German Exchange Librarian presents American library to Magdeburg Information Professionals. How librarians participate in the Nashville - Magdeburg Sister City Program.
November 17, 2004
Librarian Beate Hörning from the Magdeburg Public Library recently presented her work experiences at Nashville Public Library to her director and approximately 60 staff members. Mrs. Hörning, a postgraduate student of Correspondence Study Library Sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin, completed a six week internship in Nashville, a sister city of Magdeburg since 2003, as part of her studies. Her USA visit, which started on August 23 and finished on October 8, 2004, also included excursions to several public libraries.
At the Nashville Public Library Mrs. Hörning was eager to learn about the business operations of the U.S. public library system and get an insight into the every-day-life of American librarians. Her first trip to the United States in 2001 included visits to several public libraries and left such a lasting impression that she decided to return and learn more from her American colleagues.
The Nashville library team and Elyse Adler, Mrs. Hörning’s mentor, worked out a schedule to make their German intern familiar with all the different aspects of the library’s tasks and responsibilities. Among other things, Mrs. Hörning worked at the reference desk, assisted in the department’s collection building and collection development, participated in administrative and project work and spent two weeks of her internship in the Nashville Room, host to the Nashville territorial collection.
In 2004 Nashville Public Library celebrated its 100th anniversary and Mrs. Hörning was fortunate to participate in a series of special events related to the jubilee. Her program was rounded off by visits to various public libraries in Wisconsin and Illinois.
In order to keep her colleagues, friends and fellow students informed about her life in Nashville, she regularly reported from the US. These reports can be found on the website of Magdeburg’s German-American Dialog Center at http://www.magdeburg-nashville.com/
Mrs. Hörning greatly enjoyed her visit to Nashville. Not only did she value the professional experience as a librarian but also immensely appreciated the personal experiences. She was deeply impressed by the professionalism of her American colleagues and overwhelmed by their openness, friendliness and helpfulness. Realizing that librarians at both ends of the Atlantic face similar problems, she learned that her American colleagues solve these issues in a very creative, flexible and optimistic way. Mrs. Hörning especially appreciated the establishing a continuing relationship to her American counterparts and hopes for long-lasting communication in both directions.
Through their exchange, the two libraries actively participate in the Magdeburg – Nashville Sister City Partnership Program, which was established a few years ago and officially signed in 2003. Magdeburg’s library director Peter Petsch strongly supports the librarian’s exchange and would gladly host a Nashville librarian at his library.
The arrival of Consul General Fletcher M. Burton at the Consulate General Leipzig in 2002 generated a new spark for the Sister City Partnership Program. Fletcher Burton is a native of Nashville and unsurprisingly showed special interest in the Magdeburg – Nashville relationship. Not only did he contribute to the further development of the partnership, but he also highlighted Mrs. Hörning’s internship by meeting her at the Nashville Public Library while in the United States on home leave.
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