One of the outcomes I’m looking for in this series of visits is unintended consequences. Did things happen that we didn’t predict, or plan for in the project? Did things change for the better, or worse? Here in Peru, I’ve been surprised and impressed at how the project has spun off across the country. A small pilot project to visit schools to promote libraries and librarianship as a profession. Collaborations with municipal governments on the development of new regional libraries. Workshops to sensitise mayors to the public library of today. An association that is supporting libraries and library workers across the country, whether they are members or not (in Latin America, many associations are hamstrung by legislation that requires associations, or Colegios, to only admit professional graduates as members).

The project has also had an impact on the library association serving Peru’s Amazon region and peoples. Under threat from resource exploitation and displacement, the association is a critical advocate for preservation of cultural heritage, traditional information, and lifestyles in the country’s northern jungles. The challenges they describe in preserving lifestyles and culture remind me very much of an excellent comic book produced by Survival International a few years ago, “There you go” about the problems associated with imported approaches to sustainable development. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

This has been a welcome surprise because we didn’t set out to have an impact on this association as well. They’ve made use of the workshops, and I’m looking forward to sharing what they are doing with others – I cannot think of another association that has such a specific, dedicated advocacy purpose although of course there are many working on traditional knowledge and cultural issues around the world.

Change in Peru is on the up, with more sustainable and environmental initiatives being promoted by the government and a focus on inclusion, both of which are positive for libraries. For more on this, see Beyond Access’ blog, which talks about their recent visit here.

I heard on the weekend while cycling around Barranco and climbing the Temple  of the Sun at Pachacamac that pride in local culture and patrimony is “trendy” amongst Peruvians right now (pride in local culture, visits to local sites, purchase of local products), which does bode well for cultural preservation initiatives.

Now, for me, after a great few days in Peru during what they call “Winter” (it’s tshirt weather) it’s time to head some 13,000km North East. Next stop: Ukraine!

Tomorrow, I will travel to Peru for the third BSLA review meeting. I’m looking forward to hearing what they’ve been up to (a lot!) and sharing what’s already come out of Botswana and Cameroon. One of the best things about this project has been how enthusiastically everyone has embraced working with colleagues in their own region, and across the world when we meet. I’m sorry to say it, but far, far too often at home I encounter that all-too-familiar syndrome: Not Invented Here. Every country, organisation, and many individuals want to put their own stamp on the profession, which is great, but at the same time that can lead to a lot of reinventing of the wheel and ignorance of resources that already exist. I’ll list just one institutional obvious example: study guides. I’ve been guilty of this too. Research, statistics, standards and training materials are other resources that also tend to be rewritten frequently. There is a barrier of research to practice. One way we’ve tried to help with that is by distilling research into practical case studies.

In countries with few resources, there’s a tendency by many librarians to work smarter, across borders and regions to get the information, specialists, and advice that’s needed to develop the profession and library services. A librarian may travel to Cameroon from Senegal to train on digitisation. A librarian in Cameroon may go to Angola to advise on LIS curricula. Regional associations provide a common meeting place. Certainly, it would be preferable to have enough resources in the country itself, and replicating projects is never so simple as just running the same thing again in a different place.

The recognition of the necessity to work together, across borders and sectors, building on where you are and what you already have, is something that we could all gain from.

Monday in Nairobi brought an opportunity to visit the University of Nairobi library, where I was reminded that ALP began in that city in 1984. Many people in Kenya have been associated with ALP at various points in time, and it’s always great to talk about how things are now, and to hear more about its history.

I didn’t have a chance to visit TechHub, Frontline SMS, Ushahidi or any number of other incredible ICT and development projects that were founded or based in Nairobi, that will have to be next time. Which there will have to be, since being in Nairobi was just really great.

Now, Gaborone. It’s my third time here in less than three years. One of the strangest things about travel I have found is that the further you go, the closer you come to home. As someone who grew up in the world’s most isolated city (Perth), I find this somewhat comforting. The drive from Buenos Aires airport in the Winter reminds me of the drive into Canberra. The wattle trees in Portugal are the same as Sydney. The buildings in Gaborone are very much like Perth’s, down to the light switches. The climate too is very nearly the same – the dry heat, the afternoon breeze, and the light. It feels very much like home in very subtle ways.

Weather aside, Botswana is a unique place. It has benefited from the exploitation of its national resources, primarily diamonds, which have led to a decent level of living for many at least in the urban areas. It is close to the mighty South Africa, with close trade links. Yet the nation suffers from a devestatingly high rate of HIV infections, and educational and income inequality for the rural population. ICT connectivity in remote areas is very difficult.

Botswana Library Association began their project two years ago in a climate where the library community did not really communicate with each other, and the association was on the outer following a long period of dormancy. Now, the association has a voice, and the confidence to turn towards the future – to advocate for better staffed school libraries, and to take an active part in the country’s new national library policy.

One of the issues we’ve been discussing here is one that most of us know innately, but that we don’t always recognise – life is complex. So many things are beyond the control of not only the project, but our organisations, our sector, and us as people. The influence that government, history, and societal norms has how we work and how we can build libraries cannot be underestimated. Yet, we should not let these issues make us feel defeated, but rather, to recognise that everything we do is within a context, and that knowing this and working within it, even if is not the ‘right way’ or how we might do it in our own home is what is right for them – no matter how similar one place may seem to another on the surface. Tomorrow, we’ll watch the association put all this into practice as they lead a presentation to a number of their stakeholders, building their own future.

Unlike two years ago when I was on this round of visits I am taking the time to enjoy a little bit more of the places I am visiting. Although that’s not strictly true since I had a great afternoon visiting the local textile market and Mont Fébé the first time I was in Cameroon.

On Friday my hosts managed to get me to the airport in just an hour in a dark stormy night, driving up the wrong side of the road directly into oncoming trucks and motorbikes, horns sounding and lights blazing. We weaved in and out being cars not fit to drive, rusted and dented to bits, around shared taxis picking up customers from street corners, yelling out prices and destinations, past utes packed 20 people high, over and around endless potholes and puddles. Along and up and around back again past the bars, street stalls, coiffures, and street grills. Noisy, chaotic, dangerous, but yes, also a little bit thrilling. And to think last time in Cameroon I made a real trip of it for more than four hours on the notorious trunk route from Yaoundé to Douala, with the added bonus of more than a dozen ‘checkpoints’ (some official, some not), log trucks and petrol tankers. Farewell, Central Africa.

Callbox at night, towards Nsimalen airport

I am now in Eastern Africa. This weekend in Nairobi has been time for sightseeing before heading South to Botswana. Sometimes I have to stop and recognise how ridiculous and fortunate it is that I have the opportunity to visit all these places, and meet happy creatures like this one:

Rothschild giraffe at Giraffe Centre, Nairobi

“I am a librarian, and I have no shame for that” Cameroonian librarian

After two days of meetings in Yaoundé, today the last BSLA workshop kicked off with a focus on libraries and development, Cameroon Vision 2035, and stakeholder relations. Access to information is a crucial issue here, affecting everything from compliance with copyright to free and fair elections. Should you allow students to copy an entire book, if they have no other way of accessing the information? Or should libraries comply strictly with a law authored in the absence of the library’s voice and influence? And for citizens to be informed voters, they need to have access to information about issues affecting their country and information about candidates. Libraries could be a good place for that.

Perhaps my one complaint about workshops here is the amount of protocol to be observed, which can interfere with the business of getting on with it. Workshops never begin on time, and are are interrupted by opening ceremonies, and official photographs (I look hideous in all of them). The one positive note is that the opening ceremony is when the media attend the workshop (see my last post about media contact being easy). Today we gave interviews to national TV (the independent station rather than government owned service) and radio for broadcast on this evening’s news.

The library association has a lot to be proud of. They have become confident, effective advocates both to the Ministry of Arts and culture, and their colleagues. They have a long way to go to realise the kind of libraries and information services that the country needs, but they have built a platform to move ahead democratically, bringing stakeholders with them.

Tomorrow, Nairobi, then Tuesday it begins again with the final meetings in Botswana.

A go-around is one way to keep you awake at the end of a long journey*. Listening to the radio on the way from the airport is another. Development workers like to make a lot of asking taxi drivers about politics, whether commending or scoffing at the idea. On field visits, environmental knowledge picked up through newspapers, informal conversations on the way from one meeting to another, and the radio can fill in a lot that might be difficult to glean from formal meetings alone. You learn a lot about which issues are on the agenda, personal dynamics, and politics.

I remember very clearly my first reference class at library school. We were instructed to go out and observe the conversations around us for an hour and make notes on interaction, body language, and dynamics. It proved very helpful in the years I worked reference, and now when there’s so much more to what a person is saying than the words they speak.

This evening, Yaoundé radio was broadcasting news about university graduates, education modernisation, foreign investment, natural resource exploitation, and most prominently, activities leading up to World Press Freedom Day. A lot of issues that make the news here (or at least, the press releases. The Internet at least is free from censorship) are issues many of us would like to see more of in the news in our own countries: literacy, information, education. Compared to other countries, many developing countries have little difficulty getting library news in the media. The challenge is putting together a compelling message and evidence.

Yaoundé has all that we expect from a modern African city: small enterprises, roadside stalls, endless bars which provide a social space, telecentres and mobile phone stalls – callboxes where you can buy credit. The continent has led the way with mobile services, and I do hope mlibs and other movements take more of their lead from some of the initiatives that started here. LIASA’s use of SMS to communicate with members is a great example.

* On landing into DLA. Completely routine, but go-arounds are one of my least favourite things. Those who know me well know I have a long long list of “things that happen when I travel”. I still think not being able to land in Kathmandu due to a cracked runway and being sent back to Abu Dhabi (via New Delhi) is pretty much the strangest one.

Tomorrow, I’ll be traveling back to Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the first of 6 visits to countries that have been participating in our library associations programme over the past two years. A large focus of the meetings is impact evaluation, trying to work out what difference our interventions have made since the projects began. I’m really looking forward to spending time interviewing, hearing stories, and weaving threads across different issues and countries. And visiting some libraries.

Two years ago, on my first visit to each of these countries, much was unknown. Now, we are really beginning to see the outcomes and results from a lot of hard work. It’s been a fascinating process for me, too, getting to know new colleagues, exploring library communities in depth in these countries, learning and listening.

Taking the time to properly evaluate our work matters. It is time consuming, complicated, and can sometimes be expensive. But without it, how can we demonstrate the value of the library, its services and its people to decisionmakers and the community? Or find out what does and does not work?

Many library associations have professional development schemes, recognising ongoing learning, training and engagement with the broader profession. I’ve been a member of two of these schemes – ALIA’s Professional Development scheme and Chartership in CILIP. Chartership is a peculiarly British concept, where most professions here are required to demonstrate ongoing compliance and development. It is a rather formal scheme, especially compared with Australia, and requires candidates to submit detailed portfolios and reflections on their work and activities.

CILIP has a pilot ePortfolio submission scheme (other options include Mahara), but most are still submitting portfolios constructed from various word documents, CVs, event programmes etc. It is, to be honest, more daunting than I expected to collect all the documentation required. Joeanne has a great post on collecting chartership evidence using Google Docs, Evernote and Twitter. It’s a real “of course!” post for me – the biggest stumbling block I’ve found in the chartership process is actually remembering to sit down and record activities attended and my reflections on them.

I now track all my projects and actions using OmniFocus and write multi-chapter projects using Scrivener, which I expect to use in the latter stages of writing up my portfolio. Instapaper holds much of my reading, which I will export to a list together with citations from Zotero and Mendeley.

It’s a good reminder that sometimes you don’t need elaborate tools – tools like Google Docs and Zotero which have been around for a long time can still be just as useful as anything else.

Kathryn Greenhill has a solid post over at Librarians Matter on getting the most out of in-person conferences. To my mind, there’s a need and space for big conferences (which help sustain organisations, and which provide publishing opportunities for professionals), and room for a myriad of other professional events. In librarianship, there are a already number of large annual and biennial conferences (organised by libray associations, Information Today, etc), camps (Libcampoz, NPSIG camp, Mashed Library), hybrid conferences (NextLibrary) one off seminars and events, online conferences (Handheld Librarian, Library 2.0), webinars, specialist conferences on any number of topics, and on and on and on. There is no lack of choice about where to spend your professional development time and money.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to attend several conferences, many of which I paid for and others for which I received grants or was supported by my employers. Some really stand out in my mind for the reasons that Kathryn also mentioned: content that was new to me, well-delivered, and with time and space to discuss with other conference attendees. Others stand out for the wrong reasons: poorly organised, unoriginal content.

Lately I’ve been attending more events outside of libraryland. Some of the best and why:

Copyright seminars: Chatham House rule. Speakers are more confident to share failures, and more frank in debates. Being unable to blog or tweet focuses your attention on what’s actually happening in the room.

Lectures@LSE: Free, public events, oftentimes delivered by the kinds of authors you might see at a big conference like Information Online or ALA. An easy way to dip into something new without comitting to a whole day or event.

Improv workshop: And now for something completely different. Kathryn’s post suggested that some people would like to see an audition tape for conference speakers. I think that’s a terrible idea, but we should all see communication skills as necessary in our professional toolkit, and sharpen them reguarly.

I’m looking foward to attending Dev8D and the Open Rights Group conference in the next few weeks, as well as some ICTD talks and meetups. These are all cross-disciplinary, and I will probably find other librarians at each one. Why don’t we throw our camps and talks and events open, put them on meetup.com and invite other professions in?

When we do get together, how should we make the most of it? Some ideas:

1. Stop tweeting. Conference tweets are very difficult to do well, and mostly look like a stream of jumbled half-thoughts out of context. Trying to craft tweets distracts you from what’s happening in the room. Make notes, but make sure to listen more than you broadcast.

2. Be together with different people. If you can, skip a couple of local conferences and save your money to attend one in a different city, state or country.

3. Choose the right event. Or something different.

4. Consider getting involved in organsing the next one.

Earlier today, I asked on Twitter whether other librarians considered Project Management certifications (eg, PRINCE2) worthwile, or if knowledge of frameworks was sufficient. 

I received a number of great responses from @sallyheroes, @janholmquist, @ahornby, @ellyob, @damyantipatel, @camcd, @aekins (thank you all!). In summary, some had been on training courses, but found certification quality to be variable. Others noted they wanted certification, but due to cost and other demands this hadn’t been possible. And several shared that they thought experience and knowledge to be far more important overall. 

Project Management is an great skill to have as an information professional, and can open up many opportunities. I have found working on projects with IT colleagues and consultants gave me the most exposure to PRINCE2 and Agile approaches, and the most experience in how projects really work, and where they can go off the rails. Get involved with systems migrations, web development, building new services as a project manager or team member.

My favourite book on the topic is Berkun’s Making Things Happen. An invaluable source when I started managing larger projects, and vastly more readable than the official PRINCE2 book.

Lean is another emerging approach, and which could be useful in reducing time to pilot and implement programmes and services. I’m keeping my eye out for forward-thinking libraries to start implementing it.