ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries March 1989 / 213 The Heidelberg-Cleveland connection B y H a n n e lo r e R a d e r Director Cleveland State University Library a n d D e b o r a h G reen e Music Librarian Cleveland State University Library A practicum exchange with a West German library. T he American L ibrary Association as well as ACRL has a long-standing commitment to interna­ tional relations and cooperation as exemplified by the ALA Council’s policy statement in 1978. This statement, presently under review for revision, em­ phasizes the importance of exchanging informa­ tion and librarians world-wide to bring about bet­ ter international understanding. International library exchanges serve as a means of increasing communication and cooperation, ex­ changing information, and fostering goodwill be­ tween libraries and librarians in different coun­ tries. They are also an excellent form of staff development and staff renewal. In the summer of 1988 a library staff member from the University of Heidelberg Library and the music librarian from Cleveland State University Library participated in a practicum exchange be­ tween the two institutions. This exchange had been arranged between the directors of the two libraries in 1987. From July 18 to August 5, 1988, Gisela Vogt from Heidelberg, West Germany, did a practicum at CSU Library as part of her academic library de­ gree work. Library education in West Germany differs from that in the United States in that it in­ volves three tracks, one for public librarians, one for academic librarians, and one for top library ad­ ministrators. Each is quite separate and it is almost impossible to cross from one track to another. Vogt’s practicum was part of the academic library education track. W hile at CSU, Vogt’s m entor was D eborah Greene, the music librarian. Although Vogt was fluent in English she preferred to do her final prac­ ticum report in German. The following are her ob­ servations from the report, as well as my observa­ tions as the supervisor of the p racticu m and director of the University Library. Her three-week practicum was organized to en­ able Vogt to spend several days in each of the Li­ brary’s five services units as well as the administra­ tive areas to understand the operation and service orientation of an American academic library. Her specific interest was in learning about library auto­ mation first-hand, and how it will affect the ser­ vices of the Library, especially pertinent since CSU was implementing the NOTIS library automation system. Vogt indicated several major differences be­ tween West German and U.S. academic libraries. While all West German academic libraries re­ ceive their financial support from the federal gov­ ernment, financial support for academic libraries in the U.S. depends on whether they are private or public. Furthermore, financial support for U.S. publicly supported university libraries varies greatly from state to state and within states. Vogt was most impressed with the excellent ser­ vice orientation found in most academic libraries and with the high number of staff devoted to access and document delivery services compared to West German academic libraries. She was fascinated with the comprehensiveness, efficiency, and time­ liness of interlibrary loan services. Her comments also focused on the openness of communication and the team work concept both of which she had not experienced on that level previously. CSU library staff members went out of their way to make Vogt’s practicum enjoyable and educa­ 214 / C&RL News tional and they also escorted her on visits to many Cleveland area libraries in order to broaden her ex­ perience. They also enhanced her visit to CSU through many special social events. She will defin­ itely miss the outgoing nature and warm hospital­ ity of America. From August 26 to September 24, 1988, De­ borah Greene, music librarian at CSU, did a four- week practicum at Heidelberg Library. When she arrived, the L ibrary had an extensive itinerary planned for her, w ith special emphasis placed on automation. During the first week of her stay she spent time in each of the major departments, in­ cluding the branch library for N atural and Medical Sciences, the university’s computer center, and the Music Library. Since 1945, the Deutsche Bibliothek in Frank­ furt am Main has been the central archives library and national bibliographic center for the Federal Republic of G erm any. D uring her visits there G reene w as given a d e m o n stra tio n of BIB- LIODATA, the comprehensive reference database with up-to-date references to all recent German publications, collected and registered bibliograph­ ically at the Deutsche Bibliothek. The database covers conventional literature, gray literature in­ cluding reports, conference proceedings, journals, visual materials, and maps, and is updated weekly to provide the most current references. She also visited the Fachinformationszentrum Karlsruhe (FIZ). FIZ Karlsruhe offers direct access to specialized information relating to energy and technology, aeronautics, astronautics and space re­ search, physics and astronomy, and mathematics and computer science, on a multinational level. STN (the Scientific and Technical Inform ation Network), one of the biggest online services of sci­ entific inform ation, is jointly operated by FIZ Karlsruhe, the American Chemical Society, and the Japan Information Center of Science and Tech­ nology (JICST). Computers in North America, Eu­ rope, and Japan are connected via satellite. To her great surprise and delight she met several Chemical A bstracts Service em ployees from C olum bus, Ohio, who came from FIZ Karlsruhe to visit the Codex Manesse Exhibit at the Heidelberg Library. During her visit to Springer-Verlag in Heidel­ berg she saw demonstrations of various computer h ard w are and softw are, including CD ROM, word processing, spreadsheet and desktop publish­ ing used for producing the editorial, production, marketing, and sales function of the company. O ther communication and transport installa­ tions in lib rary buildings included pneum atic tubes, conveyor belts, telelifts, and walkie talkies. Most computers were either IBM or Siemens equip­ ment. Greene felt that the Germans were extremely kind and helpful to her. She felt th at after learning the history of the country with its constant destruc­ L eft to right: Gisela Vogt, Hannelore Rader, Deborah Greene. March 1989 / 215 tion and reconstruction, examining the lifestyles and working habits of the people, seeing the beau­ tiful sights and visiting the various libraries, it was impossible for her not to respect and develop a spe­ cial fondness and appreciation for the Germ an way of life. She will certainly miss the old castles, ring­ ing of the church bells, and m any flowers in the windowsills. As inform ation technology advances and tele­ com m unication capabilities im prove, in te rn a ­ tional boundaries and barriers will diminish. In ­ fo rm a tio n s h a r in g is esse n tial fo r a com m on understanding and appreciation of the problems and concerns of librarianship on an international level. A Germ an library student working in Hei­ delberg asked Greene, “How can American librari­ ans benefit from examining librarianship in G er­ many?” After viewing several Germ an libraries and library services first-hand, an American librar­ ian can better appreciate the problems of their de­ centralized lib rary system. Not only should li­ b ra rie s look fo r w a r d , b u t som etim es also backwards. G erm an libraries can learn from li­ brary autom ation in the United States, but Ameri­ can libraries can also learn from their preservation and conservation skills. The secret to success is good communication. The cost for this p articu lar international ex­ change was small. The host institution provided low cost housing w hich was paid by the visitor. The CSU librarian m aintained her salary during the practicum and was given a small travel allotment. Both participants could speak English and Ger­ man. The Heidelberg-Cleveland connection was es­ tablished and information continues to be shared. D uring ACRL’s Fifth National Conference in Cin­ cinnati both E lm ar Mittler, director of the Univer­ sity of Heidelberg Library, and Deborah Greene, will participate in an international program. ■ ■ Proposed ALA policy on international relations At the M idwinter Meeting in W ashington, the ACRL International Relations Task Force discussed a W hite Paper on the American L i­ brary Association and International Relations and a Draft Report o f the International Rela­ tions Planning Meeting, Chicago, 18-20 N o­ vem b er 1988, b o th p re p a red by R obert P. Doyle, director of the ALA Library/Book Fel­ lows Program. The documents have great in­ terest to m any ACRL members, and may ulti­ m a te ly c o n tr ib u te to an ALA p o licy on international relations. Hearings will be held on such a policy at the ALA Annual Conference in Dallas. A free copy of the documents m ay be re­ quested from Robert P. Doyle, ALA Library/ Book Fellows Program, 50 E. H uron St., C hi­ cago. IL 60611. UCLA Senior Fellows chosen Fifteen top managers of academic research li­ braries have been appointed UCLA Senior Fellows for 1989, following a nationw ide competition con­ ducted by UCLA’s G raduate School of Library and Inform ation Science. As Senior Fellows, the fifteen will attend a program presented by the School d u r­ ing the m onth of August, exploring issues in higher edu catio n , strateg ic p lan n in g , and economics. Form al coursework will cover m anagem ent ac­ counting and leadership development, as well as communication between scholars, librarians, and university administrators. Now in its fifth year, the advanced managem ent program is sponsored by UCLA and the Council on Library Resources, w ith some support from the in­ stitutions represented by participating fellows. The program is directed by D orothy J. Anderson, assis­ tan t dean of GSLIS. The 1989 Senior Fellows are as follows: Elaine Albright (University of Maine), Rachael Anderson (Columbia University H ealth Sciences Library), Alison Bunting (UCLA Biomedical Library), Mary H orres (U C -San D iego B iom edical L ib ra ry ), E d w ard Johnson (Oklahom a State University), Robert H. Patterson (University of Tulsa), Shelley Phipps (University of Arizona), Marion Reid (Lou­ isiana State University), Donald Riggs (Arizona State University), Jane Robbins (University of Wis­ consin, Madison), Sherrie Schmidt (Texas A&M U n iv e rsity ), H elen S p a u ld in g (U n iv ersity of Missouri-Kansas City), Richard W erking (Trinity University), Florence Wilson (Peabody College), and Karin W ittenborg (UCLA). ■ ■