OCLC Names Five Librarians to Participate in 2012 Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program

Dublin, OH, August 17, 2011 --(PR.com)-- OCLC, along with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the American Theological Library Association, today named five librarians chosen to participate in the Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program for 2012.

The 2012 Jordan IFLA/OCLC Fellows were announced by Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO, at a news conference during the World Library and Information Congress: 77th IFLA General Conference and Assembly in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 2012 Jordan IFLA/OCLC Fellows are:

Mrs. Efua Ayiah, Assistant Librarian, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
Ms. Gladys Mungai, Assistant Librarian, KIPPRA, Nairobi, Kenya
Mr. Md. Shafiur Rahman, Information Officer, ICDDR,B, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Miss Tanzela Shaukat, Librarian, National Disaster Management Authority, Islamabad, Pakistan
Mrs. Ngozi Ukachi, Librarian II / Cataloguer, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria

The Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program supports library and information science professionals from countries with developing economies. The 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 2012, the program will have welcomed 60 librarians and information science professionals from 33 countries.

“The Fellowship Program is of great benefit to both the participants and the hosts,” said Mr. Jordan. “The Fellows gain insight from visits to libraries and interactions with library leaders and OCLC staff. OCLC learns about librarianship in the Fellows’ home countries, and the challenges they face. These exchanges promote greater global understanding within the library community.”

During the four-week program, which will run from April 13 through May 10, 2012, the Fellows will participate in discussions with library and information science leaders, library visits and professional development activities. The program will be based at OCLC headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, USA. Topics and issues explored include information technologies and their impact on libraries, library operations and management, and global cooperative librarianship.

The program also gives Fellows the chance to share their home customs and cultures with other Fellows, with colleagues they meet during the program, and with their hosts. The Fellows’ visits to libraries provide other opportunities to broaden their knowledge about issues facing libraries today. They observe portions of the OCLC Global Council meeting, gaining insight into issues affecting global library cooperation and the governance of a global library cooperative. They visit selected libraries and cultural heritage institutions to meet with leading information professionals and discuss real-world solutions for libraries.

The Fellows give formal and informal presentations about their home countries and libraries, and the challenges facing libraries in their home countries. As their program concludes, Fellows translate their program experiences into specific development plans to guide their continued growth and personal contributions to their home institutions and countries of origin.

“This program has been an eye-opener; it has opened a new chapter in my professional journey,” said Khumo Dibeela, 2011 Fellow from Botswana.

The selection committee for the 2012 Fellowship program included: Barbara Kemmis, American Theological Library Association; Hella Klauser, German Library Association; Sjoerd Koopman, IFLA; Nancy Lensenmayer, OCLC; George Needham, OCLC; Gwenda Thomas, Rhodes University, South Africa; and Ingeborg Verheul, IFLA.

In 1999, OCLC and IFLA created the early career development program to bring promising librarians from developing nations to OCLC for training and interaction with OCLC staff and librarians in the United States.

Sponsorships from interested organizations are available. For more information about sponsoring the Fellowship program, contact George Needham, OCLC Vice President, Global and Regional Councils at needhamg@oclc.org.

Application information for the 2013 Fellowship Program is available on the OCLC Web site www.oclc.org/community/careerdevelopment/fellows/.

About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC is a nonprofit library service and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation, library management and Web services to 72,000 libraries in 171 countries and territories. OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world’s richest online resource for finding library materials. Search WorldCat.org on the Web at www.worldcat.org. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

About IFLA
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1927 at an international conference, IFLA now has 1,600 Members in approximately 150 countries around the world. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in 1971. The Royal Library, the national library of the Netherlands, in The Hague, generously provides the facilities for IFLA headquarters. More information can be found at www.ifla.org/.

About ATLA
Established in 1946, the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) is a professional association of more than 1,000 individual, institutional, and affiliate members providing programs, products, and services in support of theological and religious studies libraries and librarians. ATLA’s ecumenical and international membership represents many religious traditions and denominations. For more information, visit www.atla.com.

###
Contact
OCLC
Bob Murphy
614-761-5136
www.oclc.org
ContactContact
Categories