Beyza Yildirim's Testimonial

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.

Sarah Lorenzon Ferreira's Testimonial

I found out about the program through a post by Erica Saito on LinkedIn. I was immediately interested, as I saw that it would be a great opportunity to meet fellow professionals from other countries and get to know their routines.

I confess that I am not fluent in English, and one of the prerequisites was the language, but even so, I took a risk and signed up. To my surprise I was selected to participate in the program.
They put me in touch with Sezin from Turkey and Brian from the US. We managed to hold two meetings online, as everyone had hectic routines in their institutions, but we got along well via email.
I would like to be able to participate in other editions and I'm already trying to improve my English, because I realized that I could have had richer exchanges if it weren't for the language.
I really appreciate the opportunity and if possible I will apply again next year!

Hina Khan's Testimonial

Hina Khan (Mphil scholar)

Library and information sciences

University of peshawar Pakistan

public librarian

I am very happy to be a part of this program...In this, I had to meet with different countries regarding librarians...Got the opportunity to learn from this program.....  As a participant in the 2023 International Librarians Networking Programme (ILNP), I had a wonderful and fascinating experience that has left an extended impact on my professional and personal development. ILNP brings together librarians from many different countries and backgrounds, resulting in a lively and varied community of librarians who are passionate about their work.

My partner Sara who was from France,she was very obedient student  When ever asked a question, she explained in detail..  The experience of this program differs from the ‘‘speed dating‘ ‘style of networking and social gatherings typically performed by professional colleagues at conferences, seminars and workshops where time and focus remains a challenge. In my opinion, professional networking is much more than just introducing yourself, sharing interests, and having short conversations. Building a professional network is really about sharing knowledge, or at least learning something new from each other. ILNP meets all of the above criteria for developing a strong and sustainable network. I encourage all librarians to participate in this program. Because this program provides an opportunity to 'give back' as well as “take” meaningful learning form the fellow international colleagues...It is my wish that I will be a part of every program in the future...

Overall, the International Librarians Networking Program (ILNP) in 2023 was an exceptional experience that exceeded my expectations. The connections I made, the knowledge I gained, and the memories I created will undoubtedly shape my career trajectory and contribute to the advancement of the library profession. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to participate in ILNP and highly recommend it to fellow librarians seeking to expand their horizons and be part of a global community passionate about libraries...

Thanks organizers

Annierra Matthews' Testimonial

Annierra Matthews
United States of America
Douglas Academic Center (Mercer University)
Academic Library

My name is Annierra Matthews, and I am from Douglasville, Georgia in the United States of America. I am a Research Services Librarian for Mercer University, a private college. I help students and faculty with research, particularly, non-traditional or older students returning to school. There are different Mercer library campuses, and my library does not have any books. However, students can read electronic books online and borrow print books from other Mercer library campuses. 

During this program, I enjoyed learning about my partner, Farhana, and her life as a librarian in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We mostly communicated through e-mail and also used Facebook Messenger. We completed our poster in Google Sheets, so we could collaborate on the project at the same time. 

I learned that Farhana is an Assistant Librarian at the International Hope School, where she helps students and faculty find books and provides services, like research. Farhana loves learning from other librarians in the field, who can teach her new aspects about librarianship. I learned that Farhana has the same tasks as librarians in the U.S., such as creating book fairs, helping students, and implementing new technology. I admire Farhana’s passion for the field, especially her interest in technology. I also learned that Farhana uses the same resources as me, such as Google Scholar.

Furthermore, the both of us attended school to become librarians, and we both work with students. Farhana’s students are much younger than mine though. We both use technology at our jobs but have different goals for it. At my job, I want to help older students get comfortable with technology, since it is what they struggle with the most. In Farhana’s case, she wants the Internet and technology to be more accessible in her country. In Bangladesh, librarianship is not taken seriously, and men do not think women should be librarians. In my country, people have misconceptions about our jobs as librarians and often stereotype us, but they tend to think positively of librarians. They normally think we are really smart and love to read. In my country, women mostly dominate the library field instead of men. More work is being done to bring librarians from different cultural backgrounds into the field. 

Lastly, we had another partner, but we never heard from them throughout the duration of the program unfortunately. I really wished that Farhana and I were able to speak with them about their experience in librarianship. However, I am glad that Farhana and I were still able to make the best of the program. 

Overall, I had a wonderful experience in the International Librarians Networking Program (ILNP), and I would love to participate again next year. It was really awesome to know the similarities between me and Farhana as librarians, even though we live in different countries. I would definitely recommend this program to other librarians moving forward. 

Muhammad Akmal Ahmat's Testimonial

 Name: Muhammad Akmal Ahmat

Librarian

Universiti Sains Malaysia

Academic Library

As a participant in the 2023 International Librarians Networking Programme (ILNP), I had a wonderful and fascinating experience that has left an extended impact on my professional and personal development. ILNP brings together librarians from many different countries and backgrounds, resulting in a lively and varied community of librarians who are passionate about their work.

One of the most exciting aspects of ILNP was the opportunity to connect and interact with librarians from throughout the world. I was able to interact with professionals in the library sector who shared similar concerns and objectives through casual gatherings. These networking opportunities not only facilitated meaningful relationships, but also served as a forum for the sharing of ideas, best practises, and new approaches to librarianship.

Overall, the International Librarians Networking Program (ILNP) in 2023 was an exceptional experience that exceeded my expectations. The connections I made, the knowledge I gained, and the memories I created will undoubtedly shape my career trajectory and contribute to the advancement of the library profession. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to participate in ILNP and highly recommend it to fellow librarians seeking to expand their horizons and be part of a global community passionate about libraries.

Thanks organizer.

Gul Naz Akhter's testimonial

Gulnaz Akhtar

Pakistan

Main University Library

Academic Library

I am really impressed with the opportunities the ILNP program offers to build long-lasting international professional connections. The experience of this program differs from the ‘‘speed dating‘ ‘style of networking and social gatherings typically performed by professional colleagues at conferences, seminars and workshops where time and focus remains a challenge. In my opinion, professional networking is much more than just introducing yourself, sharing interests, and having short conversations. Building a professional network is really about sharing knowledge, or at least learning something new from each other. ILNP meets all of the above criteria for developing a strong and sustainable network. I encourage all librarians to participate in this program. Because this program provides an opportunity to 'give back' as well as “take” meaningful learning form the fellow international colleagues.