Getting here was a long journey. It took around 17 hours of travel, a couple of days of preparation beforehand, and months of application steps, visa arrangements, planning, and anticipation. But this very first week has already proved that it was all worth it.
Although I had some idea of what to expect from the Mortenson Center Associates Program, I can now say with certainty that I am truly impressed. Even after just one week, the program has already exceeded my expectations.
First of all, the professionalism, care, and attention to detail of the local team have been amazing. They have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome and to help us make the most of our stay. From being greeted on campus by Clara Chu and Gladys Kemboi, to the lovely American-style welcome picnic at Lisa and Joe Hinchliffe’s home on Sunday evening, the lunch with our library buddies, the networking dinner with Amani Ayad and Barbara J. Ford, and even the Saturday morning visit to the farmers’ market – every activity helped us feel more settled, connected, and ready to learn. We had so much fun on all these occasions, and they helped immensely with settling in, battling the jet lag and the feeling of being away from home.
Secondly, this first week alone has given me so much food for thought that I already feel slightly overwhelmed but in the best possible way. The first day of introductions and the campus tour helped us get to know one another, which is essential as we will be spending nearly a month together. We are a diverse group of 13 library professionals from 9 countries, representing different types of institutions, including public, academic, private, and national contexts. We come with different professional portfolios and experiences, and this diversity is already proving to be one of the greatest strengths of the program. There is so much to learn not only from the formal sessions, but also from one another’s perspectives, cultures, challenges, and ideas.
Understanding Myself and Others: DiSC Workshop
One of the first highlights of the week was the DiSC workshop facilitated by Shirley N. Smith-Crews. Finding out my own workplace profile helped me reflect more clearly on my strengths, weaknesses, and the ways in which others may perceive me. My dot is CD, which made a lot of sense to me.
What I found especially useful was not only learning about my own profile, but also understanding the range of other profiles and behaviours. This will help me be more understanding, patient, and flexible in everyday professional situations, especially when working with teams, managing change, or trying to move projects forward without creating unnecessary bottlenecks.
This session also connected very well with the program theme. A library that wants to be “poised for impact” needs more than good ideas and strategies; it needs people who can communicate well, understand one another, and work together effectively.
Change Management: From Stress to Structure
The change management workshop on Day 2 was another very valuable session. Shirley’s workshop helped us understand more about the transition process, the fears and concerns that come with change, and how we can respond when change feels imposed or difficult.
A key takeaway from both Day 1 and Day 2 was the Goals–Roles–Rules framework. I found this very practical and immediately applicable. It can be used for almost any agenda item when planning work with a team: first clarify the goal, then define the roles, and finally agree on the rules or process. I can definitely see myself implementing this straight away in my own library.
For me, this is directly related to strategy-driven leadership. Change in libraries is constant – whether we are introducing new services, redesigning spaces, implementing new systems, or rethinking workflows. Having a simple but effective framework can make change less abstract and more manageable.
Assessment in Information Literacy Instruction
The session with Alex Deeke and Piper Martin from the Teaching, Learning, and Academic Support unit was another important moment during the week. It was interesting to learn about their focus on improving services, particularly in the way they assess information literacy instruction.
I appreciated their use of both formative and summative assessment, and especially the idea that assessment should not be limited to quantitative data only. Qualitative feedback, even when it is a little more subjective, can help tell the story of a library’s value and impact when it is aligned with institutional learning goals.
This session strongly connected to the “data-driven libraries” part of the program theme. It reminded me that data is not only about numbers, statistics, and dashboards. Data can also be feedback, stories, observations, and reflections as long as we use it thoughtfully to improve services and demonstrate impact.
Main Library, Rare Books, and Archives
The Main Library tour, including the Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Archives, was also very inspiring. These are fascinating spaces, and the passion of the staff who manage these collections and provide services to researchers and patrons was very clear.
Although I do not currently manage rare books or archival collections in my own library, I appreciated the opportunity to see how such collections are preserved, presented, and connected to teaching and research. I was also impressed by the scale and atmosphere of the Main Library, with its spacious reading rooms, services, and sense of academic tradition.
This visit reminded me that libraries carry both practical and symbolic value. They are service points, learning spaces, research partners, and memory institutions all at once.
OCLC Visit: Technology, Scale, and a Small Library Jewel
Visiting OCLC headquarters in Dublin, Ohio was a real highlight. As librarians, we all know OCLC’s products and services very well – from WorldCat to discovery and metadata tools. OCLC provides technology that is reliable and used across the globe, so visiting its headquarters and speaking directly with their experts was a dream come true.
This was also my first time inside a real data center, built and maintained according to high technological standards. It was impressive to see the infrastructure behind the services that so many libraries rely on.
But, being a librarian, I was especially fond of OCLC’s own library. It is used by OCLC staff only and takes up a relatively small part of the building, but I found it to be a small jewel inside their enormous modern headquarters. It was a lovely reminder that even in a highly technological environment, the library as a physical and intellectual space still matters.
Ohio State University Libraries: Research Support and a Bulgarian Surprise
The Thompson Library at Ohio State University is spacious, beautiful, and full of different seating areas and study spaces. I particularly enjoyed the carefully curated “Polar Expressions” exhibition, as well as learning about the work of the Interlibrary Loan team and the digitization standards they have developed. I have already downloaded these standards and hope to adapt some of them for my own library.
A very precious memory from this visit will stay with me for a long time. At the Hilandar Research Library, I walked in and immediately noticed a manuscript connected to one of my nation’s most important books: A Slavonic-Bulgarian History. Written in 1762 by Paisius of Hilandar, this work is considered one of the first major works of the Bulgarian National Revival and an important text in the development of Bulgarian national consciousness.
Learning more about how this manuscript came to be there from Mary Allen Johnson was fascinating. I am very grateful for the time and effort she took to speak with us Bulgarians and for her follow-up email with even more interesting details about their special collections.
The presentation of the Research Commons, the Library’s research support unit, was also very thought-provoking. Their work supports the researcher lifecycle through dedicated spaces, workshops, and one-to-one consultations on a wide range of topics. I was fascinated by the breadth of their expertise and the structured way in which they support research.
This visit gave me many ideas about how an academic library can position itself not only as a provider of resources, but also as a strategic partner in the research process.
Westerville Public Library: Community, Creativity, and Joy
Westerville Public Library was such a lovely space. From chick hatching to drive-thru services, including dog treats, they seem to have it all. The library felt like a vibrant community space that truly responds to the needs of the people it serves.
What impressed me most was the attitude that no idea is too small or too unusual to try. The atmosphere was warm, imaginative, and welcoming. As one Associate said, “If I lived in Westerville, I’d be in the library all the time.” I felt exactly the same.
The staff’s enthusiasm and creativity gave me many ideas that my team and I could adapt in our own context. I used to think of a medical library as a very strictly academic place where “fun” was not necessarily something we could offer to our users. But after this visit, and especially after reflecting on recent student feedback from my own library, I think we should definitely try some lighter, community-building ideas. These could include swaps and donations, board games, and a small innovation space.
This was perhaps the strongest reminder for me of the “user-driven” part of the program theme. Libraries should listen carefully to their users, but they should also be brave enough to experiment, test ideas, and create spaces where people feel welcome, supported, and inspired.
Looking Ahead
After only one week, I already feel that this program is helping me look at libraries from several angles at once: as learning spaces, research partners, community hubs, technology infrastructures, and human-centered organizations.
The main lesson I am taking from this first week is that impact does not come from one big idea only. It comes from many connected elements: good data, thoughtful strategy, strong teams, user feedback, welcoming spaces, and the courage to try something new.
I am excited, grateful, and very curious to see what the next weeks will bring.