactly what is expected of a keynote speaker –challenge traditional perceptions and inspire new ideas and thinking. Dr Patel,activist, academic and speaker, interpreted the ACRL 2011 conference theme of “interdependence” into his world of economics, democracy and food crises. This had us taking a step back from our present everyday professional concerns, to acknowledging a much bigger encompassing global reality. With charm, eloquence and audacity, he managed to create the kind of energy that is essential for going beyond the mere sharing of experiences to the creation of new perspectives and opportunities. Great, inspiring! PS. Dr Patel, an Oxford graduate, is currently a visiting scholar at the University of California –Berkeley and an a Research Fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in SOUTH AFRICA! With luck, we could probably convince him to speak to librarians in South Africa one day as well.