Dear Diary, Jambo (Swahili = Hello)
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Hurry Up & Wait!
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That was basically the hardest adjustment at the conference. There was how shall I say, not the same sense of urgency about punctuality as at American Conferences. But whats an hour here or there. That just allowed more time to network.
It also allowed me extra time to talk to some of the approximately 20 vendors in the exhibit hall. I skimmed Elsevier and Blackwell's brochures, because we already have access to their material. I was looking for smaller publishers or book vendors to see if they had titles relevant to my collection development duties focusing on the African Disapora. I met a handful, but some were eliminated because they only published books in Swahili (understandably). A few vendors I met were:
Mkuki na Nyota Publishers
http://www.mkukinanyota.com/
Booksellers Association of Tanzania
Telephone # 255 22 2183554
Dawson Books (Professional Choice for Librarians)
http://www.dawsonbooks.co.uk/news/stories.html
I also met people from the University of Dar es Salaam
http://www.udsm.ac.tz/library/index.htm
and the University's Press
http://www.dup.co.tz/
and the National Library of South Africa
http://www.nlsa.ac.za/
I thought it was funny that some people upon hearing I was from an academic library in America, they immediately assumed that I worked for NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, because of their reputation / collection. Ha! But I was the only American there or so I was told.
It is good to be home and back at work. The trip to Tanzania was amazing. I met so many people. The most interesting man I met was from Ireland. He was hired to work in a Nigerian library after he applied. No interview. Nothing. Wow! He worked there for 8 years and now is back in the UK but after he left the SCECSAL conference in Tanzania, he was going to teach a summer course at the University of Hawaii on International Librarianship!!! This proves the possibilities are endless with this profession.
This conference was unalike any I'd ever attended. I have been to the Medical / Special / American and Indiana Library Association Conferences but this was different. During on speech, there were sporadic Traditional African Dance Routines performed. It was amazingly entertaining. There were birds flying around the stage. The computers kept crashing but it was still a valuable professional experience. I cannot express how greatly I have benefited from this opportunity.
I met a librarian who works at the relatively new, Muslim University in Morogoro. He has gotten 400 books donated from the American Embassy but still needs more English texts (old or new) and even fiction if need be. I told him I will see if there are people at Notre Dame who can help him also.
http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2005/10/21/52325.html
This opportunity made me think of the Twinnings project at IFLA, for more information see here: http://www.ifla.org/VI/2/p1/int-par.htm
It was a long trip there and back. I took a 3 hour bus ride to O'Hare. Waited for 6 hours to board my 8 hour flight to Amesterdam, had a 3 hour layover before my 10 hour flight to Dar es Salaam. The return trip took even longer since we had to stop in Cairo, Egypt to refuel. And i was stuck in the middle seat. There was absolutely no leg room but at least I can say it was "WELL WORTH IT!"
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I attended a field trip to the University of Chicago campus yesterday to tour the Center for Research Libraries http://www.crl.edu/. I was pleasantly surprised to meet an employee named James Simon who works in Area Studies Microform Projects (AMPs). James attended the SCECSAL conference 2 years ago. It is a small world.
I have to go. I am submitting an article describing my perspective on the SCECSAL conference in Tanzania. I want to type it while it is fresh in my mind.
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Oh yes, I took a safari for vacation. My travel agent who is wise beyond his years discouraged me from going all the way there and only staying 3 days. Not to mention the 8 vaccination shots I had to suffer through along with 2 months of anti-malaria meds and upset stomachs ever since. UGH!!
