Slide 1: International Opportunities for new librarians
With (or without) leaving home
ALA Annual June 2008 Fiona Bradley
Slide 2: What is an international librarian?
In the US: a foreigner In the UK: a professional with a well-known reputation Or someone who is interested in libraries around the world and the people who use them
Lor, P. 2005. What’s so international about international librarianship? http:// www.uwm.edu/Dept/SLIS/about/news/events/peterlorpaper.pdf
Slide 3: Why? To learn from other cultures To expand your network To develop cooperative partnerships To help develop overseas initiatives
Slide 4: How?
Working overseas is one option Research the library scene and make connections What will happen when you get home? Keep in touch with colleagues at home Me: secondment to the Netherlands
Slide 5: The impact of culture
Experience life as the “other” Culture is complex: be prepared for culture shock and reverse culture shock Look at opportunities from associations and organisations: IRRT has a list of resources
IRRT’s page on exchanges and international opportunities: http://www.ala.org/ ala/irrt/irrtcommittees/irrtintlexc/internationalopportunities.cfm
Slide 6: “...librarians practicing their profession abroad (and others who anticipate working overseas) must expect national culture to be an everpresent reality in the workplace, visibly and invisibly.”
Oberembt, K J. 1998. Expatriate librarians and the challenge of national culture. In: Mech, T and McCabe, G B (eds). Leadership and Academic Libraries. Greenwood: Westport CT. pp. 121. 6
Slide 7: But, you don’t have to move!
There are many ways to participate internationally: Attend conferences on international topics and overseas Participate in IRRT and international associations Study tours and library visits Study abroad Teach abroad Volunteer (paid or unpaid)
Slide 8: You don’t have to leave home!
You can develop a strong network of professionals with social networking to share advice, ideas, and ask questions. Try: Facebook - including groups and fan pages IFLA and other association mailing lists Twitter Chat rooms Virtual committee appointments
Slide 9: Image credits: Slide 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flickr365/2276782462/ Slide 4: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madmack/2093375235/ Others: Fiona Bradley, Creative Commons: Attribution
