Category Archives: General

Eight fantastic years with CPDWL

by Almuth Gastinger (CPDWL Secretary 2021–2023)

My second term as a standing committee member for CPDWL was ending in August 2023, and I would like to write about my experiences with this fantastic section and committee during the last eight years.

My first encounter with CPDWL was in 2009 when I attended its satellite meeting in Bologna. Such an incredibly well organised event, lots of interesting presentations and discussions (I presented together with my colleague Lene Bertheussen), good conversations with fellows from all over the world, and last not least delicious food and drinks. It was in Bologna I became friends with several colleagues from various countries who I still am very close to. Really one of the best conferences I have ever attended!

In 2009 I was still a member of the Information Literacy standing committee, but when my term ended in 2015, I wanted to work with CPDWL and fortunately I got elected as a standing committee member. Lucky me!

Four women seated at a table at a Chinese restaurant

Almuth (far right) having a dinner with CPDWL Officers past and present: Helen (far left), Gill, & Sandy (co-chairs 2019–2021).

One of the most interesting and rewarding experiences in this committee has been the work in the Coaching Initiative that CPDWL introduced in 2018. I have been part of its working group since then and I have learnt so much about coaching and mentoring. It was also fantastic to see participants of the annual congress being so pleased and thankful for this opportunity to get empowered and grow, and I loved collaborating with enthusiastic colleagues from CPDWL and the Management & Marketing Section.

Other most exciting but also challenging activities came along with my function as the section’s secretary during the last two years. Working as the secretary does not only mean to write meeting minutes, but one is part of the section’s officers group. That means, I worked together with our chair/co-chair Ulrike Lang and Alan Brine and information coordinator Edward Lim. All of them incredibly well-organised and outstanding professionals, so that there were of great help for me. Thanks a lot!

But there is much more to mention and to remember from those years:

Almuth (center) facilitating a Knowledge Cafe session at WLIC 2023

I loved contributing to the roundtable discussion at the Knowledge Café that CPDWL joined the Knowledge Management Section in organising. It was also great doing a podcast, helping with our webinars and organising our sessions at the WLICs, contributing to CPDWL’s newsletter and our Global Community Kitchen project, writing blog posts, and organising our “Get to Know You” Meet Ups. In addition, I loved to translate CPDWL’s poster “Guidelines for Continuing Professional Development: Principles and Best Practices” into Norwegian and to help translating coaching material into German.

Almuth standing with Ulrike (right) holding the IFLA Dynamic Unit and Impact Award certificate

The high level of professionality and the numerous inclusive activities and achievements were the foundation for CPDWL winning the IFLA Dynamic Unit and Impact Award in 2018 and again just a week ago in Rotterdam. We were and are all so incredibly proud!

I have always been interested in national and international co-operation, and I am passionate about collaboration and knowledge sharing among information professionals worldwide, and about strengthen libraries to provide essential services.

That means, serving IFLA as the global voice of the library and information profession and CPDWL as one of its outstanding sections has been a privilege for me and a unique personal and professional experience. Those many years have broaden my horison so much, got me new perspectives, inspired and motivated me, expanded my professional and personal networks, and given me many new ideas for my work at home. The work has made me more self-confident and has improved my English, too. My colleagues from my library in Trondheim/Norway have told me many times that they appreciate me taking knowledge and experiences I have gained back to them and our workplace. I have also published more, given more presentations, and last but not least, I have got friends all over the world.

IFLA and CPDWL have definitely changed my life, and the last eight years have been interesting, exciting, motivating, challenging, rewarding, and much more. THANK YOU!!!

An Interview with Elaina Norlin from ASERL

Getting ready for #WLIC2023? We are spotlighting professional development trainers and experts in librarianship to talk about their work. In this blog post, we interview Elaine Norlin, Professional Development DEI Coordinator for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL).

Elaina Norlin is the Professional Development DEI Coordinator for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries. She is an accomplished teacher, technology and leadership development trainer, and writer with extensive leadership experience and a flair for public relations, organizational development, marketing and persuasion and communications. Author of three books, she has delivered over 100 workshops, training sessions, presentations, and institutes both nationally and internationally on marketing, web usability design, facilitation, strategic influence, and conflict management. Self-motivated and results oriented, she is well known for her ability to juggle many projects at once.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Can you briefly tell us about your work and professional development interests?

Norlin: That’s an excellent question, my Professional Development role at the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) keeps me busy and constantly engaged in current trends. As part of my job, I actively seek captivating and enriching content across all cultural heritage spectrum, placing a distinct focus on amplifying diverse and marginalized perspectives. Presently, my primary interest lies in creating and hosting content concerning future and exciting trends within higher education. I am particularly immersed in exploring themes such as enrollment patterns and their convergence with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), projected budget allocations and potential inequities, talent management and employee engagement strategies, educational neuroscience advancements, and the realm of extended reality.

What do you think are the challenges in engaging library staff in professional development activities

Norlin: The majority of librarians I engage with are grappling either with burnout or the frustrations stemming from the pervasive “do more with less” scarcity mindset that occasionally afflicts our profession. This persistent frustration of being unable to match the demands of the workload often leads individuals not have both the time and the energy required for their professional growth. Moreover, the strain of a demanding work environment complicates the task of maintaining a harmonious workplace atmosphere and a well-adjusted work-life balance, posing considerable challenges to prioritizing ongoing professional development.

Another distinct trend I’ve observed is the undeniable prevalence of virtual fatigue. As a consequence of most work interactions transpiring within the virtual space, many individuals encounter difficulties when attempting to engage in online learning, especially as there are an endless number of distractions.  Recent post-pandemic research reveals that the online attention span for passive learning is approximately seven seconds—a remarkably brief span. This condensed attention span underscores the essentiality of incorporating more interactive learning methodologies to captivate individuals’ attention and facilitate the absorption of information.

What are some trends or areas in the LIS field for you? 

Norlin: This year, the most requested professional development is artificial intelligence, burnout mitigation within the workplace, data science advancements, neurodiversity integration, and the formulation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies within the backdrop of political backlash. One recent standout was a higher education webinar focused on extended reality—an intriguing topic that resonates with the ever-evolving world of online learning. The discussion centered on the pivotal role of active engagement in inspiring the next generation of students.

Another burgeoning area of concern centers around marketing and advocacy strategies, particularly pertinent in light of the prevailing challenges like book bans, threats, and terminations stemming from the current political climate. While marketing and advocacy have always held importance in the domain of librarianship, the current environment requires an enhanced focus on crisis communication and strategic approaches to swiftly address unforeseen challenges. The need for agile problem-solving has become more evident, as librarians grapple with unexpected scenarios requiring quick but persuasive responses to combat current and future attacks on intellectual freedom.

What resources or opportunities would you like to share to highlight the professional development activities for the LIS community?

Norlin: My advice to librarians is to stay well-versed in the realm of library literature, but concurrently read and watch content that is outside our profession. It’s all too simple to become inward-focused and engrossed solely in resolving immediate library related issues and crises. But with today’s ever changing higher education landscape, it’s very beneficial to allocate time to observe prospective and future trends.

For example, ongoing research consistently shows the fluctuations in higher education enrollment across institutions, with an overall trend of decline in overall numbers. While elite institutions seem to be maintaining a favorable financial outlook, many regional colleges, whether public or private, have grappled with meeting their enrollment targets in recent years. As highlighted by Inside Higher Ed, the pandemic impacted transfer and international enrollment, and this is the second year in terms of the decline.  On the other hand, smaller colleges that have refocused their strategy providing more positive student experiences and incorporating innovative and creative learning models are witnessing modest growth in enrollment. As we look more about what’s going on, librarians can become more proactive in terms of reactive when it comes to pivoting and realigning our strategic focus.

Anything else you’d like to share that we didn’t get to talk about?

Norlin: Present Employee Engagement research serves as a clear reminder that a growing number of individuals are becoming disengaged or are quietly stepping back from their responsibilities due to burnout and toxic work environments. In a recent study by the Workforce Institute at UKG, 74% of employees shared that they feel more engaged and happier when they believe their voices matter at their workplaces. However, most employees feel undervalued, leading to a significant increase in the number of people disengaging from their work, which now accounts for over 69% of the workforce.

So, my advice that I tell library organizations who want to actively work on morale is to observe workplace trends, but also to consistently seek solutions that can truly transform the work environment. There are actionable steps we can take to improve our work settings. The first step involves looking beyond our own profession to identify what’s effective elsewhere and how we can apply those practices. This empowerment leads to a workforce that feels confident in making decisions that positively influence their work, thus setting in motion a positive cycle of engagement and innovation.

CIS Libraries in the Global Context: discussion of the IFLA Trend Report 2022

100 librarians from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries discussed the document “IFLA Trend Report 2022″ in Moscow, Russia, on April 20th, 2023. The discussion took place as part of the VI International Forum”Shaping the Future of Libraries” at the M. I. Rudomino All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature with topic of the year “Commonwealth Libraries in the Global Context”.

The hosts of the event proposed to the leaders of the library field in the CIS countries to comment on 11 recommendations for the professional community and their relevance to the current state of the industry, based on the structure of the “IFLA Trend Report 2022” document that reflected the main directions formulated in the IFLA mission – inspire, engage, enable, and connect.

We bring to your attention the Final document that has been translated into
English and sent for review to the authors of the “IFLA Trend Report 2022”.

CPDWL Podcast Project Season 5, Episode 1: Vicki McDonald, IFLA President-elect 2022–2023

Colleagues, we are excited to announce the our newest episode (season 5) of the CPDWL Podcast Project where we feature library and information professionals who support and participate in professional development work.

Our guest host for this episode is Dr. Gill Hallam, CPDWL Standing Committee Member. This episode’s guest is Vicki McDonald, IFLA President-elect 2022–2023.

Special thanks to Leif for coordinating the recording, from Digital Media, State Library of Queensland.

See here for the podcast episode.

Vicki McDonald is a recognised leader in the library and information sector. Spanning four decades, her career has included leadership roles in public, academic and state libraries.

Her professional interests include a client-centred approach to designing services and spaces, digital inclusion, services to First Nations people, and a commitment to delivering lifelong learning opportunities for the community and profession.

In 2016, her national and international experience led to her appointment as State Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of State Library of Queensland. She understands the need for a strong, relevant and innovative library service and this is reflected in State Library’s achievements under her leadership.

In her current role, Vicki provides strategic leadership for a significant program to transform State Library’s services, collections and spaces through State Library’s Digital Strategy: Digital by Design. State Library is recognised for its services to First Nations communities, and for documenting and making accessible content related to Queensland’s First Nations peoples. To ensure that State Library retains its world-class status, she is championing the development of a strategy to renew spaces within the nationally recognised building.

Her reappointment at State Library of Queensland in 2016 renewed a long association that started in 2001. As an Executive Director at State Library, she was involved in policy, client services and collections before taking on the role of Associate Director Library Services (Client Services and Learning Support) at Queensland University of Technology from 2009 to 2013.

As Executive Director Library and Information Services and Dixson Librarian at the State Library of New South Wales from 2013 to 2016, Vicki was responsible managing the library’s collections valued at AUD$3B and for leading a significant organisational change program.

Vicki is currently serving a two year term (2022-2023) as the Chair of National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) – the peak body representing the national, state and territory libraries of Australia.

Throughout her career, Vicki has been very active in professional associations. She has held leadership positions with the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) since 2000, and served as its President from 2017 to 2018. Vicki is currently chair of the ALIA International Relations Advisory Committee, which advises the ALIA Board of Directors on the development and delivery of ALIA’s strategic action program for international engagement. She has a strong commitment to professional development and chaired ALIA’s National Biennial Conference and Information Online Conference committees for a number of years.  Under her leadership these conferences have been very successful and this has made a vital contribution to the economic sustainability of ALIA.

Vicki is very active in the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). As the Chair of the Professional Committee (2019–2021) she was an ex-officio member of the IFLA Governing Board and Chair of the Congress Advisory Committee. During 2017-2019, Vicki was elected Chair Division I (Library types) and was a member of the Governing Board. She also deputised for Professional Committee Chair. Vicki has also been a member of IFLA’s Asia Oceania Section Standing Committee and is currently a member of the IFLA Academic and Research Libraries Standing Committee. This strong commitment to IFLA builds on her previous officer roles in Metropolitan Libraries, and on Academic and Research Libraries Standing Committees.

***

Transcript reviewed by Gill Hallam

Gill Hallam   0:01

Hello everyone. This is Gill Hallam and I’m a member of the CPDWL Standing Committee. Welcome to the IFLA CPD WL podcast project. In this program we talk to library and information professionals who support and participate in professional development work.

Today’s guest is Vicki McDonald, incoming President, and welcome to Vicki. Let me just introduce Vicki with a few more details.

Vicki is a recognised leader in the library and information sector. Spanning four decades, her career has included leadership roles in public, academic and state libraries here in Australia. Her professional interests include a client-centred approach to designing services and spaces, digital inclusion services to First Nations people, and a commitment to delivering lifelong learning opportunities for the community and for the profession.

In 2016, her national and international experience led her to her appointment as State Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of the State Library of Queensland. She understands the need for a strong, relevant and innovative library service, and this is reflected in State Library’s achievements under her guidance. In her current role, Vicki provides strategic leadership for a significant program to transform State Library Services, collections and spaces through State Library’s digital strategy, Digital by Design.

State Library is recognised for its services to First Nations communities, and for documenting and making accessible content related to Queensland’s First Nations peoples. To ensure that the State Library retains its world class status, she is championing the development of a strategy to renew spaces within the nationally recognised building.

That’s quite a portfolio of activities to take care of! So let’s look at you personally to start with…
If you had to describe yourself in only one word, what word would it be?

 

Vicki McDonald  2:13

Well, firstly, Gill, thanks for the opportunity to have a chat today. And, that certainly is an interesting question:  one word. If you ask ChatGPT to describe me in one word, it would say ‘inspiring’, but I think perhaps that’s influenced by the fact that State Library’s vision has ‘inspiring’ in it, and my name is often associated with the State Library’s vision. But personally, I would say ‘resilient’.

As a CEO, I’ve had to respond to a lot of unexpected challenges across the last three to five years. Like everyone, we’ve been particularly impacted by COVID, the lockdown pivoting to online delivery, phased reopening of our and our service delivery, but also navigating legislation around vaccination and how it applied to both our clients and our staff. So and, of course, underlying all of that was supporting staff through a fairly significant change in their lives. And just after we came out of COVID, and things were starting to look, you know, like they were going to improve, we were hit by the 2022 floods. And our building, as you know, is on the river, right on the river. And so we were closed for several months, and it took over 12 months to restore access to some of our spaces. So it’s been a pretty challenging time over the last three to five years and I had to call on lots of inner strength, I think in that particular time. So ‘resilient’ is the word that comes to mind for me,

Gill Hallam  3:45

Thank you, Vicki, and I’m sure ChatGPT wouldn’t have come up with quite such a response is that in terms of understanding what goes on behind the scenes, and not on the actual front side, so I thank you.

And so what compelled you to become a librarian? How did you actually get started?

Vicki McDonald   4:09

Well, I think like many colleagues who work in this profession, it was accidental. I grew up in a small regional town called Dalby and many of my friends were leaving school and taking jobs, and I saw an advertisement in the paper at the Dalby Wambo Public Library for a library assistant. And I thought ‘that sounds like a good job’. So I applied and I got it. And then I moved to Brisbane, I did a library technician’s course. And then I did my Bachelor of Arts in librarianship, which at the time was offered externally. So I did that as a corresponding student for six years. So that was a real test of resilience, I think, in a way, certainly set me up and then after I’d finished my BA I then done some further study but certainly have really enjoyed working in this sector. And I think it’s a sector that you get so much out of and it has been very professionally rewarding,

Gill Hallam  5:03

Great… I’m sure many of our people in our audience will understand that sort of pattern of a career development of stepping stones as you go through. But having come from a small regional town like Dalby, what does ‘global librarianship’ mean to you? There’s quite a quantum leap between a small country town, and, you know, the world of libraries.

Vicki McDonald     5:27

There sure is, yes. And I think whenever, you know, think about global librarianship, you know, I reflect on IFLA’s vision and our mission as well. Our vision is to be a strong and united global library field, you know, powering literate informed and participatory societies and, and similarly, we have global mentioned in our mission to inspire, engage, enable, and connect the global library field.

And, to me, global librarianship is all about collaboration. It’s the working together, sharing our expertise, and working together to resolve our common challenges. And over the years, one of the things I’ve come to realise, as I’ve worked in many different organisations, and worked with many other professions, is that this willingness to collaborate and share is somewhat unique to our profession. And I know in working with other professions within my own organisation, they’re often surprised that I can say, oh, I’ll just ring so and so. And I’m sure they’ll share their document with us. And I think that collegiality is somewhat unique. But it’s also a great strength of our profession. And I think I see that at a local level within my own library and the work that I do, but I also see at a global level, that ability to be able to reach out to anyone across the world to get advice and reflect on their experiences and skills and things like that.

Gill Hallam   6:50

Yes, that’s right. And that those people can contribute too, it is that collaborative activity that builds the strength of the profession, I think, as well.

But your next role: you’re coming into the role of IFLA President! And that’s exciting, but I’m sure also challenging. But let’s take a step back. How did you first get involved with IFLA,

Vicki McDonald    7:13

I first became involved when I was invited to go to the MetLib meeting, which was in Singapore in 2004. So Christine Mackenzie, who you would know as a previous IFLA President as well, suggested that I come along to that meeting. And I just found it so exciting and interesting. And for many of the things that we’ve just talked about in relation to global librarianship: having that opportunity to meet with colleagues from the UK, the US and Singapore itself. Singapore was pretty amazing looking at their public libraries. And that really got me hooked. And I went on to go to MetLib meetings every year for many years. But my first World Library & Information Congress was in Quebec, in 2008. And that was a fantastic Congress. And it coincided with the 400th anniversary of Quebec as well. And I remember I took holidays to go. And my partner, I said to my partner, ‘Look, I’ll just go to a few sessions’. But I got there – and I went, you know, from first session to late at night, every day, and it was just, you know, I really got hooked into it as well, and then continued to go to Congress as ever after, and then got involved in committees as well. So, it’s been a really interesting time.

Gill Hallam   8:33

Indeed. Right. So, thinking back, are there any specific memorable moments for you within the IFLA environment? Anything that stands out as being a really memorable experience for you?

Vicki McDonald    8:52

I, you know, certainly I’m sure like you, I’ve had lots of great memories from congresses around the world. But one of the sessions that really stays in my mind is a session that I attended. It was one of the academic and research libraries sessions, it was a Hot Topics session, which they continue to offer each year. And it was at the 2010 Congress in Gothenburg in Sweden, and the theme of that session was ‘radical collaboration’. And there were three speakers on that particular session, Debora Shorley, from London, and who talked about the issues involved in walking away from the big deals; Andrew Inman from the University of New South Wales, who talked about research impact, and I think that is one of the funny things – I often go to a congress across the world to meet Australians and certainly that was what happened. But the third speaker on that session was Jim Neal from Columbia University at the time, and he talked about an initiative which he was leading called ‘Too Cool’, which was an initiative between Columbia and Cornell Universities where they were working to integrate and share and manage their library processes. And that that particular session stayed with me for a long time. And I still reflect on it. And Jim’s presentation really resonated me with me. And the whole idea around radical collaboration and these two big universities working together to share a problem.

But after Jim had presented his session, and I think each speaker only had five to six minutes, he actually moved around the tables and discussed his topic with each of us at our tables. And, you know, the opportunity to talk directly with Jim Neal, who was, you know, heading up Columbia University, I thought, wow, you know, this is what it was about is his opportunity to have these one-on-one discussions with people who have so much experience to share. And over the years, I’ve reached out to Jim, on different topics, and every time he’s responded, and to me, that’s really what IFLA’s about, and the global librarianship is that willingness to collaborate and share, and just sharing your expertise and how you respond to different challenges.

Gill Hallam  11:11

That sounds really positive in terms of the engagement of sort of working in small groups as well as sort of that plenary type of environment.

Vicki McDonald     11:19

And those Hot Topic sessions are fantastic, you know, they still continue to be, I think, highlights of each Congress as well.

Gill Hallam   11:26

OK, put that on the radar for Rotterdam coming up, that will be good! But what makes you most excited about today’s profession?

Vicki McDonald    11:36

Well, I think it’s probably still the same thing as when I started in libraries: it’s that potential to make a difference. Whether it’s a difference to the organisation that you’re working in, so I’ve worked in universities, or even the broader community and being able to contribute to solving challenges that are facing the respective community that you’re working with. And I think, here at the State Library of Queensland, we’re a reference and research library, serving Queenslanders. And I think what excites me the most is the diversity of what I get involved in. And, you know, I do find State Library’s particularly rewarding. At the moment, we’re delivering a family literacy program, working with public libraries across Queensland, which is really focused on ensuring that when children start school, they already have the literacy skills to give them a good start. And of course, that links to the SDGs as well. We’ve also at the moment received funding to work with the Queensland Government, and funded by the Queensland Government, to contribute to their digital economy strategy. But also the languages program, we’re doing some unique work here at State Library in documenting, preserving and making accessible Queensland’s traditional languages. So I think that’s what particularly excites me, and you know, gets me out of bed to come to work every day, is the diversity of what we do. But also knowing that you’re making a difference, and it will have impact to the community.

Gill Hallam   13:04

I think all of those points, just highlight their diversity across the different libraries as well, where the community is at the heart of everything. And therefore every community is unique. And therefore there’s no one size fits all in terms of library services and programs. There’s some common denominators, but then lots and lots of individual applications across the world, which is really important to understand.

Vicki McDonald    13:30

And that’s particularly true in Queensland, you know, because we do a lot of work working with public libraries, and Brisbane has one of the largest public library services in the southern hemisphere. But if I go up to the Torres Strait, I’m, you know, on these different islands, which are just, you know, not that far from Papua New Guinea. That’s the diversity of Queensland: great regional areas, great distances to travel, but diversity in what’s in those communities, and some of our communities are only a couple of 100 people. So it’s thinking about the skills that are required to deliver services in those different areas as well.

Gill Hallam   14:07

Yes, for our listeners, the geography of Queensland is quite unusual. And it’s thousands of kilometers from North to South, and across East to West. So it is a huge area to have responsibility for, as you do with State Library here. So it’s really interesting. Our listeners, a lot of our listeners will be from CPDWL and from the community that we reach out to there. So homing in on professional development, what’s the professional development tip or some advice that you’d like to share with others, particularly as we welcome new and maybe just emerging people within our section?

Vicki McDonald    14:48

Another good question, Gill. I think I think my tip would be get involved take up the opportunities that present themselves. Early in my career. I moved around a lot. I took up lots of different opportunities. I’ve worked in public, academic and State libraries, I’ve been a cataloguer, a liaison librarian, document delivery, but I also managed buildings as an asset owner, for Brisbane City Council. But I also have been involved in my professional association, I took the opportunity really early to get involved in working with ALIA, which enables you to actually build your networks outside of where you work. And I did that, I know, I found that very rewarding as well, and had a number of positions within ALIA. So I think it’s really taking up the different opportunities and, and having different experiences. And the other thing that comes from that is you actually develop strong and enduring networks, I, you know, I still have really strong connections with people I worked with, you know, 2030 years ago. And, and again, you know, I think that’s a special part of our profession.

Gill Hallam   15:54

That resonates with me, as well: I started out as a solo librarian in the special library sector, working with accountants and lawyers, that was the community I served. So it was the professional networking through the professional association, that made all of the difference in terms of working out who I was in my own career. So yeah, that’s a good point. You mentioned earlier, the sort of outsider professionals looking into our section, our sector, sorry. But if you didn’t work in libraries, if you weren’t a librarian, what profession might you have chosen to attempt? And succeed, probably!

Vicki McDonald     16:34

I always wanted to be a school teacher, a primary school teacher. So I think if I wasn’t a librarian, and I did things again, that’s what it would be.

Gill Hallam   16:44

Yeah. And there’s a close collaboration very often between the education sector and libraries, of course. So that’s not a huge gulf in terms of … You might have become a teacher librarian, then you’d combine the two?

Vicki McDonald     16:56

True, true. Who knows? Who knows what could have been?

Gill Hallam   17:00

OK, so this is actually our final sort of topic to explore… Can you tell us about a recent project or a presentation or program that you’re going to be involved in the coming weeks or months, something that you might be presenting on and I realise that the IFLA Congress is coming up, but there might be other things external to that as well?

Vicki McDonald   17:26

Well, at the moment, I’m sort of juggling preparation of a number of presentations to Zoom in.  As you say, I am thinking about the Congress in Rotterdam and my commitments there. But I’ve also, I’m juggling preparation of our three or four presentations to Zoom in. I was invited by Delara (Begum) from Bangladesh to present at their conference, the International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management. So I’ll do that in the next few months. I’ve also received an invitation to speak at the Chinese library annual conference. And then closer to home, in I think November, I’ll be a keynote at Switch 2023, which is the New South Wales Public Libraries Association Conference here in Australia.

But the most immediate conference presentation I have to think about is an invitation I’ve received from the Iran Public Libraries Foundation. And their conference theme is around public libraries and small business, so really does relate to the work that I do. And generally, when I’m preparing my conference presentations, I link it to the work of IFLA, particularly around our vision and mission, but also take the opportunity to showcase the work of State Library of Queensland, or public libraries in Queensland as well. I’m particularly proud of the work that we do here at the State Library in the work of my colleagues. So in that conference presentation, I’ll talk about the services that we do provide to support businesses and entrepreneurs. And even it’s things like free Wi Fi meeting rooms, collections, research services, but also some of the unique services that we offer here. We have a space called The Edge, which is a makerspace, creative space. And we offer sound studios, which enable people to do podcasts, record music, that sort of thing. 3D printers that have enabled people to do jewellery making and then go on to other businesses and things like that. So I’ll try and weave in some other examples to give people, about different ideas about the sorts of things that can be offered from the library. Another particular service we’re particularly proud of here is our ‘Black and Write’ program, which we’ve been offering nationally for over 10 years, which supports First Nations writers and editors, and some of our Fellows have gone on to be nationally acclaimed writers. So really approaching the idea from a different perspective is what I’ll be thinking about in preparing that But certainly, as you say, really looking forward to catching up with colleagues in Rotterdam in just a few weeks.

Gill Hallam   19:57

Right, indeed, a month away, just about. So, yeah, indeed. That’s great. Well, thank you very much indeed, Vicki, for sharing some of your time and also all of your background experiences. You do have a lot of opportunities within the role that you play, but as you said at the very beginning, the resilience to address lots of different situations, There’s plenty for you to get out of bed for in the morning! And the fact that we actually live probably only about 10 kilometres apart, we don’t see each other that often. But as you said before, meeting Australian colleagues 17,000 kilometres away will also be very special. So we look forward to seeing you in Rotterdam as well in in a month’s time.

Vicki McDonald    20:42

Thank you. Thank you very much, Gill. Thanks for the opportunity to chat. Thank you.

 

Congratulations to our newly elected CPDWL officers 2023 – 2025

All the best to our newly elected CPDWL officers.

Chair: Man Yi Helen Chan (China)
Secretary: Carmen Lei (China)
Information Coordinator: Joan Weeks (United States of America).

We are looking forward to your fresh ideas for new projects and continuation of existing working groups and projects. For sure you will get all needed support from the SC members and Advisory group members. The community worldwide is waiting for the future work of CPDWL section.

 

Supporting new leaders globally through coaching

Again in 2023 CPDWL and M&M sections are very happy to provide

in person coaching for at least 30 minutes with experienced coaches at the

WLIC in Rotterdam on Wednesday August 23, 10.00 – 11.30 in room  Rotterdam A. https://iflawlic2023.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/sessions/268

If you are interested to be coached, it is a walk-in session for all registered delegates and we’ll offer the coaching in different languages. Hosts will guide you to the appropriate coach.

If you are interested to serve as a coach, please fill in the form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJc01AAA70Nqp3h6HlYD8gAXh5gc7CFwlkL1o9MtQ3rdUL_A/viewform

For further information please feel free to contact us.

Hope to meet you in Rotterdam!

Ulrike Lang

Convenor of the IFLA Coaching Initiative

ulrike@lang-site.de

 

 

CPDWL Podcast Project Season 4, Episode 5: Essraa Nawar (in Arabic/عربي)

Colleagues, we are excited to announce the our newest episode (season 4) of the CPDWL Podcast Project where we feature library and information professionals who support and participate in professional development work.

Our guest host for this episode is Dr. Heba Ismail, CPDWL Standing Committee Member.  Our guest is Essraa Nawar, Head of Library Development and Marketing and the Chair of the Arts, Exhibits and Events Committee at Chapman University, USA.

See here for the podcast episode.

Essraa Nawar

Dr. Heba Ismail

Transcript & Translations in Arabic and in English by Dr. Heba Ismail:

Transcription (in Arabic)

Translation (in English)

Welcome to the IFLA CPDWL podcast project. In this space we talk with library and information professionals who support and participate in professional development work. 

My name is Heba Ismail, a CPDWL standing committee member and host of today’s episode. Our guest today is Essraa Nawar, the Head of Library Development and Marketing – and the Chair of the Arts, Exhibits and Events Committee at the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University, California, since 2009. Welcome Essraa! 

Essraa: Hi Heba, thank you very much for the introduction and for hosting

  1. If you had to describe yourself using only one word, what word would it be?

Essraa: The word that I can say in English first is “disruptor”, someone who enters and messes up the world, but in a good way. He likes to change people’s thinking about different topics that they do not know anything about. Changing people’s ideas about the Arab woman, the Muslim woman; the Egyptian woman, and about the Arab world. Since I was born and lived in the Middle East or in the Arab world, half of my life in Egypt and half of it in Qatar, and after that I moved to work in Bibliotheca Alexandrina for four years, and I had the honor and pride to have a role in an ancient and authentic library and has an international reputation. When I moved to Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University, California in 2009, the world saw the Arab world or the Middle East in a different way. I decided to start a campaign entitled “Change your understanding” for the Arab, Islamic, and Christian worlds in our Arab countries, and then I moved to the word “disruptor,” as it refer to the person who works on various projects that make people think, and change their thinking about things they don’t know anything about.

Heba: That’s really wonderful Esraa.

  1. What compelled you to become a librarian? How did you get started?

Essraa: This question has been repeated to my ears a lot, and it is a strange story. I think I was born to be a librarian, but I did not know that until 2009-2010. Unfortunately, in the Arab world, people do not know what it means to be a librarian, whether an academic, public, or medical librarian, or various specializations in the wonderful field of librarianship to which I have the honor to belong.

I did not know that this profession existed, but throughout my life, I am a person who loves information very much, the idea of information, not only that I know it, it is not a stereotypical or typical image that I love reading, and I love going to the library. There is a lot in the field of libraries in this style. I love delivering information to people, and it is known among my friends and family that I love science, and I love to deliver information to people even if I do not have a background in this specialty.

When the Internet entered Egypt, and in 1999 my father – may God have mercy on him- was among the first people to enter the Internet, and at that time the Internet was through the landline phone, and it was very weak, but I had an obsession with the idea that I had access to all this information, and everyone who asked me, I mentioned that I could obtain the information, I wanted to reach this information. Then years passed, I specialized in English commerce, then obtained a master’s degree in business administration, then a master’s degree in organizational leadership. I was looking for a profession and could not find it, and when I worked in the field of business or data, everyone mentioned that I had something that we had not discovered yet, until I entered Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) and fell in love with the profession of librarians. Not as we see it.

Librarians whose specialties are based on working in books or lending it, this is a very important thing, but professions such as academic librarian, teaching, and research, I began to understand it more, and at the time of my transfer from Bibliotheca Alexandrina to the libraries of Chapman University, I found that the field is open and changing, I think that is something in my personality, I love change. Currently there is an attack on the profession, but all of us, thankfully, around the world, from the Asian and Arab countries to America are developing, changing, and as we say to ourselves – recently – we are rediscovering the role of libraries and librarians around the world. I started from Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and thank God, I spent about 15 years in the field without being a specialist, but in 2017, I took a master’s degree in library and information science from San José State University, and I hope to give to the profession what it deserves.

  1. What does global librarianship mean to you? Has that vision changed for you over the years?

Essraa: That is a great question, Heba. Someone like me can only say that I am a global librarian. Although I live in America, I already have a global mindset. I describe myself as the child of the third culture. I was born in Egypt, lived in Qatar, and returned to Egypt. I worked in Bibliotheca Alexandrina. I spent a long time in America since 2002 between the East and the West Coast in California. I entered the field of very different studies. In Egypt, I was very fortunate that there was an introduction to the English and French languages from a very young age. I traveled to many countries. I came to America when I was very young. I had a global vision from my reading and from my travels when I arrived in America… America for me, it was something, and when I lived in America, it became something else. The vision changed, because America is not what you are seeing on TV. It is not about politics or movies.

On the contrary, although America is a newly established country, it is an inveterate country in the field of libraries, and the vision has changed because of my work with American librarians and how they are passionate about learning students, whether at the level of public, academic, medical, or cooperate libraries and introduce American libraries to the whole world.

At the beginning, I was reticent about how I defined global libraries, I was focusing on initiatives within America such as social and economic status; social justice issues within the American society, but over time, even the university administration was encouraging me to connect students and society to the world not only the Arab world but very different worlds through the different communities that live in Orange County.

The vision and the whole world changed, not only after Covid-19, but after many events in the Arab world. When I started my work, there were no Arab Spring revolutions, 2011 changed the world, and as you know that American libraries play a role in educating society, and the first thing I was asked to do after 2011 is to prepare an event on the Arab Spring revolutions, and the Egyptian revolution and what happened in El-Tahrir square.

I organized exhibitions, and worked with various embassies of Arab countries – and I would like to thank them for their cooperation with us -newspaper photographers who arrived in America and talked about what happened in the Middle East and in Syria. To this day, every month or two weeks there is something that connects us to the world, because the world has changed very much, especially after Covid-19. I will not say that it has become a small village because the communication means makes students eager to know and understand, and there is nothing better than the library to be the main source of information for students, researchers, or faculty members in different universities.

  1. What are some library conferences or associations have you been involved in? Have you attended IFLA before?

Essraa: I was honored to attend IFLA 2016 in Ohio, where I was recognized as an IFLA fellow. I participated in the poster session, and I was very happy and excited that my poster was accepted, I talked about marketing in academic libraries, thankfully, the poster met with great luck from visiting people who spoke to me about it, and now the poster is in the digital repository of the university, and anyone can see it. It was the first time for me to attend IFLA, and it was a dream of my life. As you know Heba that the IFLA Centre for Arabic Speaking Libraries (IFLA-CASL) is located in Bibliotheca Alexandrina, I did not work with IFLA before, but I knew the role of IFLA, and the head of the libraries sector was Dr. Sohair Wastawy, she was very involved in IFLA, and my dear friend Dina Youssef Salib was the director of the IFLA-CASL.

Heba: Dina Youssef is currently the Head of Library Sector

Essraa: This is new information for me. Dina is one of the wonderful people, and she participates in different conferences

Essraa: I was still a student preparing a master’s degree in library and information science, and I was recognized as an IFLA fellow. I attended the wonderful conference in Ohio, and I met many people, and this conference opened my eyes to the field of libraries not only in Egypt, but in the whole world, and in different countries such as Asian and European countries.

Like most of the librarians in the United States, I attend the American Library Association (ALA) conference, and since I specialized in academic libraries, I am part of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). There is a wonderful conference, the Middle East Librarian Association (MELA) conference affiliated with a European association, sometimes I do presentations. I also attend conferences of local associations such as the California Academic and Research Libraries Association (CARL) and the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium (SCELC).

Attending conferences has become much easier in the time of Zoom or Microsoft Teams, and virtual seminars. Sometimes I try to attend in person or virtually, in order to be aware of the latest developments, thankfully the information is available everywhere and at all times.

I was honored to attend the “Immigrant Birds” forum held by the Egyptian Library Association (ELA). At the American Embassy in Cairo, I gave a presentation to librarians interested in knowing my experience in the USA. Thank God, I had many opportunities. It is important for other people to see what they are doing, not everything is applicable, but sometimes it is just an inspiration, or an idea, that they can apply in the place where they work in a slightly different way.

Heba: It is very true it can give them the vision to develop their works in another way, and use what they saw, and employ it according to their own environment.

  1. What are you most excited about in the profession?

Essraa: I can  answer this question for an hour. I am so excited about the profession. It is very changing, contrary to what people expect. There is a stereotype that people who work in libraries are quiet people, who sit in their office and read books all day, and this is far from the truth. You, Heba, for example, are a very active person in the library world, and your role in IFLA is well known, and I am the same. Most of the people interested in the profession of librarianship find themselves widespread in the society, and are always involved in discussions on various topics, and they are changing. Nowadays, we are talking about the digital world; data world; artificial intelligence; and Metaverse. As librarians, we are included in these talks, whether public or academic librarians, how do we make libraries have a role. All research issued by IFLA, ALA (American Library Association)  or ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) or any specialist in the field proves with conclusive evidence that the profession of librarianship or libraries in general, whether academic, public, medical, or cooperate, their role will be stronger and stronger than at any other time because we are in the information age, but in the era of false and misleading information. Our role as librarians – and we understand that – our role is greater much more than the beginning, our role is changing. Our role is to change and develop ourselves, and have a vision of what is happening around us.

The narratives that people mention that the profession may die and will not exist; I feel that it is a false narrative as every day proves that libraries as you may know that the statistics for the number of libraries in America are more than Starbucks, especially the public libraries that serve the middle and lower-middle classes, and they are very large. In American societies, particularly in some classes of people who do not find the resources to buy books for their children, or cannot take them to after-school programs, the library plays this role, the same thing in academic libraries. This is what makes me happy. I look at tomorrow and what it brings. I am open to change, even the way I work and the way I think. I am very fortunate to work in a changing university or academic library, which was able to benefit from the changing set of skills that I have, my love for interfaith dialogue, my love for exhibitions, arts and programs and my love for cultural diversity. They always look at the skills that I have, and the skills of my colleagues, and how it can be employed and how it helps in the profession and in the institution itself and that is something that makes me happy and excited.

 

  1. What’s a professional development tip or advice that you’d like to share with others, particularly those who are new and/or would like to be involved in library association work?

Essraa: That is a very good question, and because I reflect that on my professional career since the time I graduated from 2002, whether it was in the librarian profession or other professions that I practiced before I became a librarian. “Create the opportunity for yourself” Some people are always waiting to give them the opportunity, or work, or support them in attending a conference, or invite them to speak at a conference. Applying this to my life and the professional development opportunities that I got over the last ten or fifteen years, many times it was opportunities I created for myself. In the sense I visit various conferences’ websites, or the institutions that we talked about during this meeting, and find the opportunity, apply for grants, search for the person responsible for the grant, and don’t be afraid to ask if there is funding or not.

The worst-case scenario is not attending in person, and attending conferences and seminars virtually. The idea of creating opportunities has become much easier than before. I always say that I should not wait for people to attend a conference, or wait and do nothing because there is no funding, because the library cannot support us. Sometimes I hear this in America, and I hear complaints from my colleagues in the Middle East from Egypt or outside. I always mention that it is not a requirement that you go in person, you can attend virtually, if you like to attend virtually, there are multiple opportunities such as funding for fresh graduates or newly librarians, from diverse backgrounds, and who speak more than one language.

Create the opportunity, look for it, the opportunities are there, you just have to be present in the right place and at the right time, the issue is not a matter of luck or funding, or the difficulties was overcome, on the contrary many times like IFLA, I wished to attend IFLA, it is a global conference, It wasn’t supported by my organization, as there are many other local conferences my organization could have funded my travel to – but when I created the opportunity for myself, they didn’t mind making time for me to travel, in a nutshell “create the opportunity” reach out to people who are in the field form a long time before you and this is what I did. I thank the mentors whom I have known for years. I met them in the libraries they work in. I took the time to communicate with them over the phone, or I read what they wrote. Any professional in the field of libraries is well-known in the matter of “sharing information” Most of the people who we mentor are those who want to pursue the same profession.

Heba: I completely agree with you on the “create opportunity for yourself” part. The issue is different, especially with the existence of the Internet, and communication with library associations and institutions such as the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, the American Library Association, and the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information. There are opportunities other than the past, available for librarians to obtain a scholarship, or a grant to attend the conference or to attend training courses offered by the various library associations.

  1. If you didn’t work in libraries, what profession other than librarianship would you have wanted to attempt?

Essraa: It is a completely different field, which is the nursing field, but perhaps what unites them is the love of people or serving people. In 2003 when I gave birth to my first son in the delivery room, the nurses were really impressive, not only their work ethic and care, but their attention to detail, and their intense love for their profession. They are truly angels on earth. In different circumstances, whether someone got sick or the children I gave birth to, I was treated very well.

From my different friendships here in America and across the world, I got to know people who work in this great profession, which is nursing, and I felt that it is a very difficult profession and not completely easy. I do not think that any hospital or clinic, or anywhere, can function without this great profession. I did not have the honor of trying this profession because it is a different field, and because it needs study.

What I discovered after that is that the nursing profession in America has a wonderful reputation, prestige and respect in American society other than in our Arab societies. That is what attracted me, as it magnifies the role of the male and female nurse, and this is what made me combine the librarianship and nursing professions together as they both share the same status, interest, and education. In order to be a certified nurse you must go through years and years of study and accreditation. All the time I observe the profession and how it is practiced, I told myself, perhaps in another world at another time I can work in this profession, but currently I am in the library profession and this is an honor for me to work in it, but I raise my hat to any nurse I meet anywhere in the world.

  1. Can you tell us about a recent project, presentation or program that you are working on or an upcoming event that you’ll be “zooming” in and what you might be presenting on?

Essraa: I will mention what I have been interested in for ten years, and the next presentation

I talk about it quickly, beside my work in the librarianship field, which is my work in the interfaith dialogue. I started it from projects at Chapman University when we shed light through books and exhibitions on the different religions that exist in society, such as Islam, Judaism, or Christianity. I got to know different religions that I did not know. I was very interested in the interfaith dialogue, and I had the honor that I managed many sessions through the library. This conversation took on a global nature, and I would like to thank the Egyptian state for supporting this project. We transferred it to Egypt through interfaith dialogue trips that reach Egypt; we met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and the Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II in closed sessions or with many people from American society. This is something I am interested in, not only as an Egyptian but also as an American, and as a person who is very interested in the culture of difference and interreligious dialogue. This project is ongoing, as every week or two there is a session or discussion, or there is a gallery related to this topic.

Concerning the upcoming events, I am excited about it. There is a conference at the university on motherhood, and for the first time I will talk about my story as a working woman, and I have 3 children, whom I raised in a society different from the one in which I personally lived. I was invited by the university, and since I am a librarian, we prepared an exhibition that includes 60 or 70 books on motherhood in all its fields, and what was written about motherhood in an academic way, whether articles in periodicals or books. We tried to gather various authors, how they talked about the idea of the mother and her role. I am so excited to be with a group of scholars who have a good background in this field, and I will have the opportunity to talk about my story, as it can work as an advice to those who have a similar experience, or are younger or have gone through the same experience. I am hoping it will be a good one.

Heba: We were delighted to host Essraa Nawar, the Head of Library Development and Marketing – and the Chair of the Arts, Exhibits and Events Committee at the Leatherby Libraries at Chapman University, California

Essraa: I am happy to talk to you today. Thank you, and good luck with the wonderful blog project, and hopefully you are always engaged in different projects that bring together colleagues from the profession from different parts of the world, and I wish all the best and success.

Heba: Thank you very much, Essraa. It was great having you on the podcast project of IFLA CPDWL.