They are young, they are bold and they are connected – and they are the future of our libraries. 19 emerging international voices discuss the role of digital libraries – and digital technologies in libraries – in their countries. Join the discussion and participate in a series of online seminars with the best experts in the field.
Seminars and Workshops
Goethe-Institut
DESIGN SPRINT WITH THE EMERGING INTERNATIONAL VOICES
Would you like to join the Emerging International Voices in a short design sprint in order to tackle the question: How might we improve our services for users with limited internet access and/or knowledge and find solutions together with experts and members of the target group?
Our plan is to develop prototypes together and present them at the IFLA WLIC conference 2021.
If you sign up, we expect you to attend all three 3-hour sessions on the 10th, 14th and 15th August 2021. There are two different time zones to choose from: 9-12 AM CET or 3-6 PM CET
26th May, 3 - 5PM CEST, online Open Access, Infodemics and Libraries. Exploring the global equity of science
Returning for a second year, IFLA and Goethe-Institut present the second #EmergingInternationalVoices webinar, this time organised by the young librarians who participated in our successful series from last year!
This year we will be discussing: Open Access, Infodemics and Libraries, exploring the global equity of science.
How did the COVID-19 Pandemic affect access to Open Access research, including of course access to reliable and correct information about the Pandemic itself?
How can libraries solve these problems?
Join us in what will be another thought-provoking discussion from librarians across the world with contributions.
Is there a recipe for a successful digital library?
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? It’s a wonderful digital life: promoting digital skills in the library field
Notwithstanding the advanced development of digital libraries and services in Portugal, as mentioned in the previous article, there are still many ways in which we can develop and improve our work.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? The Same Question on All Minds: What Awaits Libraries?
Libraries managed to maintain their importance during the period of digital transformation. But some has had it easier than others, when tackling new challenges during the pandemic. And one big challenge is still ahead of them.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? If you want to go far, go together
There is an African proverb that says: ‘If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ Emerging International Voices proved this.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? For the love of libraries
As I sit writing this end report, balancing my 7-week old baby on my stomach and trying to remind myself how to touch type, it’s impossible to reflect back on the Emerging International Voices (EIV) seminars from October without having my son in my mind.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Together we can save the world of knowledge
The most important thing in today’s world is to be connected, and only in that way can libraries overcome the difficulties that they encountered during the pandemic.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Finding balance between digital and physical in libraries
Digital libraries have been put in the spotlight during this pandemic. Offering digital services may sound simple, but is in fact very complicated due to the reality of bad internet connectivity and difficult accessibility. And there are even more difficulties.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Digital or no digital, where is the library?
Everyday difficulties with juggling different priorities at work can make thinking about future libraries challenging. How to find the right balance between resources, platforms and users' needs?
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Crossing the threshold: push-pull strategies in digital libraries
Too pushy? Sometimes libaries seem to push too hard to get attention. To consolidate communities around digital libraries, push-pull strategies should be considered when developing content of value for audiences.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Digitalisation helps libraries extend their borders
During the 2020 crisis libraries have had a chance to become an entry point to the digital world for many service users. Digital technologies can give libraries a distinguished role in the life of modern society.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? The most frequented cultural institutions in Germany
Digitisation poses challenges for all libraries - and even more so for those in small towns and rural areas. But there are ways to meet these challenges.
Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Digital services? Yes, but I’m not going alone
Shared, victory tastes sweeter and defeat is less bitter. Digital services are a challenge, and although not being alone does not diminish the challenge, it does increase the resources with which to face it.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? The Power of Collaboration: libraries’ joint efforts to face the COVID-19 pandemic in Bolivia
Libraries have faced multiple troubles throughout history. Despite these obstacles, librarians always find a way to make a better world for their patrons.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Regular Library Online: Three Strategies for Success
How can a regular library achieve success online? What to do if there are no resources or audience on social networks? Three simple strategies for working with libraries online and a small bonus about charisma.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Libraries and Thinking
It was a big step for a community library in New Delhi to build a digital library during the lockdown. This global platform highlighted the potential of what digital libraries can accomplish, provided they are accessible.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? The Future of Digital Libraries: One Platform, many Motivations
The digital shift around libraries provides an opportunity for information professionals to explore the provision of better services. This enables us to engage in a futuristic vision of how one platform could support many users with diverse motivations.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? The loss of ‘sense and sensibility’ in an age of Covid-19 and digital libraries
While more and more digital libraries emerge, the emotional needs of library patrons and staff cannot be be met as they were before Covid-19. Personal reflections on the pandemic, digital libraries and mental health.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Having our users at heart in ever-changing times
Our current reality will shape the way libraries work in the future, but no matter which way we go, as long as we keep our users in mind, it will be thea right way.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? New ideas, new questions, but more importantly: a whole new network
How do you move on from a programme that kept your mind buzzing with new ideas and provoked so many new questions? Lizet van de Kamp reflects on her biggest takeaways from Emerging International Voices.
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Is there a recipe for a successful digital library? Distribution of Knowledge instead of Competition
How to make digital libraries accessible for everybody? How can an online community be formed? And how cooperating can make these big questions more feasible?
Emerging International Voices
Meet the global network of Emerging International Voices: young digital experts at their institutions and advocates for the future of libraries.
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Lisbon, Portugal Rita Aleixo
A young librarian passionate about rare and old books, and excited to learn more about the digital world.
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Ankara, Turkey Nilay Cevher
A research assistant and a PhD candidate working at the Department of Information Management at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey
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London, UK Rachael Culley
Curates collections and digital content in the library and cultural sector. Passionate about literature in the Americas, dance and musical theatre, and all-things bibliophilic.
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Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Ejla Ćurovac
An information science enthusiast who spreads a love of books.
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Iloilo City, Philippines Allana S. Delgado
Librarian and writer passionate about learning new things and dreams of exploring the world.
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Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation Daria Klenova
A librarian working to see the results.
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Bangalore, India Geetha M
An accident prone with spurt of new ideas that I try to implement in field of learning and understanding.
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Beniarbeig, Valencia, Spain Pau Banyó Magraner
A Valencian rural librarian who believe the libraries are more than books.
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Abuja, Nigeria Damilare Oyedele
A Library Advocate and Librarypreneur harnessing advocacy and also support for the resuscitation of libraries in schools and communities in Africa, working from Nigeria with Library Aid Africa.
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Moscow, Russia Ilya Rogovenko
Head of the project office in a library system in Moscow with advanced digital and creative skills.
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New Delhi, India Simpy Sharma
A college student in New Delhi, India, connected with the free library movement as astudent-leader of The Community Library Project.
I’m an art educator currently using library as my playground.
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London, United Kingdom Naomi Smith
An unconventional Librarian and Library and Information Studies Student who hopes to use the knowledge gained from an MA degree in Race and Resistance within the Library Sector.
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Jakarta, Indonesia Madiareni Sulaiman
A research data librarian,from Archipelago Country (Indonesia), with her glasses on to see dynamic data.
A choir leader and music librarian from Kodály Zoltán’s city, Kecskemét.
Statements on Digital Libraries
We asked the participants of the programme how they felt about the state of digital libraries in their home countries.
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Statement on digital libraries The digital yellow brick road: Portuguese libraries’ journey
The Portuguese National Library was the pioneer of digital libraries in Portugul. In less than two decades, its digital library evolved from a small digital collection to a large network and content aggregator - setting the standard for other libraries in the country.
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Statement on digital libraries Who wants to talk to the grumpy librarian?
Libraries in Turkey have an image problem. Nilay Cevher reflects on the current situation of literacy, reading and libaries in her country - and looks at what needs to be improved.
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Statement on digital libraries Keeping the library ‘digitally open’
Rachael Culley gives a behind-the-scenes tour of the social media strategy of the British Library and tells what the most important learnings from the content production during the lockdown were.
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Statement on digital libraries A library without a librarian it is worthless
Libraries have always been extremely important for every community because they are centres of information, culture, and education, and in them we always have access to relevant, recent and verified data. The most important person in all of this is the librarian.
Statement on digital libraries Increasing importance of social media tools
For years digital services took a very humble place among other types of library services. During the COVID-19 crisis the role of digital offerings has become significantly more important. Nowadays most of the libraries in Russia, no matter how small they are, use technology to improve services for customers.
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Bridging the digital divide
In India, where top 10% of the population holds 77% of the wealth and close to 80% of the population live in extreme poverty due to lack of access to educational and employment opportunities, the digital divide is only increasing this gap. Access to digital libraries is vital in bridging this divide.
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Statement on digital libraries New opportunities, new challenges
The digital library landscape in Spain varies widely, reports librarian Pau Bañó Magraner. In recent years, he observed an opening of libraries to the platforms already used by the customers – leading to new opportunities but also challenges for librarians.
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Statement on digital libraries Infrastructure, flexibility, user-friendliness and accesibility
Damilare Emmanuel Oyedele tells a personal story of libraries transforming the human mind and shows how digital ressources can reach more users.
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Statement on digital libraries Storytelling, poetry and hand washing
Russian libraries were very creative in the lockdown period. What can other libraries learn from the best practice examples?
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Statement on digital libraries Helping the community through difficult times
Closed colleges, closed schools, closed libraries. In times of Corona digital libraries are needed more than ever. Not only do they provide food for the minds of the young, they also help libraries stay connected with their members. But there are not only advantages.
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Statement on digital libraries The old, the new and the unknown
In the course of the pandemic, newly created and existing offers were made accessible to the library customers. But one of the biggest challenges remains making these offers known.
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Statement on digital libraries Digital divide between academic and public libraries
The accesibility of digital services is a question of budget and priorities. What strategies do academic and public libraries in the UK adopt?
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Statement on digital libraries Supporting open data and open government
How can specialist libraries transform themselves in order to serve the communities better? On the importance of open data and making information available.
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Statement on digital libraries Break the digital landscape free from borders
The lockdown in Brussels has been an acceleratof of change towards digital services for libraries. But how to bring that typical library experience into peoples' homes through a screen?
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Statement on digital libraries Building on the natural curiosity of people
Katona József Library offers a wide range of digital services: knowledge repositories, portals with digital collections, maps and walks. How can these help to retan readers?
#EmergingInternationalVoices in Social Media
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Past Seminars und Presentations
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Recording available soon Digital(ised) Libraries: Why? What? How?
The first session focused on what we mean when we talk about digital libraries. Paricipants explored the different ways in which digital tools can enhance existing library services, as well as making it possible to offer new ones. The focus was put on the process of creating digital libraries: how can we make sure that we create platforms that suit the users’ needs?
With Partha Pratim Das (National Digital Library of India) and Katie Moffat (The Audience Agency)
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22nd October 2020, 1PM - 2PM CEST Competitors, Comparators, Complements? Digital libraries and Internet Giants
There have been many obituaries written for libraries, and yet they remain stubbornly present and popular with communities. Nonetheless, the rise of commercial internet platforms, facilitating both access to information and other everyday activities, does oblige the field to think about how libraries prove their ongoing importance for society. The participants in this session explored questions around the purpose and value-added of libraries in a world of digital platforms, what we can learn, and where we can focus.
With: Marie Ostergaard (Aarhus Central Library) and Harry Verwayen (Europeana)
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15th October 2020, 1PM - 2PM CEST From a Physical to a Virtual Community Space: What is Possible?
Libraries are often seen as ‘third spaces’, or a key part of the ‘social infrastructure’ of the communities they serve. Much of this is based on the physical spaces they offer. We want participants to be able to explore the question of how increased use of digital tools – in particular remotely from the library – is likely to affect this aspect of libraries’ work. What do we know about how people interact with digital offerings, and how both to attract new users and keep those who are already there?
With Kathrin Schuster (Munich City Library) and Luke Swarthout (New York Public Library)
About the Project
They are young, they are bold and they are connected – and are they the future of our libraries. 19 emerging international voices discuss the role of digital libraries – and digital technologies in libraries – in their countries. Join the discussion and participate in a series of online seminars with the best experts in the field.
The three online seminars will take place on the 8th, 15th and 22nd October 2020 at 1PM - 2 PM CEST and will be open to the public. The seminars will be followed by a 45 minute masterclass with the speakers during which the participants of the Emerging International Voices Programme will have a chance to discuss the subject further. The outcomes of the project will be published on a platform goethe.de/EmergingInternationalVoices as well as IFLA website in the form of statements and articles by the participants as well as a collection of best practice examples of libraries worldwide engaging with their communities digitally.
"Emerging international voices" is a joint project of the Goethe-Institute and IFLA. Its long-term purpose is to establish an international network of young individuals engaged in library advocacy in their countries. The participants had been chosen by the local Goethe-Institutes in an open call process.
