Our colleague Ziad Kaj from the Collection Development Department at the University Libraries attended the 2nd Istanbul International Library Staff Week at Koç University in April 2019, as part of the Erasmus + Mobility Exchange Program.
The 2nd Istanbul International Library Staff Week was held at Koç University’s main library, under the title of: “Changing Roles of Academic Libraries in the Digital Era” , and was attended by professional librarians from USA, France, Taiwan, Spain, Austria, Greece, UK, Ghana, Portugal, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Sweden, Norway and Lebanon.
The presentations were all very engaging and enlightening and were given under 5 main topics: “Libraries for Happy Users”, “Cultural Heritage Related Projects”, “Design Focus Thinking”, “Libraries on the Digital Move”, and “Space and Storage”.
Ziad's presentation was entitled: “A Writer At The Collection Department” in which he elaborated about his duties and his experience as a writer, benefiting and gaining knowledge from his work and, at the same time, adding quality and giving more input.
The event included some time to skip formalities with a session including tips of surviving the Turkish language, as well as several exercises to break the ice and get to know one another.
The event also incorporated visits to the Ottoman Archives, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Library and Archive, Koç university’s library tour, Istanbul University's manuscript library and museum, the Beyazit Library and Archives, a tour of the Bosphorus and a Gala dinner .
The wrap-up of the event was a lecture on “Mindfulness for everyday living” including exercises to relax.
We would like to thank Koç University for the unmatched hospitality and for the wonderful experience, looking forward to collaborating with their libraries as always.