Purpose
The Librarian Exchanges Working Group was active from 2007 to 2020 and aimed to promote and intensify the professional exchange between librarians from Germany and North America. The Librarian Exchanges Working Group encouraged GNARP members to present at conferences and take part in professional visits and exchange programs. All members of the professional community: professionals, faculty staff, and students were encouraged to participate in these exchanges. The Working Group sought collaboration with other committees in Germany and North America that are pursuing similar goals.
Activities
The Librarian Exchanges Working Group sponsored a survey in 2009 to collect information from North American institutions willing to host library school student interns from German-speaking countries.
The Librarian Exchanges Working Group solicited reports in 2011 from North American librarians who have done library-related travel in German-speaking countries and librarians from German-speaking countries who have done a library exchange in North America. The reports can be viewed by GNARP members on the Library Exchanges Working Group Workspace.
Background
The Librarian Exchanges Working Group was formed in 2007 because the German Members of GNARP stressed an interest in having more exchange possibilities with libraries in North America. Furthermore, the Librarian Exchanges Working Group sought to promote professional exchange for American colleagues travelling to Germany. The Librarian Exchanges Working Group was dissolved in 2020 due to the lack of recent exchange activity.
The Working Group aimed to:
- identify the different needs of German and North American colleagues regarding exchange.
- provide a Web-based clearinghouse for exchange opportunities for all members of the professional community (professionals, faculty, students).
- list possibilities for the funding of various exchange activities
- promote and encourage the active participation in conferences in Germany, Canada, USA.
- help interested colleagues establish contacts with libraries in Germany and North America they would like to visit professionally.
- establish new forms of exchange programs, such as “virtual shadowing” (collaboration via e-mail, chat, video conference, and meetings in the virtual world).
Librarians working in areas where they can foster strong ties between Germany and North America are a crucial resource for GNARP.
Working Group Documentation
Meeting Minutes and other information related to the work of the Librarian Exchanges Working Group can be found in the Librarian Exchanges Working Group Workspace.
The Librarian Exchanges Working Group Workspace is a wiki tool that members can access to review and edit or add content. It is open only to GNARP Members. Contact the CRL representative for information on access to the Workspace.