International librarianship 101: or how to meet people without going anywhere
RIS ID
106536
Link to publisher version (URL)
Abstract
Tight budgets, rapid technological changes and diverse communities are just some of the challenges facing librarians and information professionals all around the world. Opportunities to interact with international perspectives can create engagement with the convergences and divergences within our shared profession, as well as amazing opportunities to widen our professional networks. However, many early career professionals struggle to secure employer support to attend international conferences - so how can they find opportunities to make international connections? And what is 'international librarianship' all about? The term international librarianship means different things to different people. For some, it means being a librarian who gets to travel constantly around the world being a librarian - but that's about six people. For most of us, it's about choosing to engage with the profession of which we are all a part, across the boundaries of our home countries to try and be a part of something bigger. Just like networking at home, international librarianship can give you access to new ideas and perspectives, the opportunity to learn from others' experiences and the opportunity for them to learn from you. This session, and the broader project it supports, is about enabling new professionals to create their own international opportunities using contemporary technologies to bridge the gap. It will feature a brief talk about Kate is experiences as a first time IFLA attendee and speaker, followed by international perspectives on librarianship and the information profession through videos from other librarians around the world. Each of the videos will feature an introduction to a hot topic with global resonances to kick start discussions on Twitter, and the session will conclude with steps to help you start to build your own international professional networks.
Publication Details
Byrne, K., Dalby, A. & McKenzie, C. B. 2013, 'International librarianship 101: or how to meet people without going anywhere', New Librarians' Symposium: NLS6, ALIA, Australia