Who is international? Turns out, we all are. As each of us possess an accent, so too are we international. This is one theme which emerges from Karen Bordonaro’s new book, International Librarianship at Home and Abroad (Chandos). Bordonaro is a Liaison Librarian in the Gibson Library, and has been an ESL instructor at Brock University. The book was informed by personal experience – Karen is an American who commutes daily to campus – and a survey of 300 librarians from around the globe. In an era of intensifying internationalization in higher education, the book reinforces that libraries are an integral piece of these efforts. Working abroad is one way of being an international librarian, but there are other ways to achieve a global mission right here at home. Among the responses received from survey participants, supporting study-abroad students and working with international students, as well as hosting and mentoring librarians from abroad, are international activities. Contributing library material and expertise – the work of Librarians Without Borders, is also cited. Karen notes, “libraries connect people and resources across boundaries.” International librarians are “one profession, many communities, connecting to each other to promote learning globally and locally.”
International Librarians at home and abroad by Karen Bordonaro will be available soon in the Gibson Library.
