You’ve heard how Whatcom County Libraries collaborate and have worked out a way to have a “One Card” system that allows sharing of materials at all public and academic libraries in Bellingham and Whatcom County:

Western, Whatcom Community College, Northwest Indian College, Bellingham Technical College, as well as all WCLS branches  and Bellingham Public Library. It’s working well, and the story of increasing the borrowing power of your library card is spreading!

Linda Lambert, Library Director at Whatcom Community College recently attended the International Federation of Library Associations conference in Helsinki, Finland.  Her proposal to share the Whatcom Libraries Collaborate “One Card” project as a display was accepted and here is the story in photos.

What are the common threads shared by libraries on an international level besides collaboration and sharing?  IFLA President-elect Sinikka Sipilä of Finland offered a peek into the future of IFLA as she presented a member survey indicating that “we need to change public opinions about the old traditional image of the library.” Mobile technology is providing access to information on a major scale, she said, and libraries have an opportunity to help people navigate the information deluge and locate trustworthy information. Support for civil liberties, international copyright policy favorable to libraries, and new publishing models that move away from the idea of ownership “will change the traditional library role in society.”  (WCLS note—themes included in the 2013-2015 Strategic Framework).

Without facing the travel and the crowds, you can find out more about the IFLA conference and international library issues through the connections of your local library newsletter! Small world!!