I work as a librarian in the Reference Services department at the MEF University Library in Türkiye, Istanbul. The institution I work for has an innovative vision. As librarians, we direct our work in this direction and try to keep ourselves in constant change and development. My purpose of participating in the International Librarian Networking Program was to bring a different layer to our knowledge and experience about our profession by communicating with my colleagues from different parts of the world. As the process progressed in line with my goals and expectations, participating in the program provided me with a whole new vision and way of thinking about the profession of librarianship.
Throughout the program, I frequently communicated with my
partner Efizah Ramly, who works in Reference Services at the International
Medical University "Malaysia", via e-mail and WhatsApp. Together, we
had the opportunity to talk and discuss many topics such as our librarianship
experiences, the benefits and feelings of being a librarian, the technical work
we do in the library, and activities that will facilitate our professional life
and inform us of new approaches. Throughout this process, I was always excited
and happy to receive detailed feedback from my partner. It was priceless for us
to know and experience how close we are to each other no matter how far away we
are. I recommend all my colleagues to join the International Librarians
Networking Program to have this satisfying experience and expand their professional
network.