Monthly Archives: March 2017

Cathryn Ferencz

 

Cathryn Ferencz has nominated for the Public Libraries Standing Committee. Cathryn hails from Geelong in Victoria, Australia.

 

 

 

Name: Cathryn Ferencz
Institution: Geelong Regional Library Corporation
Country: Australia

What experience will you bring to the role of Standing Committee Member?
I have chosen to work in public libraries because I believe the freedom to access a public library is essential for participation in all aspects of life. I am very proud to play a part in enabling social inclusion and contributing to the economic well-being of our communities by working for the provision of equal and unfettered access to knowledge, information and works of the imagination.

I do this by leading extraordinary teams of people in the development of collections in all formats, information services that provide lifelong learning opportunities, heritage services that preserve and provide access to the stories and treasures of our region and access to technology that enriches lives.

Our most recent project was the creation of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, an award winning library and cultural facility designed to meet the expectations of 21st century public library users by providing contemporary and innovative library and information services. http://modelprogrammer.slks.dk/en/cases/inspirational-cases/geelong-library-heritage-centre/

My role in this project was to develop, sponsor and strategically guide the implementation of the project plans for the collections, technology and integration of the Geelong Heritage Centre into Geelong Regional Libraries.

My name is Cathryn Ferencz (Cathy) and I am the Executive Manager, Collection and Technologies for Geelong Regional Library Corporation.

Meet Spaska Tarandova from Bulgaria

 

Spaska Tarandova from Bulgaria is also seeking election to the PLS Standing Committee. Spaska has taken time to answer our question on why you should vote for her.

 

 

 

Name: Spaska Tarandova
Institution: Bulgarian Library and Information Association, Board Member Global Libraries – Bulgaria Foundation, Executive Director
Country: Bulgaria

What experience will you bring to the role of Standing Committee Member?
I have been working in the library field for more than 26 years, most of them at Sofia City Library, including as a Deputy Director for 5 years. In the period 2011 – 2013, I was actively involved in the “Global Libraries – Bulgaria” program both as a manager at Sofia City Library and as a trainer in library management, advocacy, fundraising and project management.  Since 2015, I have been serving as an Executive Director of the Global Libraries – Bulgaria Foundation (GLBF) that works with network of 960 public libraries in Bulgaria to provide free access to computers, Internet and information for all. I am well-acquainted with the organization and the activities of public libraries in Bulgaria.

My knowledge and understanding of public libraries has been enriched through my participation in two significant international programs. In 2011 I joined colleagues from different countries in the “Librarians of Tomorrow: Communication and Leadership” program at the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2012-2015 I was the Bulgarian participant in the International Network of Emerging Library Innovators (INELI), sponsored by Gates Foundation.

I am an active member of the Bulgarian Library and Information Association, and since 2012 I have been on the Board of the Association. In this capacity, I am communicating with government and non-government organizations, as well as with related library and cultural institutions at home and abroad. I often speak and present at conferences and give interviews for Bulgarian media. I have been among the organizers of a number of nationwide libraries and reading related programs, incl. the “Read with Me” campaign under the high patronage of the Bulgarian president.

I believe that my knowledge of the public libraries agenda, my international experience and contacts with librarians worldwide, as well as my work at the Bulgarian Library and Information Association will help me contribute actively and meaningfully to the work of the Section.

Josephine Siegrist – Switzerland

 

If you’re eligible to vote for the Public Libraries Standing Committee make sure that you read about the nominees. All have been invited to submit some information. Today we will focus on Joe Siegrits from Switzerland. Joe is standing for a second term.

 

 

 

Name: Josephine / Joe Siegrist
Institution: former director of the Pestalozzi Library Zurich – the public Library of Zurich; member of the board of the Swiss Library association (BIS), head of the International working Group of BIS, founding member of the Task force for the copy right law (of Switzerland)

Country:Switzerland

What experience will you bring to the role of Standing Committee Member?

  • to bring in the Know-how of my economic studies (Dr. rer.soc.oec.)
  • Management of a public library for 9 years
  • Board of BIS, International relationship
  • Task force URG(Revision of Swiss copy right law)
  • experience of Management of different Management Training institutions
  • IFLA related experience: take part in the IAP (international advocacy Program)
  • involved in a Pilot of global data project

Lo Claesson PLS Nominee

 

Lo Claesson from Sweden is also standing for a second term on the PLS Standing Committee. If you watched the streaming of STEAM into Sydney you would have heard several of our nominees speak including Lo.

 

 

Name: Lo Claesson
Institution: Vaggeryd Public Library
Country: Sweden

I´m running for my second term as a Standing Committee member of PLS and bring valuable experience from planning, working and networking for this section. I have presented papers in WLIC in Quebec 2008, in satellite conference in Cape Town 2015 and in several other national and international conferences. I also had a poster presentation in WLIC, Columbus, last year.

I have got long library experience, first as a children´s librarian, then as a regional library developer and since 2009 as library director. As I´m working in a small town library I want to bring that view in all my commitments. I am passionate about the role of library in the local community and by networking finding valuable partnerships. My library has managed to be at the forefront thanks to good municipal relationships. We also listen closely to our user´s needs and wants.

Other fields from which I also have experience are digital literacy, STEAM and sustainable development. I also worked for some years with accessibility issues and as most Swedish libraries; my library also is very much involved in integration issues. So in other words: I think I can bring a broad experience into the section work.

I am a member of the Swedish Library Association Board.
I am also the co-writer of a book on library and makerspaces (Skaparbibblan, 2015).

Pirkko Lindberg

 

This morning we  introduce you to Pirkko Lindberg from Finland. Pirkko has just completed her first term on the Standing Committee and is seeking re-election for a second term.

 

 

 

Name: Pirkko Lindberg
Institution: Tampere City Library
Country: Finland 

 

What experience will you bring to the role of Standing Committee Member?
As a director of a big city library, Tampere in Finland, I have a good overview of a modern and active library. Tampere City Library, as many libraries in Finland and Scandinavia are living in a big transition – actually the change has been going on for several years. Libraries are important actors in the society as helping people in everyday needs as it-skills and civics. Of course in Finland we have still a lots of lendings in our libraries and reading is still going strong!

Also one important task in Finnish libraries is to advance democracy and equality. We have a new Library Act in Finland, which was introduced 1.1.2017, and I was happy to be a member of the group which prepared the act in the Ministry of Education and Culture. The act is very important for libraries, because in defines our existence in the society and gives us our tasks, possibilities and frames. It also defines that using libraries is free of charge, which is one very important way to advance democracy. I am happy to share my information in the IFLA Public Library section of the impact of the Library Act.

I am the Vice President of the Finnish Library Association and a member of the board and many jobs in the national level. I have just been elected to the group which is preparing an IFLA statement on digital literacy.

I am happy to share my wide information of the modern libraries in the Public Library Section. I think my long career, 35 years in library field, gives me good professional experience and understanding how to develop libraries in a modern society.

Qiang Xu

 

Our fourth nominee Qiang Xu is from China. Here he shares his story.

 

 

 

 

Name: Qiang Xu
Institution: Shanghai Library & ISTIS(Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of Shanghai)
Country: China

What experience will you bring to the role of Standing Committee Member?
My relevant expertise and interest is library management and digital services, which focuses on the patron’s service standardization, document reference service and digital reading services. For a five-year period, from 1991-1996, I was a full-time acquisition member at Shanghai Library, where I was responsible for science and technical books and materials procurement. When I moved to the system librarian for information technology department in 1996, which served as a staff of library integrated system and information management for the new library building. As a Director of System & Network Center, I worked for library IT department and digital library for nineteen years. From 2001-present, after researching and analyzing the change of library filed, my team and I activated to establish the “one card through” program, which goal is cooperated with all public libraries in Shanghai. There have been 256 libraries to join the library consortium, annual 66 million circulations, sharing more than 20 databases of electronic resources in the whole city. Due to this, my team was a winner of innovation awards by Ministry of Culture of China. It makes me has some new experiences and new research results in the field of library consortium management. From 2003-2011 I led the library to strengthen the program management of digital library and successfully overcoming challenge. Over the past decade, a large number of history documents were digitized, digital assets were being established, and long-term preservation of digital resources strategy was being implemented. Recently I am focusing on the e-book lending and digital reading program and reference service system as a Director of Reader’s Service Center since 2015. I also take part in to draft some library standards in China. Now I am a standing committee member of the branch of public library and library management in Library Society of China, also a standing committee member of Shanghai Computer Society.

Leikny Haga Indergaard – Norway – Nominee for PLS Standing Committee

Leikny Haga Indergaard has also nominated for the PLS Standing Committee for the term 2017-2021. Leikny is currently in her first term on the Standing Committee.

 

 

 

Name: Leikny Haga Indergaard 
Institution: Bergen Public Library
Country: Norway

What experience will you bring to the role of Standing Committee Member?

First of all I will bring my experiences as the director of a public library which has changed from a traditional library to a modern, user oriented library. Bergen Public Library facilitates and lead change by linking all generations in the community together to build local capacities and multiple literacies through library programs and activities. We create networks in the local society, and invite our users to be a resource in the sculpting of the library´s services, and we want to be the cultural meeting place and learning space required by future citizens.

Bergen Public Library is the host of the IFLA Satellite meeting Managing change- Libraries in transition August 16-17th 2017, and we invite librarians from all over the world to our city. Together with presentations from colleagues from the IFLA society we will also present our library and our ongoing projects that aim to shape a library for the future!

As a member of IFLA Public Libraries Section I have given papers about library strategies, smart ideas and experiences from our library on the IFLA conferences in Sydney, March 2017, in Philadelphia and IFLA Congress Columbus Ohio in August 2016; and about literacy matters in other international conferences.

I have had the position as a public library director in different libraries, and have also experiences from public library strategies at a national level as a former director at the National Library and earlier from the National Authority of Archives, Libraries and Museums and my engagement in different projects about literature and cultural activities.

I have also other international experiences and engagement, and I ´m now the vice chair of the board of ICORN, The International Cities of Refuge Network. ICORN is an independent organization of cities and regions offering shelter to writers and artists at risk, advancing freedom of expression, defending democratic values and promoting international solidarity.

In IFLA I have had the position as chair of the Literacy and Reading Section and as a member of the Children and Young Adult Section. I have organized IFLA preconferences and satellite Meetings in Stavanger 2005, Oslo 2007 and Bergen 2017. I have also been a part of the National Committee of IFLA 2005 in Oslo.