If five years ago Moldovan public librarians were just visiting foreign libraries to absorb new ideas for creating more social and economic opportunities for the communities they serve, today they have become an example to be followed by other foreign libraries.
On 16-19 October 2017, a group of 38 representatives of the ‘LIFE’ – Librarians for Everyone Program in Turkey visited Moldovan public libraries to learn best practices and absorb successful techniques that can help libraries achieve their goals of providing useful and attractive services for communities.
During the five-day visit, the Turkish delegation of librarians participated in meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Culture, local public authorities and national key library stakeholders, and went on site visits to raion and village libraries, including those from the Gagauzia Territorial-Administrative Unit, to explore the multitude of services and projects implemented by their Moldovan counterparts.
At Crihana Veche Public Library, the delegation was acquainted with the most recent modern services implemented by the library in areas of IT (trainings for seniors, digital storytelling), education and literacy (Intelligent and creative teenagers, Ludoteca), as well as services for children with special needs and sensory disabilities (“Learn to click”, “Sound and Color”). The Turkish colleagues expressed their high estimation of this small public library that has achieved great results while, like other public libraries worldwide, is facing a scarcity of financial and human resources.
“We are impressed and honored to have met with local public authorities from Crihana Veche. In Turkey, this approach is rare and librarians often do not have the opportunity to discuss library issues with mayors,” highlighted Mehmet Emin Kucuk, LIFE Project Director. “It is a great example of collaboration between libraries and local public authorities,” he added.
The Telenesti and Cahul Raion libraries were two other important stops during this visit, serving as great examples of community centers and collaborative institutions. In Telenesti, the Turkish delegation witnessed the most representative modern library services and initiatives in robotics (RoboClub), applications on tablets for children (PitiClick), and health services (Kitchen Library). The librarians also taught them how to use ‘Quik App’ to share photos and promote their services in an attractive manner. The LIFE program representatives showed great interest in all these services and invited the Telenesti Library Director to share their successes with the entire community of Turkish librarians at their project conference in June.
The Cahul library team also impressed Turkish colleagues with their Advocacy results and the additional investments in technology obtained as a result of active participation in the Novateca ‘1+1’ initiative. The Moldovan librarians have also shared their great experience in organizing a Community Festival in early September that promoted successful collaborations with national and local partners and redefined the roles assumed by the library. The Turkish librarians toured the American Corner and Financial Education areas, learning about the valuable resources and spaces they offer to users interested in learning English or starting a business, and surveyed the educational offerings and capacity building trainings offered at the Center for Professional Excellence.
While visiting the Bravicea public library, Calarasi raion, library services in areas such as media literacy (Bravicea Newsletter), agriculture (Business in Agriculture), and education (“A different school”) were exhibited, that back in Turkey are being implemented exclusively by the mayoralties.
“This successful visit is a great example that Moldovan public libraries have reached the potential to serve as role models and inspire their colleagues abroad to help their communities achieve a higher quality of life and benefit from diverse social and economic opportunities,” noted Evan Tracz, director of the Novateca program.
On the last day of the study visit, the Turkish librarians visited the National Centers for Professional Excellence and Training of the National Library, the National Library for Children and the Chisinau Municipal Library, where they participated in practical sessions and became familiar with the ongoing librarian professional development opportunities.
Novateca program is happy to witness Moldovan libraries sharing the remarkable results achieved in library services development, partnerships, advocacy and community outreach, and hopes this study visit will serve as a great opportunity to create new connections, strengthen the network of library professionals and continue to exchange best practices and innovations with the colleagues throughout the region.