New Delhi: A conference-cum-workshop in the national capital beginning on March 17 will discuss how public libraries can be regained as public places for seeking information and knowledge, a statement said on Saturday.

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The three-day event "India Public Libraries Conference 2015" (IPLC 2015) comprises of a two-day conference on the theme "Transforming Public Libraries in India" and a day-long workshop for the library officials.

The meet is part of an initiative by non-profit organisation Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and Developing Library Network (DELNET), with financial support from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen and upgrade public libraries in India.

"IPLC 2015 should provide some leads on the basis of which public libraries could be managed on a redefining role as envisaged by the National Mission on Libraries (NML) for creating a new generation of libraries and knowledge professionals in the country," said K.K. Banerjee, advisor, NML, an organising partner.

The union ministry of culture had launched the initiative, NML, in 2012 to strengthen the public library system in India.

The conference is aimed to take stock of the current situation and to deliberate upon the most suitable and sustainable ICT-enabled (Information and Communication Technology) public library models for India, and to recommend directions for the future.

Among the international delegates attending this event are Winnie Vitzansky of the Danish Library Association and a representative of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Jan Richards of the Public Library Board, Australia, and Allison Dobbie of the Auckland Public Library Council, among others.