Quotes from the Fellows

Smita Chandra
2001 Fellow
India

"The time spent with experts from various fields and meetings with people who made an impact, respected and shared the same concerns, and had the distinct ability to make things happen, broadened my perspective and re-instated my confidence towards excellence in the field.  The discussions with peers and experts at OCLC helped me reevaluate my work, focus on realistic goals and draft a course of action for better contribution."

Maria Cherrie
2006 Fellow
Trinidad & Tobago

"Discussions with the decision-makers of major US libraries and the sponsoring organizations influenced my approach towards problem-solving and the policy-formulation in my work with the National Library & Information System Authority (NALIS).  I also had the opportunity to share my fellowship experiences with colleagues at NALIS, and collaborate with OCLC for information literacy initiatives."

Mac-Anthony Cobblah
2004 Fellow
Ghana

"The professional development plan that we were guided to develop has remained the guide for my career."

Hanan Erhif
2008 Fellow
Morocco

"My participation in the program changed my life!  I feel more and more proud to be an information specialist and I am more motivated to develop libraries in my country."

Janete Estevão
2006 Fellow
Brazil

"I could learn from multicultural colleagues we had the privilege to know, their difficulties and limitations, but also their stories of success and perseverance  in promoting a more egalitarian society through access of information."

Purity Mwagah
2002 Fellow
Kenya

"If you open your eyes, ears, and mind, and see it, hear it and think about it, it will be a life changing experience in your career that you will live not only to quote but also to act according to the learned principles as you go up the ladder in your career.  We still do, years down the line."

Festus Ngetich
2006 Fellow
Kenya

"The Fellowship was a wonderful opportunity for me.  It exposed me to a host of experiences.  I learned a lot about how Information and Communication Technologies have been applied to transform library operations and services as manifested through OCLC’s technological products and services.  I experienced the concept of library cooperation in its most pragmatic sense."

Pauline Nicholas
2007 Fellow
Jamaica

"The Jay Jordan IFLA/OCLC Early Career Development Fellowship was simply awesome and it was highly successful. It has inspired me to make a difference in my country in the areas of reference services, library cooperatives and electronic books."

Roman Purici
2006 Fellow
Moldova

"Every place we visited, whether a library or an OCLC partner organization, it was great to see dedicated people with a vision, and that vision was to offer great customer service to end users."

Ibrahim Ramjaun
2003 Fellow
Mauritius

"By interacting with different OCLC staff and living side by side with other Fellows from different regions of the world, my intellectual and cultural horizons broadened within a short time span."

Elisangela Silva
2007 Fellow
Brazil

"I learned more about planning and to think about daring goals.  We can do it!  We also can make the difference in our country: dream and make it come true!"