The Fellowship Program, sponsored by IFLA and OCLC, is a four-week program based at OCLC headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, USA, that provides education and professional development opportunities for early career librarians from countries with developing economies. The 2018 program will run from 17 March to 13 April 2018.
A description of the program, along with dates for applications, selection and participation were announced today during the World Library and Information Congress: 83rd IFLA General Conference and Assembly in Wrocław, Poland. Details about the program, guidelines and applications are now available on the website. Deadline for applications is 6 October 2017.
The IFLA/OCLC Fellowship Program offers advanced continuing education and exposure to a broad range of issues in information technologies, library operations and global cooperative librarianship. The program has welcomed 85 librarians and information science professionals from 38 countries since its first class arrived in Dublin in 2001.
“The IFLA/OCLC Fellowship Program has had a tremendous impact on the professional lives of the individuals who have participated over the years,” said Skip Prichard, OCLC President and CEO. “The program is also impacting the profession around the world as these librarians are becoming leaders in their home countries, helping to shape the future of librarianship. We are proud to host these exceptional librarians as they begin their careers. They are inspired by the cooperative efforts and best practices demonstrated by libraries and librarians in the United States. We are just as inspired by the tremendous work they are doing in their home countries.”
The Fellows gain professional knowledge, visit leading institutions as models of librarianship and make contacts in the international library community that will help them progress for many years to come. Fellows also have opportunities to share their home customs and cultures with other Fellows, with colleagues they meet during the program, and with their hosts.
“I now see things from a different point of view,” said Rhea Jade Nabuson, 2016 Fellow from Philippines. “I am a better librarian, ready to overcome challenges faced by Philippine libraries.”
“The program has equipped me to further my career,” said Patience Ngizi-Hara, 2017 Fellow from Zambia. “It has been life-changing.”
Watch a brief video interview with Rashidah Bolhassan, from Malaysia, who was part of the very first IFLA/OCLC Fellows class. She is now the CEO of the Sarawak State Library in Malaysia.
Read more about the IFLA/OCLC Fellowship Program on the OCLC Next blog.
