Russian Federation librarians visited the School of Information Sciences on July 13, as part of the Open World Program. The Library of Congress Open World Russian Leadership Program enables Russian elected officials, political candidates, and emerging political and civic leaders to observe the American democratic system firsthand. The program also aims to promote understanding and create friendships between the two nations.
SIS Director and Professor Dr. Ed Cortez and Dr. Jinx Watson gave the librarians a formal presentation and tour of the school, and SIS hosted a lunch in their behalf. The librarians were particularly interested in the SIS distance education component of its program that allows half of its 300 graduate students to attend classes from a distance. Drs. Cortez and Watson discussed the school library information specialist licensure program and the school’s research centers and affiliated programs - the Center for Children's and Young Adult Literature and the Center for Information Studies.
“The Russian library leaders had a keen awareness of global issues affecting library and information services and were very engaging in presenting contrasting views of the information professions from their perspective,” said Dr. Ed Cortez. “I was particularly impressed with their understanding of LIS education in the US, including the role and process of accreditation.”
The School of Information Sciences actively collaborates with many organizations to provide opportunities for research and academic growth to both faculty and students.
Five librarians from diverse areas of the Russian Federation attended:
* Svetlana Alenkova, a federal government official responsible for libraries throughout Russia.
* Irina Arkhipova, deputy director of the Chelyabinsk Region Youth Library Resource Center.
* Larisa Degteva, head of program development at the Lipetsk Region Children's Library.
* Saida Kasuyeva, head of user relations at the Khasavyurt City Central Library.
* Irina Kuznetsova, head librarian at Samara State Technical University.
Each U.S visit focuses on a theme that relates to the participants' professional or civic work. More than 10,000 emerging Russian leaders and professionals have participated in the program. The Open World Program is the first and only exchange program in the U.S. legislative branch. Established in 1999, the program is headquartered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
