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Breakout session led by Professor Gunilla Widén, Professor of Information Studies, Åbo Akademi School of Business and Economics, Finland.Drawing on the Nordic experience, where networking across geographic boundaries is a necessity and well within the comfort zone, this session will explore a range of collaborative networks for the LIS field: for researchers, doctoral students, work and study exchanges, and communities of practice interested in particular topics such as information literacy. Discussion of the various models and an interactive exercise will highlight the opportunities and challenges of network initiatives. As well as providing the opportunity for individuals to consider their own networking practice, the outcomes of this session will inform the development of the DREaM network for the duration of the project and beyond.
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Cultivating Networks: opprtunities and challenges – a Nordic Approach
Professor Gunilla Widén
Nordic networking
• Long traditions of formal co-operation between the Nordic countries
• Built on common values and a willingness to develop Nordic competencies and competitiveness
• Nordic council– Advisory body for the Nordic governments
• Nordic council of ministers– Nordic governments co-operation forum
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEZTGbnSD-k&feature=player_embedded
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Areas of co-operation
• Culture, leasure, media• Economy, business, and working life• Education and research• Environment and nature
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Areas of co-operation• Nordic library collaboration– Research libraries, Public libraries– Library journals
• Nordic collaboration in LIS education– Nordplus, Master of Leadership in LIS
• Nordic collaboration in LIS research– Norslis– Research projects
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Nordic library collaboration• Nordic journal for book and library issues
(established 1914)• Nordinfo (Nordic Council for Scientific
Information), co-ordinating acitivites among research and special libraries
• NORDBOK, collaboration between Nordic Public libraries
• Electronic library development
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Conferences, seminars, journals
• Nordic Library Week (annual event)• Creating Knowledge (information literacy
conference)• ELINOR – electronic literature in the Nordic
countries
• Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly http://www.splq.info/index.html
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
NORSLIS – The Nordic Research School of Library and Information Science
• increase the quality of doctoral education in LIS and neighbouring disciplines in order to meet the requirements of a knowledge society
• NORSLIS comprises a network of 14 Nordic and Baltic institutions all having a PhD-program in LIS.
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
NORSLIS – The Nordic Research School of Library and Information Science
• Activities– networking of research students, mobility of students– research courses (methods & theories), workshops– exchange of scientific personnel– inviting scholars of high international standing to bridge
the knowledge gaps that exist in the Nordic and Baltic LIS environment
– Activities 2011: http://www.abm.uu.se/norslis/3/comingactivities
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
NordinfoLit
• Collaboration in the area of information literacy• Summer schools and conferences to share
experiences on user education, research projects• Summer school 2010 ”Transformation from Digital
Library to Digital Learning”• Creating Knowledge 2010 ”INFORMATION LITERACY
AND DIVERSITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: Mapping the Learning Environment”– https://konferanse.uib.no/index.php/creatingknowledge/2
010
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Joint Master in Leadership
• Initiated because of the need of leadership education in LIS in all Nordic countries
• Planned contents– Leadership and management in LIS– Information and knowledge society– Information and Knowledge Management– Project and Quality Management– Innovation and change– Research methods and thesis
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Joint Master in Leadership
• Problems – Legal agreement (too big differences between the ecuation
systems in the different Nordic countries)– Resources and financial support (different systems to
calculate the outcomes of students and degrees in the program)
– Different traditions of decision making at the departments– Too many partners – Other external issues like re-organisation in the schools,
new management, new rules and legislation)• The program has not been launched (yet?)
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Benefits• Small countries, small organisations and
departments can learn from and support eachother– Seminars & conferences on lessons learned– Better funding possibilities
• Represent together a region of considerable resources– Collaboration in different projects (e.g. library systems,
research methods, user education)
• Supports the Nordic linguistic community
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Challenges
• Difficult balance between national, Nordic, European, and Global interests
• Keeping the Nordic image, profile and identity• Resources - Still small• Although similar yet differences can be too big
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
Discussion
– Nordic networking practices – what could be useful in UK context?
– Own networking experiences – benefits and challenges?
– Expectations on the DREaM project when it comes to networking & collaborative possibilities?
Professor Gunilla Widén :: [email protected]
