Egyptian Librarians in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — On Thursday, Sept. 14, seven librarians from Egypt on tour of libraries in the United States will stop at the Fayetteville Public Library and the University of Arkansas Libraries. They will also tour the University of Arkansas Press while in Fayetteville.

Hosted under the auspices of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, the librarians are in the United States to examine issues in contemporary librarianship such as:

• The diversity of American library services including information and technology services, public access and databases

• The organization of library departments (circulation, reference) and use of volunteers

• Branch and mobile library services

• Services for different groups including children, disabled persons, non-native speakers and senior adults

• Community partnerships for cultural events and educational programs (e.g., on environmental issues)

• Internet and print trends in public library collections

• Digital collections and methods of digitizing printed materials

• Management issues such as evaluation and design of computer systems

• Cooperation among institutions with digital collections

• Training programs for librarians and volunteers

• Freedom of information and privacy issues

• National and international networks and professional library associations.

The tour began in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 3-9 with visits and training sessions in the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Library Association. The group then went to Jackson, Wyo., a small generally affluent community where 88 percent of adults have a library card. The visiting librarians were instructed on the county’s goals, strategic plan and community involvement.

This week, the group is in Tulsa, Okla., where the focus is on library resources for under-represented groups such as Native and African Americans and Hispanics. While in Tulsa, the librarians will visit the Muscogee Creek Nation Library/Archives, the African-American Resource Center of the Tulsa City-County Library and the Hispanic Resource Center.

After leaving Tulsa, the next stop will be Jacksonville, Fla., where they will tour the International Visitors Corps and will learn more about the “destination library” concept (shops, meeting rooms, cafés, etc.), the mayor’s illiteracy initiative, Internet access, children protection, and freedom of information issues, including a discussion with Florida Times Union staff on the state’s open government and public access law.

The visit will conclude in New York on Sept. 20-23 with tours of the historic New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, Columbia University’s Butler Library, and the research library in the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island.

The participants include: Hany Abdel Sattar Mahmoud Agag, manager, Mobile Library, Integrated Care Society; Riad Taher Radwan Diab, general coordinator of Regional Libraries, Mubarak Public Library; Amany Shoukry Abbas Hassan El Gindy, information services supervisor, Cultural Center Library, Integrated Care Society; Osama Mohamed Hassan Mahmoud, technical director and librarian, Maadi Public Library; Amr Mohamed Abd El Salam Mohamed, Shobra El Kheima Public Library, Integrated Care Society; Tarek Mahmoud Abbas Ahmed Mohamed, director, Mubarak Public Library, Port Said; and Amaal Mohamed Abd Al Rehim Moustafa, director, Mubarak Public Library, Hurghada.