Five librarians from Russia will observe how their American counterparts function when they visit Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lycoming College and the James V. Brown Library in Williamsport later this month as part of the Open World Russian Leadership Program, an initiative of the Center for Russian Leadership Development at the Library of Congress.
As host to the delegation from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, Penn College will be responsible for showing the Russian librarians and information managers how American libraries work. The Russian librarians will also have the opportunity to interact with government, local businesses and civic organizations, as well as experience local culture.
In addition, the librarians will attend a concert at the Weis Center at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, and have lunch with representatives of the Susquehanna Library Cooperative, the Pennsylvania Library Association and the Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania.
A welcoming reception will be held at Penn College's Thompson Professional Development Center from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28. The event is open to the public.
On Jan. 29, the Russian delegation will present a program at the Penn College Library entitled "A Conversation about Technology and Literacy in the Russian Federation Libraries."
The informal presentation, which is to be followed by a question-and-answer session, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
On Jan. 28 and Jan. 29 at Penn College, the delegation will hear library staff make a variety of presentations on the infrastructure, processes and technology needed to support information literacy. The group will also participate in library instruction for a small business class that will link the assignment to electronic and print resources by means of a Web page and then evaluate the information found.
On Jan. 30, the delegation will attend sessions at Lycoming College's Snowden Library, focusing on library instruction for liberal-arts students and addressing managerial changes for libraries. In the afternoon, the delegation will visit the James V. Brown Library, where children's services, business services, the Power Library, genealogy and local history will be discussed.
From 1-2 p.m. Jan. 31 at Christ Episcopal Church Parish Hall, Fourth and Mulberry Streets, Williamsport, Olga Kosogor of the Russian delegation will speak about "Electronic Exhibitions in the Mayakovskiy Public Library." From 2 to 3 p.m. at the Parish Hall, Dr. Michael Roskin, chairman of the Political Science department at Lycoming College, will present a program entitled "An American Looks at Russia." Both programs, as well as a luncheon beginning at 12:30 p.m., are open to the public. Reservations can be made by calling the James V. Brown Library at (570) 326-0536.
Before visiting Penn College, the Russian delegation will receive cultural and professional orientation at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and attend the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia.
The members of the Russian delegation are: Olga Pavlovna Chaykina, head of the Cultural Center, S.P. Krasheninnikov Scientific Library, Kamchatka Region; Kosogor, head of the Development Department, V.V. Mayakovskiy Central Public Library, St. Petersburg; Svetlana Anatolyevna Ovcharenko, executive director of the Togliatti Russian-American Cultural Center, Samara Region; Natalya Aleksandrovna Tsvetkova, chief librarian of the American Section and Internet-Class, Babushkin Scientific Library, Vologda Region; and Yelena Vladimirovna Andryushenkova, IRC Technician, Office of Public Diplomacy, American Consulate General, St. Petersburg.
The Planning Committee for the Russian delegation's visit includes: Marilyn Bodnar, professor and instructional services librarian, Penn College; Anita Casper, international programs specialist, Penn College; JoAnn Eichenlaub, circulation assistant, Penn College; Janet McNeil Hurlbert, associate dean and director of library services, Lycoming College; Dr. Henryk Marcinkiewicz, associate vice president for academic affairs, Penn College; Jennifer McLean, director of instructional technology/distance learning, Penn College; Lisette Ormsbee, interim director of the Penn College Library; Patricia Scott, assistant professor, collection development librarian, Penn College; and Janice Trapp, director of the James V. Brown Library.
The nonprofit Academy for Educational Development administers this and similar Exchanges for the Center for Russian Leadership Development. The AED specializes in education, research, training, policy analysis and innovative program design and management.
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