LIANZA’S President update & Visit to Turkey
Corin started off with a selfie…
He touched briefly on early childhood and book and for us to inspire
them early! There's science behind VERY early childhood learning &
librarians can help with this.
He touched on Pacific Info Management Network SIG, and his
discssuions with PIMM. He discussed the issues on their mind and had
cause to reflect on what we do as LIANZA and how we live up to the
needs of varying parts of the profession. This is a constant challenge for
LIANZA with so many different formal and informal interest groups. The
concept of Talanoa had come up for me earlier in the day and I spent
some time talking with PIMN. Sig about this. Talanoa can be difficult to
define, but I think in essence it is the concept of talking (telling stories)
and listening with heart and lack of judgement. It’s something which can
be very foreign to western ways of conversing but is a common
“currency of conversation” across the Pacific. We have a lot to learn
from this I think and if we could all introduce the concept of Talanoa
into a small part of our lives, I am sure we would be better off.
Turkey Visit
An invite by the National Library of Turkey for LIANZA’s president to visit
Turkey this ANZAC season.
On 3rd April was welcomed at the NZ embassy. He met with the NZ
Amabassador.
The amazing view from the roof of the New Zealand Embassy in Ankara.
Corin talked about his 2 day conference for the beginning of Turkish
Library week which he took part in a panel discussion. The conference
was a very rich experience for him and his colleagues.
Çanakkale, it’s in the west of Turkey, just across the water from the
Gallipoli Peninsula. The Turks have chose to have their library week
launch here due to the historical significance of the year, 100 years on
from the Gallipoli offensive. Çanakkale is a seaside town and was very
beautiful indeed. Less than 50 kms from the Aegean it has a slight
Mediterranean feel. It has a wide promenade along its waterfront that
people stroll on making the best use of the sea and the lovely views
across to the Gallipoli penninsula.
There is a knowingness that passes between the people of this
region and the New Zealanders they meet. That great sacrifice was
made in this area by our ancestors, lives lost and changed forever
seems to bind us. The rights and wrongs, the winners and the losers do
not matter at the point when we
meet. It really is an experience
like no other I have ever had.
The warmth of the Turkish
people is astounding.
It was an amazing week long whirl
wind tour of Turkey.
Presenting the Director of the National
Library of Turkey with a print of a Turkish
soldier from WWI