Libraries and School Effectiveness in the Aga Khan

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					                                                                                                       ISSN 0892-4546




                                             International Leads
      A Publication of the International Relations Round Table of the American Library Association

Volume 18                                             December 2004                                   Number 4




       Libraries and School Effectiveness in the
       Aga Khan Education Service
                      By Mary Frances Marx, Hasina Kabir Hyderally, and Janet C. Achora



AKES (Aga Khan Education Services) is a simple four-           “…school libraries were mediocre, and not up to the
letter acronym that stands for an organization with a long     standards of a successful library program. The resources
history and the hope, indeed the potential, to “contribute     were meager. The arrangement was haphazard. The libraries
to positive educational change in the wider national           were being run without the help of basic librarian’s tools of
community.”                                                    Classification and Cataloguing. They were manned by
                                                               semi-skilled staff, and though a weekly library time built
AKES and its foundations were established in the early         into the curriculum, teachers did not use the library to
part of the 20th century by Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga        enhance their teaching or the students’ learning”
Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims. AKES
was formally incorporated in 1981 by Karim, the present        The aim of the program would be to integrate library
Aga Khan, as one of four agencies of the Aga Khan              operations into the school curriculum with the view of
Development Network, supporting educational activities         supporting the teaching and learning processes.
such as schooling for more than 54,000 pupils from pre-
school through secondary school in seven countries.            (The rest of the report centers on Tanzania’s model
                                                               library program.)
The AKES system is governed by a national service
company (NCS) for each country represented, and the            AKES Tanzania began by establishing a five-year plan and
service company plans and supports appropriate                 forming a Library Development Committee (LDC). Based on
educational services for that country. At the head of each     data collected from its schools, the LDC targeted staffing,
NSC board is a chairman and the management is headed by        physical facilities, and automation for improvement.
a chief executive officer. In keeping with the dictum that a
quality educational institution must have a quality library,   It was recognized that unless professional staff was
AKES education officers initiated a study to determine how     recruited to run the library programs, there would be no
library programs affect the learning process and to            chance for success. Space issues were postponed in favor
determine the condition of existing AKES libraries. As a       of staffing and automation, including internet access and
result of this study, a Library Development Plan was           online databases.
mandated as part of a “whole school improvement
strategy” that would integrate library operations into the     The Library Development Committee saw several
curriculum in support of teaching and learning. There was      advantages in the immediate use of as much technology as
much to be done. One librarian described the facilities in     could be acquired:
AKES Tanzania in this way:
                                                                                                      Continued on page 2
December 2004                                         International Leads                                                   2
Featured article
Continued from page 1                                                                        IRRT Officers
                                                                                      Chair
                                                                                      Nancy M. Bolt
         * A modernized approach to collection development and maintenance;           Colorado State Library
         * Streamlined library processes;
         * More effective data management;                                            Vice Chair/Chair-Elect
         * Increased access to online sources;                                        Jeannette E. Pierce
         * Increased familiarity of and facility with information technology;         Johns Hopkins University
         * Improved instruction.
                                                                                      Past Chair
Organizationally, the library program would be divided into three phases: 1)          Karen J. StarrH. Lea Wells
design, 2) implementation and monitoring, and 3) assessment. The design phase         Nevada State Library & Archives
actively involved the school administration, teachers, pupils, and the library
staff, beginning with joint orientation sessions in which participants shared their   Secretary/Treasurer
perspectives and concerns.                                                            Sha Li Zhang
                                                                                      Wichita State University
After two highly qualified teacher librarians were selected through the auspices of
the East African School of Library and Information Science in the Makerere            Members-at-Large
University of Uganda, plans were put to action.                                       Judith Lin Hunt
                                                                                      Montclair State University
         * A library skills program for teachers and pupils was developed;
         * The library was promoted as a teaching and learning resource with          Members-at-Large
         comfortable space to accommodate large numbers of pupils;                    John A. Eilts
         * The SIRS Mandarin Software (with minimum hardware) was selected as         Stanford University
         the automated library system;
         * A four-day workshop was held to introduce technology to the faculty         IRRT Web Site:
         followed by a series of workshops for teachers and pupils.                    http://www.ala.org/irrt/

This five-year library program plan was monitored for success by school library
committees and by an oversight committee, the Library Development and                 International Leads (ISSN 0892-
Information and Communication Technology Committee.                                   4546) is published quarterly by the
                                                                                      International Relations Round Table of
Attitudinal changes resulting from the introduction of technology and teacher         the American Library Association in
librarians was almost immediate with about 60% of the teachers using the libraries    March, June, September, and
for assignments and about 80% using the internet to supplement their lessons.         December. The first issue was
                                                                                      published in 1957. IL contains news
                                                                                      about international library activities,
The libraries now have computerized catalogs and automated circulation and
                                                                                      the international work of ALA and
acquisitions and accurate management data used for justifying expenses and            other organizations, and people and
exercising budget control. The five-year goals and objectives were met.               publications in the field. IL is indexed
                                                                                      by Library Literature and Library and
Understanding the true meaning of information literacy has become a reality in the    Information Science Abstracts
AKES Tanzania schools and their experiences have become led to general                (LISA) and is sent free to all members
improvements in other AKES libraries and improvements in space and staffing.          of IRRT (dues $10); non-ALA
                                                                                      members can subscribe for $12 per
                                                                                      year by writing to International
AKES Tanzania has a long-term vision of transforming its library system into a
                                                                                      Relations Office, American Library
virtual library where users can gain access to information from across the world
                                                                                      Association,       50      E.     Huron
through online databases and the Internet. This vision includes collaboration with    Street, Chicago, IL 60611.
other libraries within the AKES network and with professional institutions.           Materials for IL should be sent to
Perhaps one day we shall see an AKES virtual network, drawing together AKES           International Leads Editor,
schools from seven countries into one virtual educational consortium sharing          Thomas W. Leonhardt, St. Edward’s
information, teaching, and learning.                                                  University, 3001 South Congress
                                                                                      Avenue, Austin, TX 78704-6489,
                                                                                      U.S.A., e-mail:
                                                                                        thomasl@admin.stedwards.edu
December 2004                                  International Leads                                           3



                        Message from the IRRT Chair
                                            By Nancy Bolt

Here’s what your officers have been doing                            •   If you are coming to midwinter,
since midwinter.                                                         attend the all committee meeting on
                                                                         Saturday from 8:00 am - 12:00 and
   1.      At the membership meeting in                                  the Executive Board meeting on
           Orlando, the membership                                       Sunday from 8:00 – 11:00 am.
           approved the revisions in the
           bylaws.                                                   •   Watch the IRRT website
                                                                         (www.ala.org/iala/irrt/irrt.htm) for a
   2.      The Membership Committee is                                   Committee Interest form. Fill it out
           revising the membership brochure                              and send to Jeanette Pierce at
           to reflect the FREE membership                                <pierce@jhu.edu>.
           in IRRT for ALA members from
           other countries.                                 5.       Jeanette and I are beginning work on the
                                                                     IRRT Organizational Manual. We hope
   3.      The Publication Committee is                              to have a draft for review at ALA
           looking for editors of both                               Midwinter.
           International Leads, and the
           IRRT website. Applications have              All the IRRT committees will meet in Boston and
           been received and a decision will            make plans for the annual conference in Chicago.
           be made at the ALA Midwinter                 We invite all IRRT members and all librarians from
           Meeting in Boston.                           outside the U.S. to visit us in Chicago.

   4.      Beginning this spring and
           continuing through the fall, I
           appointed members to all the
           IRRT Committees. At this time,
           all appointments for the 2004 -
           2005 year have been made.
           Vice-chair, Jeanette Pierce will
           begin to make appointments after
           midwinter for 2005-2006, her
           year as Chair of IRRT.
           Those interested in a committee
            appointment can do two things:                       Hynes Convention Center Boston
December 2004                          International Leads                                  4



    IRRT and IRC Meetings at 2005 ALA
    Midwinter Meeting in Boston (January 14 - 19, 2005)
IRC Meetings
International Relations Committee I
                                                International Papers Subcommittee
Friday, 1/14/05
                                                Saturday, 1/15/05
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
                                                9:00 am - 11:00 am
Location to be announced
                                                Location to be announced
                                                Closed meeting
International Relations Committee II
Tuesday, 1/18/05
                                                International Poster Session Subcommittee
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
                                                Saturday, 1/15/05
Location to be announced
                                                9:00 am - 11:00 am
                                                Location to be announced
Humphry/OCLC Forest Press Award
                                                Closed meeting
Committee
Saturday, 1/15/05
9:00 am - 11:00 am                              Additional Meetings
Location to be announced
Closed meeting                                  IFLA Update
                                                Saturday, 1/15/05
Bogle Pratt Award Committee                     11:00-12:30pm
Saturday, 1/15/05                               Location to be announced
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Location to be announced                        LOCATIONS
Closed meeting
                                                Hynes Convention Center
                                                900 Boylston Street
IRC/IRRT Meeting
                                                Boston, Massachusetts 02115
IRC/IRRT All Subcommittee Meeting
Saturday, 1/15/05
8:00 am - 11:00 pm                                .
Location to be announced

IRRT-Meetings

Executive Committee Meeting
Sunday, 1/16/05
8:00 am - 11:00am
Location to be announced
December 2004                                        International Leads                                                 5


           International Librarianship: Getting There
           from Here By Robin Kear
Before You Go                                                  cruise ships. For positions lasting longer than a year,
Do you enjoy traveling? Do you dream of cultures and           consider the military, Foreign Service, non-governmental
places you haven’t seen? Can you be alone? Do you own          organizations (NGOs), United Nations, universities with
well-thumbed Lonely Planet books? Do you wish you were         international campuses, and foreign universities.
there someone describes a faraway place? Are you
comfortable in unknown places and situations? If you           Ways to Get There
answer yes and want to find out if international work is for   The United Nations offers a shortcut for its professional
you:                                                           level positions known as the National Competitive
                                                               Recruitment Examinations Programme. To be eligible, you
    •        Talk to colleagues who have worked abroad         must be under thirty-two years old and your country and
             and ask what they thought of the experience;      profession must be under-represented in the UN. For the
    •        Do some armchair traveling or try the real        last three years, the United States and librarianship have
             thing;                                            been under-represented and thus eligible for the NCRE. If
    •        Read the regular College & Research               you pass the written test and interview, you are placed on
             Libraries feature: “Jobs of a Lifetime;”          a list of qualified applicants for professional librarian
    •        Read library journals from other countries        positions and almost guaranteed to receive the jobs as
             look up their national associations;              they open.
    •        Shadow an international librarianship
             listserv;                                         Some jobs in the United States offer international
    •        Ask yourself if living and working abroad will    opportunities. Look for libraries that have exchange
             make you happy.                                   programs with sister libraries abroad. Some academic
                                                               appointments allow you to take a semester off for research
Skills That Will Help You Get the Job                          or professional development.
Because of expense, you may have to present yourself and
your credentials by e-mail and telephone. Here are some        Things to Keep in Mind
skills, knowledge, and aptitudes that will help get that       Living in a foreign country may present challenges for
international job.                                             you and your family including homesickness and even
     •        Knowledge of a foreign language or two;          hostility. You may be exposed to poverty, suffering, and
     •        International travel experience;                 danger. That being said, places are seldom as bad as the
     •        Genuine interest in working abroad;              outsider imagines. If you are open, courteous, and
     •        Knowledge of international issues;               respectful of custom, you are likely to have a good
     •        Work experience appropriate for the position     experience. Choosing to live and work in Kenya was the
              you are applying for;                            best thing I ever did and I highly recommend the
     •        Ability to apply practical, basic library and    experience.
              organizational skills for jobs in developing
              countries;                                       Job Listings
     •        Ability to work without the aid of technology    IFLA: http://www.ifla.org/II/lists/libjobs.htm
              in developing countries;                         This is a good place to find out about long- and short-
     •        Membership in one or more international          term positions.
              organizations such as IFLA
              the International Federation of Library
              Associations), ISKO (International Society
              for Knowledge Organization) and the                                                   Continued on page 7
              American Library Association’s International
              Relations Round Table (IRRT).

The Right Job
For short-term experience (less than one year), consider
internships, library exchanges, travel grants, and academic
December 2004                                        International Leads                                                  6

               The ABLE Project
      American/Bulgarian Library Exchange
Background                                                      Project Activities
In the June, 2002 issue of International Leads, I
introduced you to the Colorado/Bulgarian Library                The ABLE Project began with a visit in November, 2003 of
Partnership Project sponsored by the Colorado                   Project Directors Bob Anderson (IRIS), Nancy Bolt (CAL)
Association of Libraries. Since that time, we were pleased      and Iskra Mahailova (Union of Library and Information
to be a recipient of a grant from the U.S. Department of        Science Officers- ULISO in Bulgaria) hosting a meeting in
State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. We are         Arbanassi, Bulgaria to which 18 Bulgarian public library
very excited about the ability to expand our project as a       directors were invited. The purpose was to introduce the
result of this grant.                                           project to the librarians and determine their willingness to
                                                                participate. The new role of a public library as a
The ABLE Project allowed us to expand our project in            community information center rather than a “museum of
several ways. First, this grant is a collaborative effort of    books” was presented and accepted. All 18 libraries
the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL) and the Iowa        agreed to participate in the grant.
Resources for International Service (IRIS). This allows us
to expand the project from Colorado to Iowa libraries,          In April/May, 2004, 12 Bulgarian librarians came to the
increasing the number of American libraries who are willing     United States – 7 went to Colorado and 5 went to Iowa.
to have a partner in Bulgaria.                                  They spent 5 weeks visiting their American Partner Library
                                                                and receiving training in five aspects of becoming a
Second, the grant will allow us to bring 18 Bulgarian           Community Information Center (CIC):
librarians to the United States for five weeks to give them a       •        Basics of a CIC
good understanding of American librarianship.                       •        Collaboration with government and
                                                                             community agends
Third, it will expand the partnerships from 10 to 18 and also       •        Marketing a CIC
publicize the entire partnership concept. Since the grant           •        Fundraising for a CIC
begun we have formed 3 partnerships outside of the grant            •        Working with local government
just because of the positive publicity that has been
generated. Hopefully, this will also help us sustain the        All Bulgarian librarians were required to speak English
partnerships long after the grant is over.                      well enough to function independently in the United
                                                                States. It was a thrilling and extraordinary learning
Last, we are also able to take 18 American librarians to        experience for both the Bulgarians and the Americans.
Bulgaria for 2 weeks to strengthen the partnerships and
have them experience Bulgaria and its libraries.                In September, 2004, five Americans went to Bulgaria to
                                                                train Bulgarian librarians in how to become a Community
The goals of the project are four fold:                         Information Center. The librarians had prepared a
1.       Increase the capacity of Bulgarian libraries to        workbook on the five themes that was translated into
become community information centers providing online           Bulgaria (500 copies have now been printed). For two
community information services to local government              days we did intensive training of the staff of 6 Bulgarian
offices and Bulgarian citizens.                                 public libraries who had agreed to be pilot sites to test
2.       Increase understanding and support by Bulgarian        these principles. On the third day we trained 12 Bulgarian
government and community leaders for the role of libraries      librarians to be trainers of their peers. The Bulgarian
in a democratic society                                         librarians went on to train their peers around the country.
3.       Utilize Partner Libraries as a means of sharing        At least 200 Bulgarian librarians have received this
information about our two countries.                            training by January, 2005.
4.       Develop a continuing network of Bulgarian and
U.S. libraries that will seek additional funding to upgrade
the computer capacity of Bulgarian libraries

                                                                                                 Continued on page 8
December 2004                                        International Leads                                               7
International Librarianship
Continued from page 5
United Nations Secretariat: https://jobs.un.org/release1/      Internships: http://www.idealist.org and http://
vacancy/vacancy.asp                                            www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/internships.htm
Librarian jobs are listed under Information Management.        Unpaid. Airfare is usually not included, food and board
The UN classification for jobs is G=general, FS=Field          sometimes included.
Service, P=professional, D=director. For example, P starts
with P-1, professional level one, and goes to P-5,
professional level five; the pay scale goes up accordingly.    University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea: http://
(Always apply for the “P” positions not the “G” ones. If       www.semesteratsea.com/
you enter the UN system as a G it is almost impossible to      The University of Pittsburgh’s worldwide cruising
move to P.)                                                    program hires an assistant librarian each semester but you
                                                               must have professional experience.
NGOs: http://www.careerframes.com/links_main_intl/
ngo_links.htm                                                  Chronicle of Higher Education:http://chronicle.com/
This Web site is a good place to start looking for jobs in     jobs/
the big NGOs like the World Bank, IMF, OECD, and NATO.         http://www.ala.org/ala/education/empopps/
They also have international jobs listed by country and        employmentopportunities.htm
type. There are also many smaller NGOs not listed here         http://www.iss.edu/
that look for researchers and information managers. Try        ISKO: http://is.gseis.ucla.edu/orgs/isko/
http://www.idealist.org for jobs and internships at smaller    ALA-IRRT: http://www.ala.org/ala/irrt/irrt.htm
non-profits in the U.S. and around the world.                  ALA-IRO: http://www.ala.org/ala/iro/international.htm
                                                               United Nations National Competitive Recruitment Exam:
Civilian Jobs in the Military: http://                         http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/exam.htm
jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/                                     Jobs of a Lifetime: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/
                                                               acrlrecruiting/recruitingprofession.htm
Foreign Service: http://www.careers.state.gov/
                                                               IRRT Mentors Program
Peace Corps: http://www.peacecorps.gov
                                                               By Christina Chester-Fangman
A two-year volunteer commitment is required. “Peace
Corps Volunteers work in the following areas: education,
youth outreach, and community development; health and          For the past three years, I have had the pleasure of
HIV/AIDS; agriculture and environment; business                serving on the IRRT Orientation RRT Orientation
development; and information technology.” There is no          Subcommittee coordinating the Mentors Program for the
library category but many Peace Corps skills and               International Librarians Orientation & Welcome Reception
experiences are transferable to our profession.                at the ALA Annual Conference. Part of the mission of the
                                                               IRRT is “to provide hospitality and information to visitors
                                                               from abroad,” that is, librarians from all over the world—
World Library Partnership: http://worldlibraries.org/itw/      from Australia to Zimbabwe—many of whom participate in
southafrica/saprogram.shtml                                    the mentoring program.
This is a 4-week volunteer program, usually in the summer.     The mentoring program matches international and
In 2004, volunteers will be working in South Africa. Note:     American librarians who share interests. The mentor (the
This is an unpaid experience. “Since 1998, 125 volunteers      American) helps the visitor navigate the conference with
have worked with many libraries in Zimbabwe, Honduras          its overwhelming choices of programs, activities, and
and South Africa.”                                             special events, and the things to see and do in the
                                                               conference city.
Librarian Exchanges:                                           Another aspect of the mentor program involves the
http://www.cilip.org.uk/jobs_careers/libex.html a              sharing of ideas, goals, feelings, and experiences, both
librarian exchange program facilitated by the British group,   professional and personal. As mentor Elizabeth Jackson
Chartered Institute of Library and Information                 notes, “…this is a great opportunity to learn more about
Professionals;                                                 another country’s libraries and issues.” To that end,
http://www.ala.org/ala/irrt/irrtcommittees/irrtintlexc/        librarians involved in the program have a chance to see
international.htm,the exchange committee of ALA-IRRT.          their work through another’s eyes, hear about different
                                                               ways of performing their jobs, and communicate new ideas
                                                               with each other.
                                                                                                        Continued on page 8
December 2004                                         International Leads                                             8
ABLE Project                               IRRT Mentors
Continued from page 6                      Continued from page 7

Next Steps                                 Those interested in being mentors         Interaction among the mentors and
                                           and guests sign up through ALA’s          guests varies. Some guests just want
In March, 2005, Iskra Mahailova,           International Relations Office (IRO).     someone they can speak with and
Bulgarian Project Director in Bulgaria,    Mentors must be ALA members but           have questions answered. In other
and Vanya Grashkina, President of          do not have to be members of IRRT.        cases, mentors and guests attend
ULISO, will come to the United States.     Ideally, there is a one-to-one            conference programs and events
They will visit the American Library       mentoring relationship, but usually       together and socialize over meals and
Association offices in Washington,         one mentor will have several              other activities
DC and in Chicago. They will also          international guests to work with.        The majority of the mentors find the
visit their library partners and friends   Not all of the international librarians   experience informative and enriching.
in Iowa and Colorado.                      are fluent in English so they prefer to   Some of our mentors have enjoyed the
                                           be partnered with someone who             experience so much and found it so
In May, 2005 12 American librarians        knows their language. Although            rewarding, that they have signed up
from Colorado and Iowa will visit their    language can be important when            year after year.
Bulgarian partners and participate in      pairing participants, the areas of        For additional information about the
the ULISO conference that will be          librarianship in which they work are      IRRT Mentors Program, please
devoted to the ABLE project.               also important and used by the IRO        contact the ALA International
                                           when matching librarians.                 Relations Office by phone at 1-800-
Finally, we were thrilled to hear that     The mentors are given contact             545-2433 ext. 3201 or via e-mail at
we have received a second year of          information so that if they want to,      intl@ala.org.
funding from the State Department          they can get in touch with their
and will be able to bring the final six    guests and make plans before the
Bulgarian librarians from the original     conference
18 to the United States.                   Participants may conveniently meet
                                           during the International Librarians
For more information, contact Nancy        Orientation and Welcome Reception,
Bolt (nancybolt@earthlink.net) or          an event held early in the conference
look at the project website at             that includes a presentation of
www.cal-webs.org                           general information about ALA, the
                                           conference, the mentors program,
                                           and the host city.




 International Relations Office
   American Library Association                                                                         Postage
   50 East Huron Street
   Chicago, IL 60611 USA

				
 
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