The launch marked the end of the process of the unification of all existing library organisations in South Africa.  The process was initiated in January 1995 at the Conference on Libraries and Information Services in Developing South Africa (LISDESA). LISDESA was an initiative of the two largest existing organisations at the time, the South African Institute for Librarianship and Information Science (SAILIS) and the African Library Association of South Africa (ALASA). It was at LISDESA that the first Steering Committee for the Unification of Library and Information Stakeholders (ULIS) was elected and given the mandate to carry forward the process for a new organisation. 

At the ULIS-1 conference that was held in July 1996 in Johannesburg, an interim Executive Committee (IEC) was elected and mandated to draft a constitution for discussion by all the stakeholders. The IEC, supported by the Provincial Support Groups (PSGs) representing all nine provinces in the country,  arranged the Constituent Conference (aka ULIS-2) at the University of Pretoria in July 1997. 

Approximately four hundred and fifty library and information workers representing all nine provinces in South Africa attended the Constituent Conference.  The primary focus was to debate and approve the draft constitution.  All delegates were given the opportunity to discuss and propose amendments.  On the final morning the final edited draft of the constitution was presented and accepted unanimously.  The delegates also voted for the name of the new organisation.  A Transitional Executive Committee (TEC) was elected to manage the Association, to prepare for the election of the first Representative Council, and to organise the first annual conference, which took place in November 1998.

Significant to note that the acronym LIASA, if pronounced "liyasa", in the Nguni languages, means "the dawning".

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