The Mzuzu University (“Mzuni”) Library Initiative

In the early morning hours of Friday, December 18, 2015, the Mzuzu University library in Northern Malawi was completely destroyed by fire. This was a terrible loss to the University, the principal institution of higher education in the least developed region of one of Africa’s poorest countries.
The library was the main place on campus for students to study, read, and use computers. Few students can afford to purchase books, so the library was their only access to these resources. Faculty members also have few books by rich country standards, but reading and reference materials were available to them in the library. The university’s information technology department and network servers were also housed in the library. All of these resources were destroyed.
Many books will be required to support the students and faculty in the University’s various departments. The specific titles that are urgently needed have been identified by faculty and librarians at Mzuzu University and can be purchased on MyRegistry (search for “Mzuni” under the organization/NGO category).
Books can also be donated by following the guidance provided on the Mzuni Library Initiative’s website. In addition to books, Mzuzu University requires new computers and tablets to support the reading/viewing of digital media.
Please consider supporting this important initiative in any way you can. If you have any questions, please contact Hayden Boyd (President of the Malawi Education and Children’s Welfare Foundation, (hayden_boyd@yahoo.com) who is leading the US response with support from Virginia Tech. His report on the fire can be read here.

IRRT at Midwinter in Boston

Save the Date: Free IFLA/ALA webinar "Library Services to Immigrants and Refugees"

Save the Date: Free IFLA/ALA webinar "Library Services to Immigrants and Refugees"

IFLA Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning and the New Professionals SIG have partnered with the American Library Association to present a one-hour webinar about library services to immigrants and refugees including models and best practices from different regions of the world.

We believe in libraries serving all the groups in our communities. Therefore, we are glad to collaborate with various library groups to share the most current best practices and models to serve immigrants and refugees. IFLA's Public Library Section has developed an impressive compilation of services from different regions of the world and a recent campaign about services to refugees. EBLIDA in Europe has developed a strong campaign to promote services to these populations. IFLA's Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section has produced detailed guidelines and a toolkit about the topic.

This is a super team and we are so happy to be able to produce an online resource that will be recorded for colleagues to revisit and listen anywhere at any time. A summary of the online event including links to resources presented during the webinar will be shared later in the Spring.

Join us and hear our speakers:

• Jan Richards, Secretary/Information Coordinator, IFLA Public Libraries Section, and Manager of Central West Libraries, Australia
• Jukka Relander, President of EBLIDA, and President of the Finnish Library Association
• Jack Hang-tat Leong, Chair, IFLA Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section, and Director of University of Toronto Libraries, Canada

Event moderated by Loida Garcia-Febo, Webinar Series Coordinator, IFLA Governing Board Member, ALA Executive Board Member. Garcia-Febo will share early findings of her research about public libraries serving refugees in the U.S.A.

March 31, 2016

Time:

3:00pm Central time (Chicago)

4:00pm NYC

10:00pm Helsinki

7:00am Sydney

World Clock: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Link to access the webinar: To be announced at a later time.

Please join this important webinar!

Best regards

Catharina Isberg and Ewa Stenberg, Cochairs CPDWL

Free Library 2.016: Privacy in the Digital Age Mini Conference - Wednesday, March 16, 2016, from 12 - 3 p.m.

Library 2.016: Privacy in the Digital Age

The very important topic of privacy will be on everyone's minds for the first Library 2.016 mini-conference, scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, 2016, from 12 - 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. During this focused conversation, keynote speakers and information professionals will discuss the roles and responsibilities of libraries regarding the protections of intellectual freedom, privacy, free speech, information access, and freedom of the press. Participants are encouraged to use #library2016 and #privacy on their social media posts leading up to and during the event.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers

• Lee Rainie; Director; Internet, Science, and Technology Research; Pew Research Center
• Jamie Larue, Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association
• Jonathan Hernández, Associate Researcher, Library and Information Institute, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
• Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Deputy Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association
• Alison Macrina, Director, Library Freedom Project

Call for Proposals
How are libraries and librarians responding to the increasing complexities of data tracking and desires for data-informed services and marketing? Library professionals worldwide are invited to share their views and research on the topic of privacy. There will be time for 10-15 crowd-sourced presentations. For more information on how to submit a presentation proposal, please view the call for proposals (link is external).
Free Registration
The Library 2.016: Privacy in the Digital Age event is free to attend. Advanced registration (link is external) is required.

For more detailed information:

http://ischool.sjsu.edu/center-information-research-and-innovation-ciri/library-20/library-2016-worldwide-virtual-conference

IFLA International Leaders Programme: Applications now open Until March 2, 2016

IFLA International Leaders Programme: Applications now open 

 

Applications open until 2 March 2016

The International Leaders Programme is a two-year Programme designed to increase the cohort of leaders who can effectively represent the wider library sector in the international arena, and to develop leaders within IFLA. The Programme provides opportunities that IFLA is in the unique position to offer through our global role and reputation and our extensive and diverse framework of activities and expertise. 

For full details about the programme, project descriptions, selection criteria and application form, please visit our IFLA International Leaders Programme webpage.
The Programme will bring participants together at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 IFLA World Library and Information Congresses (WLIC) as the main face-to-face forum. In this dynamic and interactive environment, participants will have direct access to international leaders, and undertake eight days [excluding travel time] of activities including: seminar and workshop sessions on issues with a global impact led by leaders in the sector and related fields; participation in specified business meetings; attendance at specified professional programme sessions; working within groups to prepare presentations or reports; liaison with Governing Board members; building support networks.
This experience will be reinforced throughout the Programme with attachments to IFLA professional units and working/advisory groups to contribute to projects of direct relevance to IFLA’s international agenda, Strategic Plan and Key Initiatives. Participants will learn through practice, and be mentored as they strengthen their skills and knowledge.

Through participating in the programme, you will:

• Contribute to important issues impacting on the future of the library sector
• Gain experience in working at the international level
• Gain experience in working with organisations such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), UNESCO, the European Commission, the Internet Governance Forum
• Gain experience in the development of policy and position statements
• Develop your negotiating and intervention skills
• Develop your capacity to advocate and set political agendas,
• Build relationships and develop your networks internationally
• Build skills to have a broader impact as an advocate in your own library community

The Programme is administered by the Action for Development through Libraries Programme (ALP) under the general direction of the IFLA Governing Board.

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SOURCE: www.ifla.org/node/10207

The International Librarians Network: New Round Begins March 2016

IRRT Member,

IRRT has teamed up with the International Librarians Network to offer IRRT members an opportunity to sign up to be partnered with a librarian from another country for a three month facilitated professional networking opportunity! The links below will take you to a sign up form. The deadline to apply is February 15.

The International Librarians Network: new round begins March 2016

Want to build your professional network and learn about librarianship around the world? Love the idea of professional travel but just don’t have the budget? The International Librarians Network (ILN) is for you. We are pleased to announce the next round of this popular program will commence in early March 2016.

The ILN peer mentoring program is a facilitated program aimed at helping librarians develop international networks. Participating in the ILN brings wider professional awareness, an international perspective to your work, new ideas, and increased professional confidence. We know this because many of our participants tell us – and we’ve had over 3500 librarians from 120+ countries take part so far.

Applications for the next round of partnerships will open in mid-January and close at midnight on Monday, February 15, 2016. Numbers are limited, so apply early to ensure you don’t miss out.

The ILN is open to anyone working (or studying) in the library and information industry around the world. The program is free and the only requirements to participate are an internet connection, fluent English skills, an hour each week and a desire to build professional connections and learn from colleagues.

Get involved now! Find out more about the way the program works, or apply online.

You have received this email message because you are a member of the International Relations Round Table (IRRT). 

Call for Participation - International Librarianship Experiences

Call for Participation - International Librarianship Experiences

Call for participation

Lara Seven Phillips (formerly of the University of the South Pacific, Fiji) and Kate Holvoet (currently at Zayed University, in the UAE) are writing a book on librarianship abroad; basically all the things we either learned the hard way or wish someone had told us before we started. It is scheduled to be published in December 2016 by ABC-CLIO/Libraries Unlimited.

We are looking to include anecdotes, advice, cautions, lessons learned, etc. from other librarians who have worked abroad.  We want to hear from people who work in all areas of librarianship, and at different kinds of libraries.  We want our book to reflect a variety of international experiences.  If you are interested in telling us about your experience, please click on the Dropbox link, download the survey and return it to:

kate.holvoet@gmail.com and lara7seven@gmail.com.https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3gxndzbxjc619tp/AACNkl88M7lt7ZbxktEa9ZgOa?dl=0
The questionnaire lists the kinds of things we're looking to find out about your experience working internationally. You can be as brief or as thorough as you like; please don't feel obligated to answer all the questions if they either don't apply or you don't have anything to share on the topic.

We would appreciate having questionnaires returned by 31 January, 2016. If not, feel free to pass our contact information to other American/Western school librarians working internationally who you think might be interested in participating.

I am happy to answer any questions about the book that you may have. I can share the table of contents, a sample chapter, my own "personal narrative' of my experience working abroad, or whatever else you might like to know about the project.

The questionnaire is in both PDF and a word DOCX formats- please use whichever is easiest for you (an email response is also fine).

Thanks in advance for your consideration!

Bogle Pratt International Travel Fund

Applications Sought for the Bogle Pratt International Library Travel Fund

The American Library Association is accepting applications for the 2016 Bogle Pratt International Library Travel Fund sponsored by the Bogle Memorial Fund and the Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science. An award of $1,000 is given to an ALA personal member to attend their first international conference. An international conference may be defined as a conference sponsored by an international organization or a conference held in a country other than your home country. Recipients must be personal members of the American Library Association (ALA) for at least one full year. The deadline to submit applications is January 1, 2016. Winner will be announced after the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
The award is in recognition of Sarah Comly Norris Bogle, a prominent U.S. librarian who made notable contributions to international library service.
Applications should be sent to:
International Relations Office
American Library Association
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611-2795
USA
Email: intl@ala.org

• Bogle Pratt Award Application (Word document)