The 3rd week was equally, if not more informative and illuminating. It started with a memorable visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library at Springfield, the capital of the state of Illinois. We toured the library which houses the documents and artifacts of one of America’s greatest leaders as well as his family members. Some valuable and rare items are kept inside a top security vault, including a copy of the Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery. We were also fortunate to visit his house and see his original bed, desk, kids’ toys, kitchen, as well as many other personal belongings and neighborhood.




We then visited the Illinois State Library (established 1839) which was a one-of-a-kind tour where we got to know about the different great services that it offers to the whole state. The service provided for blind people, Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD), was so important for me in how they try to be an inclusive and diverse library for everyone.

The sessions on the next day were also very informative and eye-opening on many library-related trends and styles. We learned a lot about the importance of a library being part of a consortium and I was amazed by the fact that University of Illinois funds CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois) to help the students, faculty, and staff in around 90% of the libraries in the state for no return “promoting the public good for the entire State of Illinois”. The tips and instructions related to grant writing made me feel much more empowered and ready to apply for a grant that can help my library advance its services and resources.
The discussions on open access, open education, and artificial intelligence (AI) were also very timely in shaping the future of our libraries. There are a lot of opportunities where we can make use of AI and machine learning to advance our services and meet the expectations of our users. The week continued talking about changes in technical services, e-resources management, digital strategies, data services, as well as foresight strategies and techniques that help us in the strategic planning at our workplace. Several tips and techniques were shared, and we were also given the opportunity to practice using the “future wheel technique” in facing a trend/change/crisis. We were also very lucky to visit the “SOUSA Archives and Center for American Music” where we saw the original instruments created by members of UIUC community and listened to real recordings.



The week ended with a 2-days trip to Ohio where we visited the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) campus in Dublin on Thursday. OCLC, a global network of different types of libraries around the world, believes that “what is known must be shared,” and “together we make breakthrough possible”. We had a unique opportunity to tour both the Data Center and Services Operations Center and see how things happen in the back scenes as well as the OCLC library and museum where we saw some unique instruments and documents. The research team also shared several studies such as: “New Model Library Project” that OCLC conducted pertaining to the theme of “Shaping the future of libraries”.


On Friday, we visited The Ohio State University, top 20 among the nation’s best public universities and #1 among Ohio publics (U.S. News and World Report). The transparent walls of the building showing their stacks and collection is really very catchy and unique. It is a very nice artistic design that spans the newly renovated Thompson library. The building included many collaborative makerspaces as well quiet ones. There are also studios dedicated for online meetings/classes/sessions. The welcome signs and wellness spaces are also notable and memorable. The 11th floor of the library is one-of-a-kind, with glasses showing the beautiful campus views from all sides. This space is very welcoming and makes you feel you want to stay there and return often. We also toured the Research commons unit which highlights all the services (data visualization, digital humanities, research data and impact…) that they provide for the community to foster a more collaborative environment.



The week ended with a lovely visit to Westerville Public Library. There are dedicated spaces for teens, adults, seniors and even babies and children. They have a diverse collection that suits the needs of their users who talk different languages: Spanish, Somali, Nepali,… They have paintings and musical instruments that users can checkout and use at their homes or workplaces. There are Drive-Thru, Home Deliveries, School Deliveries and other services catered to accommodate a more inclusive and diverse community. There is a also an innovation studio and a gift shop. I will never forget this library and the valuable services and resources that they provide for the entire community.


