Mugar in Morocco - A librarian on ILL for 6 weeks, circulating at the Univ. Al Akhawayn
On January 20 I travelled to Ifrane, Morocco which is a small University town just south of Fez. I will be spending 6 weeks in the Mohammad VI Library, at the University Al Akhawayn. on a Fulbright scholarship Hopefully it will be a mutually beneficial experience: for me, so I can expand my poor knowledge of the Arab world, literature, and culture; and for the library where I hope to share my knowledge of libraries and all the facets that make up my work at Boston University, in Mugar Library. I am the Modern Foreign Language & Linguistics Bibliographer, as well as the Communications Bibliographer.
On day 2 I spent time with all members of the library: the Director, Professor Lotfi, has many plans for me. I will also be taking 3 courses here (in English, as most of the University offers classes in English): Basic Arabic; History of the Arab World; and Arab Literature. My projects for the library will include the following: create a student survey to ascertain possible changes that are needed; share my reference knowledge with librarians here on databases and the steps involved starting with a Reference Interview and all along the way. I will also look into the possibility of suggesting works for a possible Portuguese Studies department at the University.
more later......
Comments
Hello! Fascinating work - I studied at Al Akhawayn a few years ago (just Arabic) and now live in Meknes.
I'd be interested in just chatting with you sometime if that doesn't sound too strange - particularly in the area of "knowledge of the Arab world." Anyhow, if you visit Meknes, drop me a line, or if you're interested in meeting up there (I was just in Ifrane on Sunday and go frequently with my husband).
Enjoy your time here!
Posted by: Jillian | January 23, 2007 06:26 AM