Category Archives: Bursaries

“I am planning to use what I have learned to develop a professional and a personal development program for myself”

Gretchen Higginbottom
Interlibrary Loan Librarian, California State University Fresno, USA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo shows Anne Kakkonen, Helsinki University Library at her Self-Assessment Workshop

Gretchen shares some of the highlights of the CPDWL Satellite Meeting in Zagreb.

The 2019 Satellite Meeting was off to a great start with welcome remarks, a reception, vendors, poster presentations and a library tour on the evening of August 20th. The reception provided a relaxed, yet vibrant venue to see a former co-worker, meet new colleagues; engage with conference organizers and speakers; and connect with several friends whom I met at the National Library of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur while attending the IFLA Management of Library Associations Section’s 2018 Satellite Meeting — “Advocacy in Action! Success for Library Advocacy Worldwide.”

The goal of working towards the development of smart societies was the focus of this satellite meeting and the presenters enlightened attendees with an abundance of information, best practices, innovative ideas and more. From Dr. Philip Schreur’s opening keynote address, “ From Smart Societies to Slow Libraries: Librarians as Promotors of Change,” I learned about the six characteristics a smart city must embrace to promote a “sustainable structure and better life” — smart governance, smart economy, smart mobility, smart environment, smart people and smart living. However, with all the advancements in technology, we still struggle to close the huge gap in the digital divide. We still have a lot of work to do to ensure access to information for all.

I attended the sessions focusing on academic libraries. These presentations covered a myriad of topics including open innovation, building competency in political advocacy, librarians’ roles as knowledge producers, evolving acquisitions, career information literacy, librarians promoting and driving change; and much more. I also participated in the “Self-Assessment Tool for Skills Management Workshop” led by Anne Kakkomen from Helsinki University, Finland. This workshop deemed useful and relevant in my current role as department/unit lead. I am planning to use what I have learned to develop a professional and a personal development program for myself. In addition, I am sharing this tool with my immediate staff and other colleagues at my library. It is imperative that we continue to work in alignment with the mission and goals of our respective universities to support faculty research and student success.

I would like to thank members of the IFLA Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Section (CPDWL), the Croatian Library Association, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and many, many more who had a role in organizing the 2019 Satellite Meeting at the National and University Library, Zagreb, Croatia. I also want to thank CPDWL for accepting my poster proposal “Professional Development for Library Paraprofessionals: a Sustainable Model” for presentation and for selecting me as a recipient of one of the bursary awards to help fund travel to Zagreb. This was my first experience with CPDWL and my first time to Croatia.

I am a strong advocate for professional development and I appreciate the opportunity to continuously share ideas, learn from others and grow, both personally and professionally. I look forward to learning more about professional development initiatives that are accessible and inclusive for all.

For the love of PD, from Zagreb

 

 

 

 

 

Edward Junhao Lim’s report on the CPDWL Satellite Meeting in Zagreb has been published in the Singapore Library Bulletin.  Edward works as the Reference and Research Services Librarian with the NYU Shanghai Library and he is an active member of the CPDWL Standing Committee.

In his report, Edward focuses on the importance of professional development, the PD setup in Croatia and the value of IFLA Satellite Meetings. It’s great to see how the conference in Zagreb has continued to build vauable international connections between LIS professionals.

The CPDWL Satellite Meeting is described as “in a country of movies, an event out of series”

Noé Nessel, Librarian, Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noé Nessel being interviewed by Jasenka Pleško at the Satellite Meeting

For me, participating in the Satellite Meeting was a miracle. From the end of the world to IFLA without stops. A privilege to have the possibility of landing in a meeting of international excellence. An opportunity to strengthen global professional citizenship. A short and intense experience. Ideal for personal and work development. During both days, empowered protagonists for the activation of informational collective intelligence were enhanced. A genuine meeting of intellectual impact for the stimulation of professional neuroplasticity.

Having obtained the bursary has allowed me a passport between North and South Worlds. A unique opportunity to participate in rich intercontinental information exchange scenarios. Conferences where a global vision of the digital age is perceived. An admirable program to generate coworking spaces in relation to academic cognition for future information ecosystems. A Federation that adds and integrates emerging actors for the adequate digital transformation of intelligent societies.

In Zagreb, the human creativity of librarians was enhanced. We sought to sum the value of the information centers. The public policies of the Ministry of Culture counts kilometers to our previous knowledge. And in turn, the teachings and intellectual productions of the five continents increase miles of learning. What allowed to start a postmodern high-cultural path. It was an enrichment of heterogeneous theoretical and artistic worlds; where design objects and traditional emotive music from the host country were included. In my case, I have generated contact; for example, with colleagues from India, Hong Kong, Turkey and Italy. Guaranteed exchanges in an amazing architectural headquarters. Also, it allowed me to know the land of my great grandmother.

Intellectual capital has been embodied in posters, sessions and keynotes. In which human bridges were established for the realization of future projects. A boost for library socialization facilitating education and permanent updating. The forceful take off will exalt the curriculum vitae of the bursary recipients to obtain prestigious jobs; through the support of Croatian public funds for the enrichment of specialists in the strategic information sector. Democratic fields of knowledge for interactive knowledge managers.

It is appreciated:
* The inclusion of a Latin and millennial information librarian
* The academic training of my alma mater, IFTS 13 in Buenos Aires
* And, personally, my thanks to CPDWL and the National Committee of Croatia.

 “In a country of movies, an event out of series.”

My impressions of the IFLA CPDWL Satellite Meeting 2019, Zagreb, 20-21 August 2019

Nicoleta-Roxana Dinu, National Library of Romania, Bucharest

I had the great opportunity to attend for the first time an IFLA event, namely the IFLA CPDWL Satellite Meeting 2019, which took place in Zagreb, on 20-21 August 2019. This happened thanks to the organisers who generously offered me funding to allow me to attend it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The event brought together 170 librarians and information professionals to discuss ideas relating to the Conference theme Librarians and information professionals as (pro)motors of change: immersing, including and initiating digital transformation for smart societies.

Organised by the IFLA Section for Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning (CPDWL) in collaboration with the Croatian Library Association, this brilliant conference started with a suite of visits to libraries and archives which opened my eyes and delighted my soul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Nouveau reading room of the Croatian State Archive

 

 

 

 

 

 


Experimenting immersive virtual reality at the Zagreb City Libraries

The day continued with the welcoming messages of Dr. Tatijana Petrić, General Director of the National and University Library in Zagreb, Dr. Gillian Hallam, Chair of the IFLA CPDWL Section, and Dr. Dijana Machala, President of the Croatian Library Association. In a very relaxing and musical atmosphere offered by the Klapa Punti group, performing traditional Croatian songs, I walked around the posters stands to take a look at the variety of topics exposed. The day ended with an amazing Wine & Cheese tour, where I discovered the most important touristic objectives associated with their history.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Klapa Punti music group

The second day of the Conference was an intensive and totally enlightening environment for all attendees due to the large spectrum of topics discussed. I would like to highlight the paper given by one of the keynote speakers, Dr. Philip Schreur, who in his presentation From smart societies to slow libraries: Librarians as promotors of change insisted in that we need societies not only smart but also inclusive where the librarians should play a major role in the new technological context.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Philip Schreur, Associate University Librarian, Technical Access Services, Stanford University, USA

Another impacting presentation was Ecologies of smart unstructuring: Silicon regimes, alternatives in commons, and unparallel librarian, by Dr. Mario Hibert, who, citing numerous recent books, called on librarians to safeguard human values and freedom from the technological invasion of Silicon Valley companies, warning about the dangers of the algorithms that govern the information we receive that may alienate us, and lead us to nihilism and indifference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Mario Hibert, Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Literature and Librarianship, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Through the papers presented I realized clearly that libraries, no matter their type, have been involved in several projects in order to be closer and useful to/for their communities and to be prepared for the oncoming challenges in the so-called “smart society”.

The inclusion of two workshops in the busy programme was a fantastic organisers’ initiative. I chose the workshop Challenging Presentation Needed? presented by Ulrike Lang, in which tips on logistics, manner of dressing, IT tools and many more were revealed in order to give a successful speech to any kind of audience.

 

 

 

 

 


Ulrike Lang, Hamburg State and University Library, Germany

During the Conference I met librarians and some of the bursary recipients with whom we exchanged our experiences as information professionals. I returned home very enthusiastic, impressed by the excellent organisation of the meeting, and professionally richer by gaining plenty of new ideas to be shared among my colleagues of the National Library of Romania. Thank you once again to IFLA CPDWL for offering me the funding: I am really very grateful.