Assalam O Alaikum and Hi, through this blog post, I would like to share glimpses of the activities and learning experiences during the first week at the amazing world of scholarship, i.e., The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Arrival and Welcome
After a tiring and hectic journey of about 27 hours, I reached my destination on Friday, May 31, at Newman Hall, where we, 12 associates from 11 countries, will stay for the next couple of weeks. I am thankful to Dr. Peggy for receiving me and helping me to my room, along with a welcome bag full of snacks.

Saturday was a day of rest, and on Sunday, there was a welcome dinner for the associates at the residence of Prof. Dr. Barbara J. Ford, former Director of the Mortenson Center and former President of ALA and ACRL.
There we met Barbara, Amani Ayad (Co-Founder at UNESCO Center for Global Citizenship – UCGC), and the Mortenson Center team. This Center is headed by Prof. Dr. Clara Chu, the Director, while Dr. Peggy Nzomo is the International Library Initiatives Specialist, and Vuyo Jamieson is a graduate assistant. During this dinner, the hosts warmly welcomed the associates. All the hosts and associates introduced themselves and enjoyed the evening with delicious food.
Day 1, June 03, 2024: Welcome, Program Overview, and DiSC Assessment
Monday began with a continental breakfast, followed by a welcome session and introductions. Dr. Clara gave a comprehensive overview of the program, setting the stage for the exciting weeks ahead. All the associates introduced themselves and their libraries through a three-minute presentation. It was fascinating to meet library professionals from various parts of the world, each bringing unique perspectives and experiences.
In the next session, the theme of this year’s training was discussed. Dr. Clara highlighted the importance of blogging and provided hands-on training to brief participants on using WordPress to design their profiles and post on the Mortenson Center website. After the lunch break, Dr. Peggy conducted the DiSC Assessment for all the associates to understand each participant’s leadership style. The last activity of the day was a video screening and discussion on “Managing Innovation – No Innovator is an Island.”
Day 2, June 04, 2024: Everything DiSC Workplace and Asahi-Yoga
Tuesday’s sessions focused on a workshop on Everything DiSC Workplace, led by Shirley Stellbrink. Developed by Wiley, this assessment and learning tool aims to improve workplace relationships, communication, and teamwork. It categorizes behavioral preferences into four main styles: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. The assessment helps individuals understand their style and how it influences their interactions in a professional setting. The session included multiple interactive activities. The day ended with a yoga exercise named Asahi, led by Lisa Renee Kemplain and Carol. These exercises are very light and can be done anywhere, such as the workplace or on an airplane.

Day 3, June 05, 2024: Transformative Leadership, Change Management, AI Literacy/AI & Libraries, and Data Management with AI Tools
On Wednesday, Shirley talked about transformative leadership and change management. She pointed out that endings, neutral phases, and new beginnings are three steps of transition. Ending takes about three weeks from disengagement, neutral takes an average of five weeks, and new beginnings take months.
Celenia Graves and David Ward talked about AI Literacy/AI & Libraries and discussed how this new technology works to handle images, text, and sounds. The UIUC Library AI Strategy and the use of AI in library research were also discussed.
On this day, the Center organized a Library Buddies Lunch to provide an opportunity for learning and networking with library and information professionals working at UIUC libraries and archives. I met my buddy, Scott W. Schwartz, the Director and Archivist for Music and Fine Arts for the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We shared our professional experiences and discussed topics of mutual interest.

Field tours of the Oak Street Library Facility and Conservation Lab were also part of the day’s schedule.
Day 4, June 06, 2024: Data Management with AI Tools and Change Management
Thursday, the fourth day of the first week, started with an important topic, “Data Management with AI Tools,” facilitated by Laila Hussein and Amina Malik. They shared their thoughts on how libraries can use AI to help researchers develop their research data plans, organize, store, and share data.
In the afternoon, Clara talked about change management, stating that there are four ways to know if you are ready for change: change awareness, change agility, change reaction, and change mechanism. She also discussed the 8 steps for leading change by Kotler. These sessions were particularly enlightening as they highlighted the evolving roles of librarians in today’s digital age.
On this day, the Center hosted lunch along with a talk with Barbara and Amani on effective presentations and professional networking tips at Newman Hall. Field tours of the Grainger Engineering & Information Center (GELIC) & IDEA Lab, Urbana Free Public Library, and the Main Library of UIUC were also organized to expose the associates to resources, services, and facilities in academic and public libraries in the United States.
Day 5, June 07, 2024: Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship, Technical Services, Acquisition & E-Resources Management, and Digital Divide/Digital Literacy
Friday was packed with back-to-back presentations and lectures. The day started with a session on the newly emerging area of “Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship” by Dr. Kristen Mattson. She emphasized that digital citizenship skills are essential for youth to fully participate academically, socially, ethically, politically, and economically in our rapidly evolving digital world. She also noted that librarians could be leaders in digital citizenship education worldwide.
After the lunch break, MJ Han discussed technical services with a focus on cataloging. Wendy Shelbourne talked about acquisition and e-resources management in academic libraries, while Guangchun Zhang addressed the digital divide and the role of digital literacy.
This first week at the Mortenson Center has been a whirlwind of learning, networking, and inspiration. Stay tuned for more updates on my journey!