(16 August 2016, DUBLIN, Ohio) OCLC, along with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), has named five librarians selected to participate in the Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program for 2017. The program supports library and information science professionals from countries with developing economies.
The 2017 IFLA/OCLC Fellows were announced today at a news conference during the World Library and Information Congress: 82nd IFLA General Conference and Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The 2017 Fellows are:
- Patience Ngizi-Hara, The Copperbelt University, Zambia
- Eric Nelson Haumba, YMCA Comprehensive Institute, Uganda
- Sharisse Rae Lim, National Library of the Philippines
- Jerry Mathema, Masiyephambili College, Zimbabwe
- Nguyen Van Kep, Hanoi University, Vietnam
The IFLA/OCLC Fellowship Program provides advanced continuing education and exposure to a broad range of issues in information technologies, library operations and global cooperative librarianship. With the selection of the five Fellows for the class of 2017, the program will have welcomed 85 librarians and information science professionals from 38 countries.
“Since the IFLA/OCLC Fellowship Program began 15 years ago, librarians who have completed the program tell us that they continue to be influenced by the lessons they learned and the connections they made,” said Skip Prichard, OCLC President and CEO. “These exceptional librarians selected to serve as IFLA/OCLC Fellows go on to become library leaders and mentors to others in their home countries. This program inspires breakthroughs in librarianship around the world, and is equally inspiring to all of us who have the privilege of interacting with these emerging leaders. This is a particularly special year for us to announce the next class of Fellows at IFLA WLIC 2016 in Columbus, so close to our world headquarters.”
During the four-week program, the Fellows participate in discussions with library and information science leaders, library visits and professional development activities. The program is based at OCLC headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, USA.
“Library cooperation, as I’ve experienced and learned about from OCLC, will go a long way in helping Nigerian libraries meet the information needs of the most populous country in Africa,” said Idowu Adegbilero-Iwari, Systems Librarian/Head, E-Library Services, Elizade University, Nigeria, and a 2016 IFLA/OCLC Fellow.
“I knew this Fellowship would be a life changing opportunity, and it was,” said Shaharima Parvin, Library Circulation Officer, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and a 2016 IFLA/OCLC Fellow. “Educating me will help educate Bangladesh.”
Watch a brief video interview with Rashidah Bolhassan, from Malaysia, who was part of the very first IFLA/OCLC Fellows class. She is now the CEO of the Sarawak State Library in Malaysia.
The selection committee for the 2017 Fellowship program included: Fiona Bradley, IFLA; Sarah Kaddu, National Library of Uganda; Nancy Lensenmayer, OCLC; and Susanne Riedel, Universitätsbibliothek Bielefeld, Germany.
Read more about the IFLA/OCLC Fellowship Program on the Next blog.
The announcement is here.
