Tag Archives: #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian

The 10-Minute International Librarian #28: Find Out Which International Organisations are Present in Your Country

The work of international organisations can sometimes seem very distant.

But it doesn’t need to be!

Rather than the big meetings and conferences, the main work of these organisations is often rather what happens on the ground, through support to governments, projects, and outreach.

All of the biggest organisations tend to have regional structures, in order better to manage this work. They are often present on the ground through regional and even national offices.

These can be useful potential contacts. IFLA has done a lot of work to support libraries to engage around the Sustainable Development Goals. Regional and national offices of UN institutions will likely be interested in forming partnerships around this.

But there can be many other areas where there can be interest in working with libraries.

So for our 28th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, find out which international organisations are present in your country.

Many countries have a United Nations office (see the list of UN country teams), which can also host other organisations, such as UNESCO or the United Nations Development Programme.

Most countries also have UNESCO National Commissions, which provide a liaison between UNESCO as a whole and the national context.  And there are 59 UN Information Centres around the world.

Collect this information, together with information you can gather about the priorities of each of these offices. It can be a great contact list for your work, as we will discuss in next week’s post.

Share your stories of successful collaborations with national or regional offices of international organisations in the chat below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 1.2 Build a strong presence in international organizations and meetings as a valued partner.

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #27: Think of a Long-Term Vision

One of the purposes of our 10-Minute International Librarian series is to help you find ways to think beyond the world around you.

You are part of a global field, and can gain a lot by working with others, without needing to devote too much time!

But as well as thinking further geographically, it’s also good to think further in terms of time.

Libraries have been with us for millennia, and will certainly survive into the future. But in what form?

To help in your planning, a good start is to imagine your ideal end-goal – the sort of world you want to live in, in ten year’s time.

So for our 27th 10-Minute International Librarian, think of a long-term vision.

Write down a few ideas about what characterises this situation.

For example, IFLA’s vision highlights the importance of the library field being strong and united, and fulfilling its mission to power literate, informed and participatory societies.

You can draw on these ideas in your own vision, and add your own, reflecting your circumstances.

Once you have this, try to use it as a guide for decision-making in the shorter term. What will help you realise this vision? Where do you need to do more or invest effort, what is already safe?

Share your ideas for visions in the comments below!

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 3.3 Empower the field at the national and regional levels.

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #26: Identify something you’re not sure about, and look for an answer

Librarians are used to receiving questions from other people.

As a profession focused on service, it is part of the job to be able to respond to queries, and to help people access the information they need.

Yet simply having a qualification does not always mean we have all of the answers.

Indeed, assuming that we do is a great way of missing opportunities to learn.

So for our 26th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, identify something you’re not sure about, and look for an answer.

Think through your work, and moments where you simply aren’t sure of what the best thing to do is.

Or take something you’re used to doing, and challenge yourself – are you sure it can’t be done better?

Once you’ve identified something, look online to see if others have faced the same challenge, for example on the IFLA website or library.

Share your best examples of learning from others in the chat below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 3.2 Support virtual networking and connections.

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

 

The 10-Minute International Librarian #25: Learn and Tell a Library Story

The two key types of evidence in building the case for libraries are data and stories.

Data reaches out to the ‘right’ brain, appealing to the logical, the rational.

But sometimes, you need to be able to reach out first to emotions, to help them to see themselves in a particular situation.

You need to attract the ‘left’ brain as well

Stories, featuring people rather than just statistics, can help do this, engaging the person you are talking to, ensuring that they pay more attention to the numbers afterwards.

Of course, this is not to say that statistics do not have their place in stories. They can back up your arguments, demonstrate real-world change.

So for our 25th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, learn and tell a library story.

You can find great examples of course on IFLA’s Library Map of the World, or in articles in newspapers or online.

Choose a story with a strong human element, even with names if that is possible. Make sure you can tell it confidently and quickly – it can be a great way of starting a conversation.

Share your favourite example in the comments below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 2.1 Produce, communicate and distribute key resources and materials that inspire the profession .

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

 

The 10-Minute International Librarian #24: Think of an advocate for libraries

A big focus of IFLA’s Strategy is building the ability of libraries to advocate.

Wherever decisions are being made about library budgets, or the laws that affect them, there is space for advocacy.

By building understanding of, support for, and commitment to libraries, you can shape these decisions.

Yet sometimes, your message can be even more powerful when it doesn’t come from you.

It can be expected that librarians will support libraries, but you may get more attention when someone else does it.

So for our 24th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, think of an advocate for libraries.

Ideally, it should be someone who is well known, or who has great advocacy skills, or ideally both. This can help at all levels, from the local to the global.

Finding an advocate can also help bring others to support libraries, prove that people outside of the profession care, and strengthen partnerships.

Let us know who the most effective advocate for libraries from outside of the library field is, in the chat below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 1.1 Show the power of libraries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals .

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #23: Think of something that hasn’t worked, and learn from it

Celebrating success is an important way to maintain motivation and energy.

But not every initiative works, especially when it is new or innovative!

Everyone will experience failures, or things that didn’t quite turn out as hoped. But beyond the disappointment, these can also be great opportunities to develop.

Indeed, there is often less to learn from a success than from a failure!

If the library field is to continue to learn and develop, taking these opportunities is important.

So for our 23rd 10-Minute International Librarian, think of something you’ve done that hasn’t worked, and learn from it.

Try to find which parts of any initiative could be changed or improved. Sometimes of course, it may be bad luck, but even some elements of chance can be managed.

You can these use what you have learned in your work in future.

You might even write a blog or present a paper about something that hasn’t worked, in order to help others share in your understanding, and avoid making mistakes.

Let us know if you have learned from mistakes, or have seen great examples of how this can be done in the comments below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 3.4 Provide targeted learning and professional development.

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #22: Find out about priorities for libraries in another country

We have so much to learn from each other!

Wherever libraries exist, there are people reflecting on how best to offer services that meet the needs of users.

Everyone has lessons to give and to take.

Indeed, one of the key goals of the IFLA Strategy is to enable discussion and exchange between libraries in different countries.

A key starting point for any exchange is to identify issues of shared interest – concrete topics on which you can organise discussions or ask questions.

So for our 22nd 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, find out about priorities for libraries in another country.

Thanks to the internet, this can be easy. A first place to look is IFLA’s Library Map of the World, where our country pages include an overview of key issues for the library field in each country.

You can also simply choose a country in which you’re interested, and look for their website or social media pages online.

If they have a published strategy, what are the subjects that matter most? If not, which topics get the most attention?

If some are the same as the issues you are facing, why not get in contact to find out more?

You can use the comments box below to share the most interesting library association websites or social media pages from other countries that you have visited.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 3.2 Support virtual networking and connections.

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.