Keywords
International partnership, strategic collaboration, training, preservation, sustainability
Description
How to keep an international collaboration beyond a one-time project? This is a challenge for many libraries. With support from the Henry Luce Foundation, Cornell University Library implemented a preservation training program for 16 librarian interns from 12 academic libraries in Mainland China and Taiwan during 2012-2016. The project aimed to enable the creation of a low-cost preservation infrastructure where little or none existed, and subsequently prolong the accessibility of these collections to researchers around the world. The most unique aspect is the program’s scalability and sustainability. The train-the-trainers model started with a six-week program on Cornell’s campus. Afterwards, Cornell sent two staff to conduct follow-up workshops in China, co-teaching with the graduated interns as practicing trainers. The inaugural workshop was orchestrated by the China Agriculture University Library. It trained 37 librarians, archivists, and technicians from all around China. The second, hosted by the Fudan University Library in 2017, trained 52. The third is being planned by the Wuhan University Library for 2018. By the end of 2018, the program will have placed more than 130 experts in diverse regions. Additionally, the China Agriculture University Library has added a new course on preservation to its master’s degree program in library and information science. Four libraries have established preservation laboratories. Interns have applied their skills in collection care, exhibits, disaster response, user and staff training, and disaster plan creation. A WeChat social network group has been formed to continue knowledge sharing. Cornell created an online preservation tutorial, translated it into Chinese with the grant funding, and made it openly available on the internet. This model supports scaling and sustainability through localizing trainers to allow open innovation and using social networks to maintain and grow relationships. It could be adopted by other areas of the world or for training programs in other aspects of librarianship.
Scaling and sustaining international partnerships – a case study
How to keep an international collaboration beyond a one-time project? This is a challenge for many libraries. With support from the Henry Luce Foundation, Cornell University Library implemented a preservation training program for 16 librarian interns from 12 academic libraries in Mainland China and Taiwan during 2012-2016. The project aimed to enable the creation of a low-cost preservation infrastructure where little or none existed, and subsequently prolong the accessibility of these collections to researchers around the world. The most unique aspect is the program’s scalability and sustainability. The train-the-trainers model started with a six-week program on Cornell’s campus. Afterwards, Cornell sent two staff to conduct follow-up workshops in China, co-teaching with the graduated interns as practicing trainers. The inaugural workshop was orchestrated by the China Agriculture University Library. It trained 37 librarians, archivists, and technicians from all around China. The second, hosted by the Fudan University Library in 2017, trained 52. The third is being planned by the Wuhan University Library for 2018. By the end of 2018, the program will have placed more than 130 experts in diverse regions. Additionally, the China Agriculture University Library has added a new course on preservation to its master’s degree program in library and information science. Four libraries have established preservation laboratories. Interns have applied their skills in collection care, exhibits, disaster response, user and staff training, and disaster plan creation. A WeChat social network group has been formed to continue knowledge sharing. Cornell created an online preservation tutorial, translated it into Chinese with the grant funding, and made it openly available on the internet. This model supports scaling and sustainability through localizing trainers to allow open innovation and using social networks to maintain and grow relationships. It could be adopted by other areas of the world or for training programs in other aspects of librarianship.