23 November 2007 Amman, Jordan
It is 2:30 pm on a quiet Friday at ACOR. Almost all of the Iraqis have departed ? two to go at 3pm and then I bug out at 3:30. Michele and Meaghan have left as well, making ACOR seem way-too-quiet.
We concluded our week with a wonderful dinner at the best Lebanese restaurant in town, Fakhir El Din. All 13 of us went, so it was a 4-taxi adventure to get there (my taxi driver was clueless?). It was even harder getting taxis back, as the restaurant is located off of the main road. Interestingly enough, Fakhir El Din is right behind the heavily guarded Iraqi Embassy ? hmmm?
It is always bittersweet when one of these programs ends. We have renewed old acquaintances and made several new friends. It seems to me that a working group this size is so much easier to deal with in all ways ? logistics (and there have been many challenges with regards to passports, arrivals, money and bank transfers, letters of invitation, etc.), discussions, lectures and actually having meaningful two-way conversations. We?ve learned much more about their institutions and how things are run ? they have a fair amount of independence on each campus, yet they also have ?national? constraints.
This program was focused mainly on curriculum issues. Laying out the 5 institutions? curriculums alongside each other made it clear that they have lots to do in updating/modernizing their programs. We shared with the Iraqis various programs from the USA, Kuwait, Europe and even Vietnam (where Simmons has been instrumental in developing librarians ? Can Tho University has a brand new BA curriculum that looks challenging and promising).
This week, again perhaps due to the size of the group, I saw for the first time discussions that involved professional differences, clearly stated to each other. The culture in this part of the world is not one where junior people openly challenge senior people ? we?ve talked about this in the past. This time, however, there were discussions by the junior attendees that were firm, well-stated and where they did not back down. In the past, department heads have dominated discussions ? more ?voices? are now being heard ? a very good sign.
To a person, our LIS colleagues from Iraq realize that they have to make big strides in the area of technology in all aspects of librarianship. Right now, they simply do not have the tools, the faculty expertise, examples in country of how a model library functions, nor an infrastructure that works ? you can?t run computers without electricity, a daily problem all over the country.
We may be near the end of training programs that take a group if Iraqis out of the country to a neighboring country site. The truth of the matter is that the countries surrounding Iraq don?t want any more Iraqis emigrating ? there are millions of refugees in Syria, Jordan, Beirut, etc. ? so they make getting visas a royal pain in the —-. With the situation in the north of Iraq becoming more stable, this may be the location where future workshops occur ? now there will be an interesting set of logistics challenges to overcome!
Thanks must go to: the US Embassy in Baghdad for the funding and a tremendous amount of cooperation; the USA?s ISU, Iraq Support Unit, here in Amman that did up several versions of a ?travel facilitation letter? that helped the Iraqis get through Jordanian Immigration; the US Embassy Kuwait for all the local assistance and encouragement I received; AUK where the Finance people came through and where the administration allowed me to do my thing; ACOR ? a tremendous site staffed by terrific, caring professionals; Michele Cloonan for taking on the lead in teaching this week; and, Meaghan O?Connor, a future library wizard and a young woman with a ?curious mind? and great spirit.
Of course, sincere thanks (that sounds so trite compared to what I actually mean) go to our Iraqi colleagues. They deal with life-threatening stuff every day, yet they remain remarkably sanguine about it all!! These folks really do want the best for themselves, their students and their country. We find them generous, gracious, talented, resilient and intellectually curious ? a wonderful tribute to them all!!
What next? Well, we are not at all sure, but? we will keep trying to help as much as we can. Anything we do that is positive is worth the effort.
Ma?a salaama from ACOR in Amman.
Excelsior!!!