Amazing Years as a Volunteer Librarian from 1997-2017

Abstract

• First, I was awarded a Library Fellowship by the American Library Association and the United States Information Agency to serve as a consultant to the National Library of Ethiopia for six months in 1997. From my position at the University of Utah’s Marriott Library, I took a leave of absence to work in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From there, I made contacts at Addis Ababa University (AAU) and volunteered during sabbatical and research leave time from the University of Utah to the Kennedy Library. This led me to provide training to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies Library at AAU.

• After the first leave of absence with the National Library of Ethiopia, my short term assignments have been on a volunteer basis on a self-funded system.

• Ethiopian librarians have asked for training with the Library of Congress classification system, the Dewey Decimal system, reviewing and discussing the subjects within their academic disciplines, simple book repair, and writing a mission statement. Most Ethiopian librarians do not have the opportunity to study abroad or travel to conferences or for training.

• Ethiopia has a rich history which includes an indigenous script to their languages such as Ge’ez and Amharic where many religious and other works can be found written by hand on vellum. Muslim books relating to Islam and medicine are found alongside Orthodox Christian materials. In most Ethiopian libraries, books in the English language and western languages are found on the shelves. However, their collections tend to be...