Library Pen Pals aka International Librarians Network

It popped up on Twitter. A form to fill in. The chance to chat remotely with a librarian from another country. I excitedly filled the form in. And then I waited….

The International Librarians Network is a meeting place for librarians from across the world. The peer mentoring programme is designed to link librarians together in a partnership, with the promise of regular virtual interactions that will enable both partners to learn.

I was absolutely delighted when, a few weeks later, I received the email saying my application had been successful and then another with the details of my partner librarian from Botswana! Wowee!

I quickly read up on Botswana and found some information about libraries in that region. We’ve already exchanged our first emails and there are many similarities in our libraries and the challenges we face. I’m already hooked! I can’t wait to find out more.

I also jumped back on to Twitter to see what was being said about #interlibnet and sure enough there were librarians from around the world making connections and chatting.

All this excitement following one simple form found on Twitter!