Discover the World with Us!
Would you like to make a professional connection with a librarian across the globe?
Who: You – A librarian in Illinois
What: Host an international librarian for a 1 to 3 day visit to your library.
When: The first week of October 2009.
Where: The program starts with a half-day workshop at the University of Illinois Library in Urbana-Champaign. The remainder of time is spent at your library.
Mortenson Visitors in 2009
This will be another year of seeing many wonderful faces go through the Center. In March, we welcomed nine South African librarians (see image below) who were exploring what it means to support faculty research. Coming up in May we will have a one day visit from the IFLA-OCLC Fellows, followed by an exciting time in July with our first group of Chinese librarians from the Think Globally, Act Globally project.
South African Librarians
South African Librarians arriving in February
Nine librarians from university libraries in South Africa will be visiting the Mortenson Center from February 20th to March 10th. Their short stay is packed with many activities, including trips to Purdue University, Northwestern University, and Eastern Illinois University.
Think Globally, Act Globally: China-US librarian Collaboration
Website: www.library.illinois.edu/china
Dates: September 1, 2008 until August 30, 2010.
The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program supports professional development programs aimed at librarians and library staff, programs that enhance Library & Information Science (LIS) education and programs that develop library leaders. In a world increasingly concerned with global issues this proposed program provides a model for enhancing awareness among information professionals of Chinese information resources and for building collaboration between China and the U.S.
With its robust network of area studies libraries and subject specialists, and building on the experience of renowned Mortenson Center for International Library Programs and excellent Asian Library, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (VIUC) is uniquely well suited to lead this project. The Asian Library will lead the project with support from the Mortenson Center. The University of Illinois will enter into a formal agreement with another skilled and highly experienced partner, the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA). Finally the University of Illinois will work with the Ministry of Culture of China (MOC) as the planned primary collaborator in the project. This collaboration between the project partners and the Library Society of China will be critical to the successful implementation of the pilot project.
The goals of the two-year pilot project will be to enhance communication and relations between U.S. and Chinese librarians and to enrich the variety of information and services that U.S. librarians can offer their users. The target audiences include: U.S. librarians with expertise in the study of China and the Chinese Language; U.S. librarians responsible for providing service to Chinese-language communities; Chinese librarians with expertise and experience with publicly-available Chinese-language resources, collections and services; and Chinese librarians who may benefit from participation in a broad-based continuing professional education program focused on issues of library management, public services, and digital library development.
The activities of the project include professional development seminars to be delivered both in the U.S. and China; placement of Chinese librarians in institutions around the U.S. to provide an opportunity for education and cooperation; development of web-based resources for use in libraries in the US; and a workshop open to U.S. librarians to promote the web-based resources. Topics of the professional development seminars might include: library administration and leadership, management of information technology, application of standards for information technology project planning in libraries, best practices for resource discovery and sharing, and development of information products and services fostering appreciation and use of global information resources among target user communities.
Award: $500,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
New Publication Has Arrived!
Looking for advice from professional library leaders? Download your own copy of Thinking Outside the Borders. This was a three-year project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in partnership with Illinois State Library. Institutes for International Library Leadership were held with speakers and participants from all over the world. Feedback was collected at each institute and applied to the format and content of the program. The end result is this free publication, a guide for libraries to develop their own leadership institutes with an international perspective.
You can see more information about the book in our conference poster (PPT), presented at IFLA and ILA 2008.
Mortenson Center awarded MacArthur and Carnegie Grants
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has given a three-year grant for the Center to continue working with four university libraries in Nigeria … “the Mortenson Center proposes to work with the librarians to implement the cataloging, online catalog, circulation, and website functions for the new library management system, to assist the university libraries in providing greater access to their electronic resources, and to further develop a network of libraries in Nigeria focused on cooperation, and the sharing of resources and expertise. “
The Carnegie Corporation of New York has provided funding for a three-year grant to work with seven university libraries in East and West Africa.
There are two goals for the project, they are:
Goal 1: Carnegie grantee librarians in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda will fully implement an automated library management system, which will better serve the research and learning needs of the users.
Goal 2: All institutions will develop a team of librarians trained and able to manage automation and automation-related projects in their libraries.
Prestigious Grant Collaboration with Chinese Librarians
From the University Library press release:
“The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library has received a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program Grant for $499,582 from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)…
The “Think Globally, Act Globally” agreement establishes a cooperative and cultural exchange between American and Chinese librarians. Under the agreement, the Asian Library and the Mortenson Center from the University of Illinois will partner with the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and the Library Society of China. These organizations will work together on the implementation of a two-year pilot project to enhance communication and relations between American and Chinese librarians and to enrich the variety of information and services that U.S. librarians can offer their users. Activities will include training in the United States and the People’s Republic of China, and the development of a website for publicly available Chinese information resources for use in U.S. libraries.”
“Think Globally, Act Globally” website
Nigeria
Addressing the Information Needs of Nigerian Researchers, Scholars and Students: A Planning and Training Program for MacArthur Grantee University Libraries
Phase II
Dates: September 1, 2008 – August 31, 2011
Information and knowledge are the building blocks of a society which seeks to offer the best to its citizens. Access to information and knowledge in developing countries is at times difficult and expensive, even on university campuses. University libraries can and should play a key role in their societies by providing users with access to information in an effective and timely manner.
University libraries have a growing and evolving role as portals to knowledge and information, and therefore require additional resources and more technological expertise. Users want to be able to access information quickly, from a broad range of sources, and from a variety of locations. Librarians are critical in developing the strategies and systems to meet user needs.
In 2006 the Mortenson Center received a MacArthur grant to work with four MacArthur grantee university libraries in Nigeria. They are: Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, Ibadan University, and the University of Port Harcourt. In 2006 users of the universities libraries often faced a dark library, little or no access to computers, outdated materials, few journals (most were from the MacArthur Journal Donation program) and dilapidated seats and tables. The Mortenson Center staff visited one library where computer science students were learning how to work with computers by reading textbooks from the 1990′s. Many of the libraries functioned as study halls since the library was one of few places on campus where the students could sit to work and read.
The librarians were well aware of what needed to be done to meet the needs of their users. In most cases they were stymied by a lack of institutional support, paper catalogs and circulation records, stock that was outdated, poor physical plants, no power back-up, insufficient staff development, little interest from international library vendors, and limited access to training on how to automate a library. With the MacArthur grant, the Mortenson Center started to provide technical and professional development assistance.
The path to becoming a strong and robust research library, that meets the needs of its users, starts with implementing an automated library management system. This type of system, which allows users to use computers to find materials owned by the library, is the foundation of any modern university library. It also allows users to connect to the Internet and to take advantage of the wealth of information available globally. Once this system is implemented librarians can turn their attention to digitizing unique collections, offering access to the library’s catalog and electronic resources on the website to remote users, developing electronic course reserves, capturing the intellectual work of faculty on campus, and other vital library projects.
The goal of the project is to meet the needs of students, faculty and researchers at these four institutions by providing more efficient, reliable, and easy access to research and scholarly information. As of June 2008 the four MacArthur university libraries have begun to automate their libraries, a first step towards meeting the goal. With a second grant, the Mortenson Center proposes to work with the librarians to implement the cataloging, online catalog, circulation, and website functions for the new library management system, to assist the university libraries in providing greater access to their electronic resources, and to further develop a network of libraries in Nigeria focused on cooperation, and the sharing of resources and expertise.
Award: $201,000 from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Thinking Outside the Borders
U.S. and the World
Thinking Outside the Borders: Library Leadership in a World Community
Dates: October 2004 – September 2007
Objectives: Develop an international library leadership institute focused on negotiations, empowerment, fund-raising, and advocacy issues. Bring together mid-career librarians from Illinois, Arizona, and Nebraska with librarians from other countries to address issues of concern such as preservation and technology to improve and enhance skills and their ability to work with colleagues from other countries and cultures in addressing common challenges.
Outcome: Participants will develop strategies for communicating with colleagues around the world. Also, at the end of the project, a leadership institute kit will be available for others to use.
Partner: Illinois State Library
Award: $500,000 for a National Leadership Grant to the Illinois State Library and Mortenson Center from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services
Developing an Automated and Dynamic Library Environment
Developing an Automated and Dynamic Library Environment: A Planning, Training, and Implementation Program for Carnegie Grantee University Libraries
Dates: January 1, 2005 – March 31, 2008
Objectives: Assist librarians from seven Carnegie grantee institutions in East and West Africa to move into a fully developed, automated online catalog environment and a computer-based library management system that will better serve the research and learning needs of their users.
Outcome: All seven institutions will make measurable progress toward the implementation of a fully automated online library catalog and library management system.
Award: $500,000 from the Carnegie Corporation
