Of all of SJSU’s core competencies, I found comp O to be the most daunting. Although in my professional job, I work with people from all over the world, I had never considered how I could contribute to the broader global community. I was under the erroneous impression that I, a mere student in a Masters program did not have the depth of knowledge or experience required to speak to the wider global community. Because of this fear, and my fear that I would not be prepared to master this particular competency, I enrolled in INFO 281: Examination of Global Library Issues Using Project-Based Learning. I was excited about the course, because I was interested in project-based learning, and because I thought that a project based class would help me to gain the experience and knowledge necessary to master this competency.

 

INFO 281 was taught by Professor Melanie Sellar, who was one of the founders of Librarians Without Borders. This organization works closely with partner organizations to assist information professionals in developing areas. For the course, students were divided into groups, based on topics that they were interested in, and with each topic there was a regional area assigned. My group and I ended up working on a project to propose and develop training materials for librarians in Guatemala. In order to do this, we had to study and gather background information about our area, and design solutions that would work with the particular challenge that our regional group faced. Taking this class was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about information organizations in other areas of the world, along with helping to devise solutions that could have an impact in these areas.

 

As access to the internet continues to spread to new areas, globalization expands. The spread of globalization can be used as a force for positive change from areas that lack resources, or lag behind in the global economy. One of the key changes and developments that access to the internet can provide is increased educational opportunities. Access to educational opportunities can help a community flourish, and this is what our group was trying to accomplish in its work to produce training for librarians in Guatemala. Providing training opportunities for information professionals can help these individuals to improve the quality of education in their organizations and neighborhoods. My experience in this course taught me that even graduate students can make a difference in the broader global community, and I am proud of the work that my group completed. I was able to prepare evidence for this competency and to continue to develop my instructional skills by helping to plan out this training.

 

Reaching out to partner organizations at the global level can build and contribute to partnerships that will prove beneficial to all parties involved. As information organizations, it is important to learn the ways in which other areas handle information needs, and what other organizations consider to be the fundamental or guiding principles for information professionals to be. Collaborating with our global counterparts also ensures that we continuously evaluate the ways that we do things, by comparing what we do to what other global organizations are doing.

 

Evidence

 

The first piece of evidence that I submit to demonstrate my mastery of this competency is an assignment that I completed as a part of my INFO 281 course on global library issues. For this assignment, I had to do research on my assigned area and organization (which was the Miguel Angel Asturias Academy, located in Guatemala) and create a profile for an individual stakeholder at the organization. This stakeholder could be a student, instructor, or informational professional, but in developing the profile, I had to present that person’s goals and challenges as they relate to the organization, and the library. In this case, my assigned organization was a school, and so I chose to make my stakeholder a newly hired information professional facing external pressures (like budgeting, and placing the library in the curriculum). This project demonstrates my mastery of competency O by demonstrating my awareness of the issues facing information professionals in other countries, and solutions to finding a way forward for areas with limited resources.

 

The second piece of evidence that I submit to demonstrate mastery of competency O is another assignment that comes from INFO 281. For this assignment, I had to discuss one of the solution pathways that my group was presenting as a part of our final project. Our topic was on developing training materials for information professionals in Guatemala. For this assignment, I discussed the difficulty in applying adult learning theory in the international context when educational level and background knowledge cannot be assumed. Most theories of adult learning come from developed countries, and it is difficult to apply them in other settings. I also discuss the importance of creating training within not only the regional, but the cultural context of the area as well. Cultural concerns and family values have a strong impact on the way that communities form, share resources, and evolve. Any program created for a different cultural environment must ensure that the cultural norms are considered when developing plans for training and development. This assignment demonstrates mastery of competency O by demonstrating my ability to plan and develop training for global community partners.

 

The third piece of evidence that I am submitting to demonstrate my mastery of this competency is the final project from INFO 281. This is a white paper that I created in collaboration with two other team members. For this project, we had to develop and propose solution pathways for training information professionals with one of Librarians Without Borders partner organizations. In order to create the proposal, we had to research the area, and what resources were available to our partner locations. Additionally, we had to research the history and cultural context of the community to ensure that the proposal would meet the needs of the partner organizations. We developed a broad range of solutions, some of which relied heavily on technology, and others less so. We also offered alternatives for areas where Internet connection is not guaranteed, so that those organizations could also benefit from the training. This project demonstrates my mastery of competency O by demonstrating my ability to develop a project that directly contributed to Librarians Without Borders and their partner organizations.

 

Conclusion

 

As access to the Internet spreads, so does the potential for global collaboration. On the surface, this can be a positive thing, but it is also important when working with people from other cultures to keep in mind your own cultural biases, which are not always evident. It is important to try and consider problems and solutions in the cultural and regional environment that they exist, in order to understand them more fully.