International librarians -- say hello! Betha Gutsche 2008-07-25T22:54:34Z 2008-07-25T22:54:34Z

Hi and welcome! <br /><br />I&#039;m also curious about the differences and the key challenges. But I think we can look for just as much similarity. Are library staff in Zambia drawn to the profession for many of the same reasons as we are?<br /><br />I blogged over at CEBuzz about the [url http://cebuzz.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/you&#045;think&#045;professional&#045;development&#045;is&#045;tough/ ]international libraries presentation[/url] that I attended at ALA last month. There&#039;s certainly a lot of library energy in evidence around the world.

Betha Gutsche 2008-07-25T22:54:34Z Brian Hutzell 2008-07-25T19:55:09Z 2008-07-25T19:55:09Z

I&#039;m working in a small library in Iowa &#045;&#045; about as middle&#045;America as you can get! &#045;&#045; and am curious to hear about the experiences of those who have worked in different countries. Are there any major differences that stand out between libraries in the USA and elsewhere?

Brian Hutzell 2008-07-25T19:55:09Z Zola Maddison 2008-01-30T19:44:14Z 2008-01-30T19:44:14Z

Welcome Karen &#045;it&#039;s great to see you here!

Zola Maddison 2008-01-30T19:44:14Z Karen Cecelia 2008-01-24T01:22:48Z 2008-01-24T01:22:48Z

Thanks for activating this station at WebJunction. I&#039;m glad to see we are on board! Thanks, ALL!!<br /><br />Karen D. Jessee, Co&#045;Chair, ALA, IRRT<br />International Sustainable Library Development Interest Group &#040;ISLD&#041;

Karen Cecelia 2008-01-24T01:22:48Z Zola Maddison 2008-01-23T22:03:15Z 2008-01-23T22:03:15Z

Hello all!<br /><br />I am the Community Services Consultant at WebJunction and am also very happy to see this discussion space revived. I recently joined the International Sustainability Library Development interest group of IRRT as their publicity officer and am really interested in libraries as a tool for sustainable social development within developing countries &#045; particularly in areas of conflict.<br /><br />I&#039;ve been involved with libraries in South Africa and Guatemala. It will be exciting to hear about other people&#039;s experiences working in international libraries &#045; the stumbling blocks as well as the best practices that have been developed.<br /><br />&#045;Zola

Zola Maddison 2008-01-23T22:03:15Z mollie fein 2008-01-22T19:02:11Z 2008-01-22T19:02:11Z

Hello!<br />I am so glad that we have a new discussion forum for international public libraries. Look forward to further discussion.<br /><br />Mollie Fein<br />Co&#045;Chair&#045;IRRT&#045;Public Library Interest Group

mollie fein 2008-01-22T19:02:11Z Betha Gutsche 2008-01-22T17:34:13Z 2008-01-22T17:34:13Z

Having started this forum way back in 2005, I am very happy to see the conversation revived. All of the social networking going on is bringing us all closer together to talk about library practices around the world.<br /><br />There are many groups spinning off from the [url http://library20.ning.com/ ]Library 2.0 network[/url] on Ning:<br />Dutch group: http://bibliotheek20.ning.com/ <br />Italian group: http://biblioteca20.ning.com/<br />French group: http://bibliotheques.ning.com/<br />Portuguese group: http://bibliotecarios20.ning.com/ <br />German group: http://bibliothek20.ning.com/<br />Turkish group: http://library20.ning.com/group/librariansinturkey <br /><br />What are the big issues in your world?

Betha Gutsche 2008-01-22T17:34:13Z Emily Inlow-Hood 2008-01-22T17:21:45Z 2008-01-22T17:21:45Z

Hello international librarians,<br />We&#039;d like to revive this discussion area with folks who are involved in other international library networks, including ALA&#039;s IRRT, any Ning or Facebook groups your on, other library organizations, etc. <br /><br />Let me introduce myself. I work on the Community Services team here at WebJunction though I formerly worked on the [url http://webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=10555]Spanish Language Outreach program[/url]. Before I came to WebJunction, I spent 6 months in Guatemala working with libraries. I&#039;ve worked in public, school, academic, and special libraries, as well as used and new bookstores for a length of time. I try to think about international library issues, particularly around issues of international development and disaster preparedness/relief on my blog, [url http://devlibrarian.wordpress.com/]dev.librarian[/url].<br /><br />I look forward to hearing more from everybody. <br /><br />~Emily

Emily Inlow-Hood 2008-01-22T17:21:45Z Ezra Gbaje 2005-05-18T15:27:51Z 2005-05-18T15:27:51Z

Lizk, you are right the University where I used to work is benefiting from the Carnegie Corporation foundation project http://www.abuzaria.org/library/index.htm. <br />The CD_ROM versions of WebJunction will be very helpful for the libraries, computer skills is one of the great needs we have. Some time more emphasis is placed in equipments and staff training in computer skills are neglected. <br />Sure, WebJunction has been very helpful in my professional development by keeping up to date in the library profession

Ezra Gbaje 2005-05-18T15:27:51Z Betha Gutsche 2005-05-17T17:09:59Z 2005-05-17T17:09:59Z

Hello Ezra! How great to hear about libraries in Nigeria. The Nigeria Project with Emporia State sounds like a powerful partnership that takes full advantage of the potential of Web&#045;based resources. I liked this quotation from the article &#034;<i>The World is an Open Book</i>&#034;: <br /><br />&#034;[Participants] will take what they learn back to their country and transform what are now paper&#045;based, local, isolated institutions into agents of democracy with a global focus. &#034;<br /><br />We hope that WebJunction can play a significant role in this global sharing of knowledge. <img alt='emoticon' src='http://il.webjunction.org/webjunction-theme/images/emoticons/happy.gif' /><br /><br />This WebJunction member would like to know more about [url http://webjunction.org/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=1892&amp;tstart=0 ]library schools in other countries[/url]. What can you tell her about schools in Nigeria?

Betha Gutsche 2005-05-17T17:09:59Z Archived Member 2005-05-17T15:39:44Z 2005-05-17T15:39:44Z

Welcome ezragbaje! Thanks for sharing the situation of libraries in Nigeria. It&#039;s great to hear about the program at Emporia that is training more library school professors, among other good endeavors for the library world in Nigeria! I understand that the Carnegie Corporation is working with some people we know at the Mortenson Center at the University of Illinois to help in the library automation project, and we have talked with them about potentially creating CD&#045;ROM versions of WebJunction so that the computer training courses and information that is available on the site can be made available to libraries in Nigeria and beyond.<br /><br />Hope you find some things of interest for you here at WebJunction.<br /><br />&#045;&#045;LizK, WebJunction Programs

Archived Member 2005-05-17T15:39:44Z Ezra Gbaje 2005-05-17T14:39:19Z 2005-05-17T14:39:19Z

Hi<br />I used to be an Assistant Professor in one of the Library schools in Nigeria and currently a graduate student at School of Library and Information Management,&#040;SLIM&#041; Emporia State University. I must say that most libraries in Nigeria are still in the developmental stage particularly with the provision on on&#045;line services. It will surprise a lot of people that till date there is no library that is fully automated. The two main reasons for this are due to the high cost of automation and lack of necessary computer skills. Only some few schools have actual review their curriculum to reflect the current trend in the digital age. Particularly worthy of mentioning is the efforts of SLIM through the Nigerian Project http://nigeriaproject.emporia.edu/ directed by Prof. John Agada. The project has helped in the review of three Library schools curricula, training of Library school professors and establishment of an Information and Communication Technology Labs to help train future librarian that will be relevant in the digital age. Foundations like MacArthur Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation are helping in the provision of fund to academic libraries for automation. The situation in the public libraries is worse than the academic libraries in terms of facilities and funding.

Ezra Gbaje 2005-05-17T14:39:19Z Betha Gutsche 2005-05-03T19:38:04Z 2005-05-03T19:38:04Z

Cool, Lan!! Great to hear from you. I&#039;d love to hear from your NZ friends too. Actually, I&#039;d LOVE to go to New Zealand myself.<br /><br />When you email your friends, let them know about our upcoming Public Access Computing Around the World event happening on our message boards &#040;right here!&#041; next week. The attached pdf has more details. I&#039;m hoping to hear from people all over the world.<br /><br />Thanks for jumping into this conversation. <img alt='emoticon' src='http://il.webjunction.org/webjunction-theme/images/emoticons/happy.gif' />

Betha Gutsche 2005-05-03T19:38:04Z Lan Hahn 2005-05-03T18:53:59Z 2005-05-03T18:53:59Z

Hi I used to be until I came here in 2001. I was at Lincoln University Library in New Zealand and now I am in the Pacific Northwest. I will email my NZ friends and persuade them to join WJ. Cheers Lan , Blanchard Library, West Bonner Library District.

Lan Hahn 2005-05-03T18:53:59Z Betha Gutsche 2005-01-14T23:07:09Z 2005-01-14T23:07:09Z

I&#039;m like the hero in the classic American movie [url http://www.filmsite.org/itsa.html ]&#034;It&#039;s a Wonderful Life.&#034;[/url] I had big dreams when I was young of traveling all over the world, but somehow real life intervened and it just hasn&#039;t happened. So I travel <i>vicariously</i>!<br /><br />Which means that I get excited when I look at the list of whose online at WebJunction &#040;see attached jpg&#041; and I see a flag from another country. I am particularly interested in librarians&#039; experiences around the world.<br /><br />So, if you are a WJ member logging in from exotic foreign ports, please give me a thrill and say hello here.

Betha Gutsche 2005-01-14T23:07:09Z