Hello everyone – this is Harvey Varnet from Kuwait, forwarding along another blog from Abdul Latif. I did some very minor editing, as he asked me to do – corrected group names, etc. I do not try to rewrite his use of the language, as I feel he can communicate his thoughts and feelings quite well without my undue assistance.
Enjoy – this is a young colleague full of promise!!
July 24, 2006
Hi every one,
Khairy, Abdul latif is here again,
I would like here to share with you here – as I have promised you in my 1st Blog – some thoughts about what happened in the training course in UAE, there is too many things to talk about too, so, I will try to tell you about what happened briefly.
In the 1st morning, we met almost all friends that we have met last summer in Amman, except Cynthia & Ian who were coming later, & there are new 3 persons in the lecturers group, they were Michael, William & Sid, & we met at last Carla, who we knew her through e-mails only.
In our 1st lecture, all of us were in the same classroom, we introduced ourselves to each other, then Michele & some of lecturers talked to us briefly, & then we split into our 4 groups, which were (Digital libraries & automation, Collections management & development, Preservation, Cataloging & classifications ) .
I was in the Digital libraries & automation group, we were 11 participants in this group, it was the largest group. We start with Michael, he is a very intelligent person, we learn from him too many new things, his lectures in digital libraries course was about Database issues, Database types, Networking issues, Software & Hardware issues, I was very eager to learn more from him, but you know that the program was already too late ( because of Visas, airplane reservations…. as I have told you before). In the same time, I am one of a team ( which includes Mrs. Juwan – one of our course group too, & Rasheed, Falah – the other young man from last summer – one of preservation group, & some other peoples ) which plan to create a new digital library in Iraq, by digitizing the Iraqi Academy of Science collections, so we were very interested in this course.
Next, we have Cynthia, which was one of my favorite lecturers from last summer course, because she deals with the thing that I always prefer ( ICT ), she gave us too many useful things about Database interfacing, Searching strategies, Web development and Information Architecture, Site planning & design, Classification, Labeling, Navigation & search, & Evaluation & usability.
For sorry, her lectures were too short, because of the same thing ( time issue ), but I
think that she was clever enough to learn from the course of the last summer in Amman, & the time problems that she faced, she gave us a CD contain all the things that she was planning to give us, & many many things that related to it, such as readings, websites, … ets.
In the middle of this course, Carla & Michael were have to leave us, because they have another important things to do, we were very sad to see them going so fast.
Beside the lectures & specific groups, this year program is different from the last year, because it contain a very interesting thing, which was the ” Field Trips”, they took us in number of field trips to many different Institutions in UAE, & each of these institutions contain a different model of libraries. For me, the best of these libraries was the library of American University of Sharjah, it was very unique, in its building design – which has been created by the cooperation between engineers & librarians, computerized systems, the many many rooms for different use & users, & the most thing that I liked was the circulation system, it was very modern & unique, simple & easy to use in the same time. Beside the AUS, we visited many libraries & information institutions, in Al-Ain, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, we noticed that they have spend a lot of money on the buildings & decorations, but they might not be aware about all the users needs (some of these institutions not all of it ), we did not found any digital library there ( except in the AUS, & the documentation center who says that they planning to).
I have to mention here that we have some entertainments times too, we visited Al-Ain museum, we went many times for shopping (in the evening), & we have went to Hafeet mountain in the last evening & have a very nice party there, we done some songs, dancing, & having fun.
In the next morning, all groups took a lecture together for Mr. Ian, his lecture was a new thing to learn from. Well, here the course was ended, & we have received our certifications in a formal party in Zayed central library in Al-Ain in that afternoon, then there was a very sad time, because it was the goodbye`s moments, we were very sad for leaving our friends which we might met again or not ( “if we still a life & safe” I guess – that what I have told my friends there ), some tears was dropped … it was a very emotional moments …
Well … I remember here what my friend Mr. Harvey said in one of last summer Blogs : ” The courses may be over but the work goes on!!” , & that is the best thing that I can finished my Blog with…
… to be continued …
I hope that I did not bother you again with my 2nd long Blog, & I will be pleased to let you know whatever you want to know else, so, feel free to ask me.
God bless you all.
yours;
Khairy, Abdul latif
Baghdad, Iraq
[email protected]