off-topic: Inform the World Volunteer

[IFLA 2003 Berlin Sekretariat <ifla2003secr _at__ sbb.spk-berlin.de>]

Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen,

Bibliothek Information International hat folgende Ankuendigung erhalten,
die ich Ihnen gerne zur Information weiterleiten moechte.
Mit besten Gruessen,
Barbara Schleihagen
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Hello, I am a US librarian seeking help to publicize an opportunity that

might be of interest to some librarians in your country.  It's an
international librarian volunteer program that is offered by an NGO
based here in the US, The World Library Partnership, with trips next
summer to both Latin America and South Africa.  We are especially
seeking volunteers from Europe this year.  Would you be willing to send
the announcement below out to library or information people in your
country, perhaps place it in a newsletter or put it on an email
discussion list?  Any questions, please contact me, or check out the WLP

website at www.rtpnet.org/wlp  Thanks in advance,

Peggy
--
Peggy Schaeffer
hullp _at__ mindspring.com

Inform the World 2002    Destinations: Honduras and South Africa

Spend the summer of 2002 helping communities gain access to the
information they need to build a better future. In light of the recent
tragic
events in the USA the WLP believes that global education and
cross-cultural
exchange are more important then ever.  As an Inform the World (ITW)
Volunteer
Librarian, you can use your professional skills to help rural librarians

in South Africa or Honduras. Instead of spending the summer battling
with
your online catalog, you can teach a class on book repair, conduct a
workshop
on outreach or fundraising or read stories to a group of eager children.
If
living and working in these areas sounds like a challenge you would
enjoy, join us for this exciting service project.

Who: The World Library Partnership (WLP) is a nonprofit organization
dedicated to building global understanding by promoting literacy,
learning and access to information. We believe that libraries empower
individuals and enrich communities and we advocate for sustainable,
community-based libraries in developing areas of the world.  By
supporting libraries and
librarians, WLP mobilizes the power of information to make the world a
better place for all. The World Library Partnership (WLP) will be
working with a variety of organizations to coordinate the ITW 2002
projects.

What: The Inform the World Program will train and place professional
librarians from around the world. The volunteers will conduct practical
service projects determined by the needs of their South African and
Honduran host libraries. Previous ITW volunteers have trained librarians
in
basic skills such as how to inventory, weed, repair, and catalog books.
They
also used their knowledge and creativity to help libraries reach out to
and
meet the needs of their communities. They have painted murals, taught
workshops, made display boards, produced publicity fliers and pamphlets
and
helped clean, brighten and re-organize libraries.  They have worked on
projects
ranging from creating a bookmobile to training students to work in their

own libraries. After returning to the home, the volunteers also work
with
WLP to design projects that will continue to help the libraries they
visited.

When:     South Africa: July 15th to August 15th
          Honduras: June 9- July 9
These dates are subject to change by a few days on either side,
depending upon the needs of our hosts.  The volunteers will have three
days of
training in Africa or Honduras and will then travel to their host
libraries where they will spend three weeks working on service
projects.  The
ITW volunteers and their host librarians will reconvene for a book fair
and
a debriefing/evaluation session at the end of the program.

Eligibility:  WLP invites professional librarians and library school
students from all disciplines to apply.  We will also have placements
for several Information Technology professionals. Flexibility, a sense
of
adventure and the ability to adapt to very basic living conditions are a

must. Basic conversational Spanish is required for the Honduras program.

Fluency in English is required for the South Africa program.

Cost:  The cost of the trip is US$2,200. This includes placement,
training, materials, in-country orientation and debriefing,
accommodations, most
meals, site visit by the trip coordinator during the project, and
in-country transportation.  WLP can provide materials and suggestions to
help
volunteers secure additional funding from other sources.   Note: Airfare

is NOT included in the cost of the trip.

Deadline: The Application Deadline is January 18th, 2002. We welcome
early applications. We will interview qualified applicants by phone and
announce the final selections by the end of February.  Application is
found at:
http://rtpnet.org/wlp/itw2002/ITW02.htm or contact Maggie Hite
hitem _at__ ils.unc.edu or Mary Alice McCarthy mamccart _at__ email.unc.edu.

--
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IFLA 2003 Berlin Sekretariat
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