MY WLIC 2019
Lis Marrow’s; very first job was putting the books away at Epsom Library in Auckland when she was about 12. Lis says “I progressed from 50c an hour to the princely sum of $1.50 in just a couple of years of afternoons after school. I have always loved books. I remember my mother reading to me every day after kindy and to get me to eat my dinner….i even ‘lent’ books out to my friends, with cards and everything”. Lis is now Branch Librarian at South Taranaki District Council.
My IFLA experience began when back in September I decided I wanted to go to Athens and experience for myself the full international library conference feel. So (from the Flight Centre) I tweeted my boss and checked she would let me take four weeks off in 11 months time.
Teaming up with Sabine Weberbeard as my travel buddy and roomie extraordinaire I arrived in Athens after an epic journey where at one point I was stranded in an airport departure lounge surrounded by Gucci, Prada and saffron – a truly bizarre but strangely entertaining experience.
After a 17 hour flight from Auckland to Doha, the 16 hour stranding and then the relatively short four hour flight – I arrived in Athens – a city I have studied, and dreamt about.
The WLIC 2019 was held at the Megaron Convention Centre – a massive cultural centre reflecting the modern Athens while paying homage to the Ancient. It was here that 3,600+ individual librarians from across the globe (including around 22 from New Zealand) celebrated and discussed our libraries, our members, and our communities in the conference theme – ‘Libraries Dialogue for Change.’
The folks at LIANZA have asked me for my thoughts so please let me ramble as is my want… wow, what a time I had. The trek to the convention centre each day was
half an hour around and over a hill which in Google Maps looks like a nice park. Also known as Lycettum Hill, it has a chapel on the top and is visible from all over Athens. I am so glad I got fit beforehand – Athens hills and the heat of summer (up to 40 degrees celcius) meant a healthy stroll through the suburbs was a daily adventure – cats are everywhere, as those who follow me on Twitter (@Lismarrow) can attest. However, I digress.
What can I tell you about the congress?
Being so big on a New Zealand scale it is important to follow some threads and to not be intimidated. I was able to discover how public libraries in other countries are facing the digital divide, homeless members, illiteracy, isolated communities… I witnessed a sensitive Santa session from Australia; an app that helps members find books that are actually available in their library system in Finland; saw how deaf and blind patrons should be satisfactorily communicated with; as well as how the library in one of the largest refugee camps (over 80K inhabitants) manages with little funding. And that was just on the first day. I attended a function held by OCLC at the Acropolis Museum – yes, it really was amazing. I was fortunate to be included on the list to attend a reception at the Australian Embassy which celebrated the incoming IFLA President Christine Mackenzie – only the second Australian to hold this position. IFLA transported all of us in buses to the Cultural Evening at the Stavros Cultural Centre which resides in the National Library of Greece. We were entertained with song and dance from across the Greek world and fed with local delicacies and alcohol.
But most of all it was the chance to meet other librarians, network and create new connections that was what I gained on the whole. I met my counterpart from Eltham, Australia. I met the delightful librarian from Athens College and a research librarian from Montreal, who surprised me later by presenting a poster that summed up my own thoughts regarding what is a library and what makes a librarian.
The next WLIC is to be held in Dublin, Ireland from August 15–21, 2020. I am already plotting my attendance. For Athens I took advantage of 500 days interest free and no-payment to get the flights, Booking.com has no payment before and free cancellation options. At €505.00 the registration for the conference itself is competitive and not outrageous compared to some closer to home. Dublin is a little more expensive but I am looking at hostels and they are doable – in a city where Airbnb is not as inexpensive as Athens. So, get saving – as my friend Sabine told everyone in Athens – have one less coffee each day and put the money towards WLIC 2020.
And did I mention that you can apply for free registration if you are a first time attendee? I was fortunate to receive a refund on mine as a recipient of an International Librarians Network Grant.
There is also a chance to be accepted as a volunteer, which gets you free registration as well as an experience of working behind the scenes with a family of workers all helping to make the WLIC unique and memorable. Oh, and in 2022 it will be held in Auckland – with the knowledge gained from attending an earlier WLIC you will be able to help bring the same experience to visitors to New Zealand.