April Moyo's testimonial

I was delighted to participate in the International Librarians Networking Program. During this program, I was matched with Mal’akh Ortega, who worked as a librarian in Mexico. We were able to connect via email and WhatsApp to exchange information and share about our own experiences in librarianship this far. If it were not for this program, I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to connect with her in this way, if at all. I truly appreciate the Program providing this outlet as a way to engage in the work of other librarians around the globe. We have still been in communication with each other beyond the end of the official program! 

I learned about things happening at her library and overall, we could exchange information about the way things have changed at work during the coronavirus pandemic. It was nice to be able to learn about our daily responsibilities, the operations and services in our libraries, management procedures, virtual programs, quarantine processes, etc. We were also able to share information about professional development opportunities (webinars, or other programs), as well as share personal aspirations, research interests, and professional goals in librarianship. We learned about not only how our libraries responded to the pandemic, but also how our respective government officials have responded on behalf of its citizens. It has been interesting to share dialogue around these issues for the past few months. My partner also emphasized how libraries/librarianship is viewed from her (and I assume others) abroad, from a perspective of someone living outside the USA, which was very insightful, as I have only worked and lived in the United States. We have discussed starting a project together, so hopefully that will come to fruition.

I am thankful for the ILNP for providing this outlet for librarians to connect and share information informally with each other. This environment fosters a unique connection between colleagues around the globe and a sense of community, especially during this difficult time. I hope to participate in a similar program in the future, so that I can meet more librarians and get to know more about others’ experiences in other places around the world. The IRRT has done a fantastic job with presenting webinars and other training, highlighting work happening in libraries in other countries throughout this summer. I am looking forward to more content in the Fall to continue learning and connecting with others, as I hope to one day work abroad. Perhaps in the future, we can also arrange a meet-up online for all of the participants to share experiences and see each other, to further enhance the program. 

Mal'akh Ortega's testimonial

At the beginning of the program, I was curious about the situation with other libraries around the world, especially with the chaos and the Pandemia Covid-19. This process was weird because the virtual work had the same no told rules for all of us: lots of work, internet problems, no schedules, and more work as usual times.

I appreciate the opportunity to share with April Moyo, how the librarians work in other universities in the United States of America and our conversations make me feel that the differences are less than our coincidences and expectations. The experiences that my partner has told me, let me understand how our work could make a better place for anyone who needs to make important decisions throughout their lives.
 
The libraries and their librarians in virtual spaces are the support of their study programs and the innovation with the e-learning without a doubt is the next step. In these times of Pandemic, I envision virtual work as an opportunity to improve communication among the library community. I hope that these types of cultural exchange programs help us to break down geographical barriers in order to implement new pedagogical strategies that can create a new online, multidisciplinary, and multicultural learning community.