International Networking


  • The Russians Are Coming!
    On the international front, Professor Beth Evans of the Information Services staff made all the arrangements so that a group of Russian librarians could visit New York in the fall. Since 1999, the Open World Program, a US Congress-sponsored initiative of the independent Center for Russian Leadership Development at the Library of Congress, has enabled 6,000 emerging Russian leaders to come to the United States for significant, firsthand exposure to American democratic, economic and civic institutions. As part of this program, in the fall 2003 180 Russian library managers came to the United States, including a team of five sponsored by Brooklyn College. To the five Russians we added our librarian intern from China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Yelena Zhao. Ms Zhao majored in Russian language and literature as an undergraduate, studied for a year in Moscow, and is fluent in Mandarin, Russian, and English. Her participation enriched everyone's experience.

    Participating library managers are nominated by the Russian Federation Ministry of Culture, the Russian Library Association, the Open Society Institute, and American Centers and Corners in Russia. Finalists are selected by a team of specialists at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Participants are grouped into five-person delegations, each of which includes one bilingual, bicultural librarian who serves as a facilitator. (At Brooklyn College, we were positioned to welcome our group, owing the many Library and AIT staff who are native speakers of Russian.)



    Before traveling to their host communities, all librarians attend a two-day cultural and professional orientation at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. They then spend five to seven days in a host community taking part in professional and cultural activities. Host libraries show these Russian community leaders how American libraries work with government, local businesses, and civic organizations to provide library service to the public. Brooklyn's team visited many area libraries and museums. Here at Brooklyn College, Professor Evans first arranged a half-day introduction to American libraries with speakers from Brooklyn College, Columbia University (Jane Winland, Director of the Social Sciences Libraries), Queens College's School of Library and Information Science (Professors Claudia Perry and Thomas Surprenant), and the Metropolitan New York Library Council (Executive Director Dottie Hiebing). Later in the week a gala reception, attended by Borough President Marty Markowitz, was held in their honor. For more information on the Open World Program, please visit the program Web site.

  • The China Syndrome
    In September 2003 Yelena Zhao of Shanghai Jiao-Tong University came to Brooklyn College for a nine-week internship in our Library. While at Brooklyn she worked on the reference desk and completed projects related to electronic reference and collection development. She arranged for Dean Paul Shelden to meet with music faculty at SJTU during his October 2003 trip to Shanghai for a major musical instruments trade show. While in the US Ms Zhao visited the libraries at Harvard University and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the Library of Congress and the National Archives. She also attended a Library technology conference in Norfolk, VA, the Library and Information Technology Association's 2003 National Forum.

    Dr. CHEN Zhao-neng (university librarian at Shanghai Jiao-Tong University) hosted chief librarian Barbra Higginbotham during her PRC Ministry of Culture-sponsored trip to China in 2000. Then in September 2001, we toured and entertained Dr. Chen when he visited New York. Thus Ms Zhao's internship was the next stage in a pleasant and productive relationship between Brooklyn College and Shanghai Jiao-Tong.

    Professor Beth Evans and her family hosted Ms Zhao, incorporating her into their daily lives. Professor Evans also accompanied Ms Zhao on her visit to the Library of Congress. The Library is especially grateful for this generosity.

  • Scandinavia Beckons
    In the fall 2004 we will host a delegation of Scandinavian librarians for a day at Brooklyn College. Arrangements for this visit are also in the capable hands of Beth Evans. The group of Danish and Swedish librarians will be led by Annsofie Oscarsson, Head of Reference & User Services, Umeå University Library, Sweden.