OCLC names librarians to participate in 2009 Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA,  11 August 2008  – OCLC, along with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the American Theological Library Association, today named librarians chosen to participate in the Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program for 2009.

The 2009 Jordan IFLA/OCLC Fellows were named by Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO, at a news conference during the IFLA World Library and Information Congress: 74th IFLA General Conference and Council in Québec, Canada.  The 2009 Jordan IFLA/OCLC Fellows are:

• Mr. John Kiyaga, Library Assistant, Uganda Christian University, Mukono, Uganda
• Miss Ani Minasyan, Circulation/Reference Librarian, American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
• Mr. Caleb Ouma, Librarian, Nation Media Group, Nairobi, Kenya
• Miss Saima Qutab, Librarian, Directorate General Mines & Minerals, Lahore, Pakistan
• Mr. Raymond Sikanyika, Senior Library Assistant, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia
• Ms. Vesna Vuksan, Head, Library Development, Belgrade City Library, Belgrade, Serbia

The Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program supports library and information science professionals from countries with developing economies. The program provides advanced continuing education and exposure to a broad range of issues in information technologies, library operations and global cooperative librarianship. Since its inception in 2001, the program has welcomed 44 librarians and information science professionals from 28 countries.

"This year's class adds representatives from Armenia and Zambia, two countries not previously represented in the program," said Mr. Jordan. "We are delighted to have such an outstanding group of enthusiastic library professionals to participate in this year's program. As I always tell the Fellows during their first week on our campus, we will learn more from them than they will learn from us."

During the five-week program, which will run from April 26 through May 31, 2009, the Fellows will participate in discussions with library and information science leaders, library visits and mentoring programs. Four weeks will be based at OCLC headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, USA, and one week will be based at OCLC in Leiden, Netherlands. Topics and issues explored include information technologies and their impact on libraries, library operations and management, and global cooperative librarianship.

Visits to selected North American and European libraries, library organizations, and cultural heritage institutions provide an opportunity for Fellows to meet leading practitioners and discuss real-world solutions to the challenges facing libraries today. By observing an OCLC Members Council meeting, the Fellows gain insight into issues affecting global library cooperation and are exposed to the governance of a global library cooperative.

Fellows turn their learning and experiences into specific professional development plans that guide their continued growth as well as their personal contributions to their home institutions and country of origin.

In May 2008, the OCLC Board of Trustees announced that OCLC would expand the program to include a sixth Fellow and that the program would be renamed the “Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship Program” in honor of Mr. Jordan's 10th anniversary as President and CEO of OCLC.

"Jay Jordan has been a tireless advocate for global library cooperation," said Larry Alford, Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees and Dean of University Libraries, Temple University. "Jay has met with librarians around the world to forge partnerships that benefit libraries and their users. He led the creation of the IFLA/OCLC Fellowship Program, and it is fitting that the OCLC membership honors Jay by naming this successful program after him."

The selection committee for the 2009 Fellowship program included:  Barbara Kemmis, American Theological Library Association; Sjoerd Koopman, IFLA; Janet Lees, OCLC; Nancy Lensenmayer, OCLC; George Needham, OCLC; Margaret Rouse-Jones, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago; Barbara Schleihagen, German Library Association, Berlin, Germany; and Ingeborg Verheul, IFLA.

The list of program sponsors now includes OCLC, IFLA, and the American Theological Library Association. The organizations that sponsor the Fellowship program are seeking additional sponsorships from other interested organizations. More information is available from George Needham, Vice President, OCLC Member Services at needhamg@oclc.org.

Application information for the 2010 Fellowship Program is available on the OCLC Web site www.oclc.org/community/careerdevelopment/fellows/.

About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC is a nonprofit library service and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation, library management and Web services to more than 60,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories. OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world's richest online resource for finding library materials. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.

About IFLA
Founded in Edinburgh in September 1927 during the International Congress of Libraries (the 50th Anniversary Conference of the British Library Association), IFLA www.ifla.org was established as a small association of mainly national library associations and academic libraries. Today, IFLA's purpose is to promote international understanding, cooperation, discussion, research and development in all fields of library activity, including bibliography, information services and the education of personnel, and provide a body through which librarianship can be represented in matters of international interest.

About ATLA
Established in 1946, the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) is a professional association of more than 1,000 individual, institutional, and affiliate members providing programs, products, and services in support of theological and religious studies libraries and librarians.  ATLA's ecumenical and international membership represents many religious traditions and denominations. For more information visit www.atla.com.

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