Since the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs was founded in 1991, over 700
library professionals from 89 countries have participated in the Center's innovative programs. We
also work with our librarian colleagues in countries around the world.
Find out more
about us...
January 6, 2010
Urbana, Illinois—The Mortenson Center for International Library Programs at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is working with the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to
support a training program for public librarians in other countries.
Global Libraries, an initiative of the foundation’s Global Development Program, is working
to transform public libraries into vital resources that can help improve the lives of millions of
people. The initiative works with select countries that demonstrate a need and a readiness to help
public libraries provide free access to computers and the Internet, and training on how to make
full use of these tools.
Two of the foundation’s Global Libraries country programs will be selected to participate in
the Mortenson Center program. The Mortenson Center program will expose potential public library
leaders and innovators from these countries to different models of successful public libraries. The
goal is to provide these individuals with the opportunity to study the policies, services, and
funding sources that are necessary to fully support a library system, which is both responsive to
the needs of a community and proactive in addressing the information needs of users.
“We welcome this unique opportunity to work with the Global Libraries initiative,” said
Susan Schnuer, Associate Director at the Mortenson Center. “Through this work, we can build on the
current training efforts and offer a professional development program that meets the needs of
future public library leaders.”
Barbara Ford, Director of the Mortenson Center, adds, “We are very pleased to work with the
initiative to strengthen the skills of public librarians in other countries so they can continue
enhancing access to information for communities around the world.”
The training will consist of a three-week program in the United States, followed by a
one-week visit to another country with excellent libraries. It will focus on a changing library
environment due in part to the influx of new electronic tools and services.
The Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, the only one of its kind in the
world, was established in 1991. It is a professional, non-degree program that seeks to strengthen
international ties among libraries and librarians, regardless of geographic location or access to
technology. Over 800 librarians from 89 countries have already taken advantage of programming
through the Mortenson Center. For more information, please visit
www.library.illinois.edu/mortenson.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library holds over eleven million volumes,
more than 90,000 serial titles, and more than nine million manuscripts, maps, slides, audio tapes,
microforms, videotapes, laser discs, and other non-print material. The University Library is ranked
highly nationally and globally, and its collections and services are used heavily by students,
faculty, and scholars. More than one million items are circulated annually, and many more are used
on site and virtually from anywhere in the world. For more information, please visit
www.library.illinois.edu.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has given a three-year grant for the Center to continue working with four university libraries in Nigeria ... "the Mortenson Center proposes to work with the librarians to implement the cataloging, online catalog, circulation, and website functions for the new library management system, to assist the university libraries in providing greater access to their electronic resources, and to further develop a network of libraries in Nigeria focused on cooperation, and the sharing of resources and expertise. "
The Carnegie Corporation of New York has provided funding for a three-year grant to work with seven university libraries in East and West Africa.
There are two goals for the project, they are:
Goal 1: Carnegie grantee librarians in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda will fully
implement an automated library management system, which will better serve the research and learning
needs of the users.
Goal 2: All institutions will develop a team of librarians trained and able to manage
automation and automation-related projects in their libraries.
From the University Library press release:
"The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library has received a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program Grant for $499,582 from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)...
The “Think Globally, Act Globally” agreement establishes a cooperative and cultural exchange between American and Chinese librarians. Under the agreement, the Asian Library and the Mortenson Center from the University of Illinois will partner with the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and the Library Society of China. These organizations will work together on the implementation of a two-year pilot project to enhance communication and relations between American and Chinese librarians and to enrich the variety of information and services that U.S. librarians can offer their users. Activities will include training in the United States and the People’s Republic of China, and the development of a website for publicly available Chinese information resources for use in U.S. libraries."
"Think Globally, Act Globally" website
Looking for advice from professional library leaders? Download your own copy of Thinking Outside the Borders. This was a three-year project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in partnership with Illinois State Library. Institutes for International Library Leadership were held with speakers and participants from all over the world. Feedback was collected at each institute and applied to the format and content of the program. The end result is this free publication, a guide for libraries to develop their own leadership institutes with an international perspective.
You can see more information about the book in our conference poster (PPT), presented at IFLA and ILA 2008.
The Mortenson Center hosted 14 Associates from 9 countries, including South Africa, Japan, Colombia, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Georgia, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Find out more about the Mortenson Center Associates program here.
University LibraryFor comments on this page contact: Mortenson Center
Last modified by: Jamie Luedtke on 3/4/10