"ONE WORLD ONE LIBRARY NETWORK" Working Internationally for Libraries Conference 2021 June 25, 2021 CILIP Working Internationally for Libraries Conference was a one-day virtual event supported by Arts Council England, in partnership with Libraries Connected, British Library, British Council, Carnegie UK Trust, CILIP International Libraries & Information Group, and CILIP Public & Mobile Libraries Group. The 2021 Conference explored ways of connecting with library services and sector professionals from across the world to inspire and inform local library services. Speakers from a diverse range of regions – UK, Europe, Canada, Africa, and the Middle East - shared best practices, new ideas, and successful examples of international working projects. Recordings of the sessions are available here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8656926

2. 2
International partnership:
what makes a
successful project?
• Ayub Khan MBE & John Dolan OBE

3. Who we are
Ayub Khan MBE
• Past President, CILIP
• Head of Universal Services
Warwickshire County Council
• Chair, International Board, CILIP
John Dolan OBE
• Formerly, CILIP Board member
and Chair, Head of Library Policy,
MLA, Head of Birmingham
Libraries & Archives
• Consultant in Libraries &
Regeneration
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4. Over 5 years working together
• Answered invitation to “sense check” work on plans for new British
Council (BC) libraries in Pakistan
• Helped develop plans and build new libraries in Lahore and Karachi
• Continued working with the BC on other projects
• Worked on projects managed by the BC
• Projects included major external support and funding contributions
• National Governments
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Bangladesh, India et al)
• UK DCMS Cultural Protection Fund for Basrah Museum Library
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5. The range of our engagement
•British Council
• “The Library Revolution”
• South Asia
• Pakistan
• Myanmar
• Zimbabwe
• Digital Library South Asia
•Public libraries
• India: West Bengal
• Bangladesh
• Ireland
• Dubai
• Basrah Museum Library
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6. Poll question – please vote now
• What are key barriers to international collaboration for you?
• Time/Capacity? VOTE 1
• Funding? VOTE 2
• Travel? VOTE 3 (excluding Pandemic restrictions)
• Organisation approval? VOTE 4
• Finding partners? VOTE 5
• Other? VOTE 6
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7. Themes
• Policy and strategy
• Low-income countries wanting to modernise
• Consultation and engagement
• Modernisation
• Good practice
• Digital technologies
• Motivating UK library and information professionals
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8. Policy and Strategy
• Leadership
• Vision
• Purpose and aims
• Priority groups, communities, audiences, markets
• Desired outcomes
• Direction
• Planning.
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9. Ireland Two 5-year action plans
Opportunities for All
2013-2017
Our Public Libraries
2018-2022
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10. British Council The Library Revolution South
Asia
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Regional meeting
Sri Lanka
Everything to play for …

11. British Council Pakistan
Two building sites
Pop up libraries
Library Walls
Two libraries
… in 2 years!
With fantastic staff
Lahore August 2016
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12. British Council Pakistan
Karachi
August 2016
Planted courtyard
Café
Animated training & planning
Asst. High Commissioner support
New library, newly equipped and
stocked
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13. Dubai
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14. Low-income countries wanting to modernise
• Need to address
• Literacy and digital literacy deficit
• Access to information and communications
• Education and lifelong learning
• Priority groups include young adults, women, rural communities
• Strong literary traditions and affinity to libraries but libraries
• Basic, dated, ill-equipped
• Resources in poor condition
• Frequently used only for study space
• Little or no ICT
• But libraries seen as one of the solutions
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15. A packed Central Library in Dhaka At the counter
Acquisitions and
processing, a
slow manual
process
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16. Room for improvement in the
children’s library
Images of important historic leaders adorn the walls 16

17. The NGO Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, runs a beautiful library and a huge
fleet of mobile libraries reaching out to rural communities
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18. Consultation and engagement
• We stressed the importance of consultation and engagement of the
public – current and potential users- and staff both to deliver what was
need and wanted and to help guarantee ownership of the new facilities
and services
• Some examples include
• Ireland for the reinvigorated public library service nation-wide
• Zimbabwe for the British Council libraries
• Dubai for the massive new Mohammed Bin Rahseed Librarylibrary
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19. Dubai
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20. 20
Countrywide consultation programme with diverse groups of
users and non-users to assess needs, expectations and demands

21. British Council Zimbabwe
Bulawayo
• 6th floor of office
block
• central location
• modern facility
but tightly
packed
• 1980s (UK)
design
Harare
• Historic premises
• Weather permits
covered outdoor
desks, tables
• Dated furniture
and equipment
Harare
Bulawayo
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22. British Council Zimbabwe
Consultation workshops with users and non-users
Discussion continues during the break in the
gardens
Emerging themes
• Currency of resources
• More resources
• Study facilities
• Internet access
• Wifi
• “Finding the time”!
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23. Sharing good practice and innovation
• Study tours
• Same-sector libraries
• Libraries in other sectors
• Design, innovation, staff skill
• Meeting
• Library users (Warwickshire)
• Library leaders: Service heads. Creative staff. Innovation
• Policy makers: DCMS. Libraries Connected. CILIP
• Serves to inform, motivate and advocate
• Rewarding for host librarians
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24. Study tours for strategists and library
professionals
Library design and layout.
Attractive and accessible
Colocation / shared premises
Meeting the community to hear
their views
Video technology
Library management systems
Promotion in line with strategic themes
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25. UK Study tours. Good practice, experience
& innovation
Birmingham.
Warwickshire
Glasgow &
The Mitchell
Manchester
Southwark
Camden
Tower Hamlets
Chester Storyhouse
Liverpool
~~~
British Library
Wellcome
Collection
Shakespeare
Birthplace Trust
Portico Library
HOME, Manchester
~~~
DCMS
CILIP
Libraries Connected
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26. Digital technologies
• Essential for any economy in the 21st century
• Reach
• Urban and rural
• Demographic
• Increasingly tried and tested
• Accessibility
• Increases access to multiple resources
• First time users
• Inherently attractive to some demographics
• Financial
• Initial investment
• Increased cost-effectiveness
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27. Digital Library South Asia
• Crucial to learning, communications,
economic development
• Western stereotype of widespread usage
of digital devices but
• Nowhere near 100%. Significant variations
• Internet access not universal. Urban v. rural.
Cost v. income
• Limitations in digital information and literacy
• However,
• Global trajectory is digital
• Massive reach
• Remote communities.
• Geopolitics. Beyond security barriers (e.g. Iran)
• Extend local reach
• Single virtual library for all South Asia … even
roll out worldwide?
1
UKConnect
South Asia
BritishC
ouncil S
outhA
sia:D
igital LibraryS
trate
gy
2018-2021
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28. Basrah Museum Library
• Basrah Museum
• Former Saddam palace
• Gertrude Bell
• Preserving heritage
• BISI / Friends of Basrah
Museum
• Support from UK
Military, BM, DCMS
Cultural Protection
Fund
• Model museum for S.
Iraq
• ~~~
• Research Library
• Design and policies
• Cadbury Research
Library as model
• Staff training
• “Young archaeologists”
• Community Learning
Room
Library design & layout. Security v Access. Collection development. Digitisation.
Specialist needs. Local community. Education & learning. Evaluation. Outcomes
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29. Advocacy
• Upward advocacy
• Individual advocacy (Mr Noor)
• Systemic advocacy
• The challenge of political change and “whim”
• Peer persuasion
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30. UK Study tours 1: Demonstrating the case
Library leaders Bangladesh and UK
Audiences. Government aims. Aims and Objectives. Staff development. Community ownership.
Evaluation. National libraries. Heritage. Technical innovation. Digitisation. Stakeholder & public
consultation. Partnership. Collaboration. Professional Associations. HE Departments of LIS.
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31. UK Study tours 2: City - Community - Village
Priorities
• City and urban areas
• Village and rural
• Design, layout, access,
presentation
• Staff recruitment, training
and development
• Importance of trained
volunteers
• Consultation and
engagement
• Creative and community
activities
• Library Management
Systems
• Online resources and
networking
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32. Government, Institutions, Library schools,
Professional bodies …Stakeholder consultation
looking at collaboration and a focus on the future
of the library and information profession
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33. 33
Tanvir Murad Topu
Librarian Times 2020 https://bit.ly/38Ro8A8
Librarian Times 2019 https://bit.ly/38Ro8A8
Bangladesh: National Library Day 5th February

34. Cultural discovery
aka enjoying our trips
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35. Learning. Emerging themes. Success factors
• Community, Audiences and Markets
• An informed understanding of the likely and desired audiences
• The active engagement of communities in plans and programmes.
• Leadership
• Reflect the parent body’s fundamental policies.
• Strategic direction will envisage
• outcomes and impact
• inform a plan
• support its delivery.
• Partnership
• Position on a spectrum from complementary provision through constructive
friendship to joint working
• Early co-operation allows for sharing experience, benchmarking and target-setting.
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36. Learning. Emerging themes. Success factors
• Digital technology: General awareness of digital technologies was widespread,
sometimes informed but professional skill was limited. In some instances, there
was limited awareness of the power of library-specific technologies
• Staff: Training opportunities limited by lack of investment. In low-income
countries a hierarchical culture and limited awareness of the potential of change.
Many individual staff members stood out. Investment in training was encouraged
as a priority
• Users: In low-income countries users often restricted by regulation. New focus
emerging on the user and the user experience, mirrored by a more responsive
and proactive service model and delivery.
• Performance: Promoted the increasing importance of continuous performance
monitoring - both quantitative and qualitative – measuring user experience plus
wider reach and impact
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37. Collaboration
• You don’t need to get a job abroad to gain international experience. Colleagues from
overseas still look to the UK for inspiration and good practice in library provision.
Opportunities certainly exist
• Our experiences were exciting and fulfilling. We encourage others not to be afraid to work
abroad
• You are not alone. Working with international colleagues brings new rewards. You are often
part of a bigger project so your bit may not be so visible, but … you know you’ve been there
• Countries with different political and structural regimes and working cultures can seem
frustrating but the differences enrich the experience and form the context in which you
learn, adapt and grow
• You can achieve a lot online. In pandemic lockdowns, we have all learned remote-working
skills. For many projects you do not have to relocate - but if you do, you can get closer and
immerse yourself for a period in a new cultural environment.
• People and communities have needs and expectations that sit well alongside the British
experience. Perspectives on the library’s role are familiar while their future potential shows a
parallel trajectory to that in the UK. So much is transferable.
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38. Poll results
Discussion
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39. Poll question – What did you say?
• What are key barriers to international collaboration for you?
• Time? VOTE 1
• Money? VOTE 2
• Travel? VOTE 3
• Approval? VOTE 4
• Finding partners? VOTE 5
• Other? VOTE 6
• Discussion
• How would you overcome them?
• Are you ready to build a collaboration?
• What are the opportunities for you of collaboration?
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40. Thank you
John & Ayub
Discussion
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