Archive for January 2009
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
