Sarah Parramore, Head Editor, INALJ Middle East/Arabian Gulf

Get Your Passport Ready, It’s Time To Make Connections

Maybe you’ve made the commitment to start looking for international library jobs. Your soul searching is complete, your expectations are realistic and now you’re ready for the next step. Sure, you can start peppering your CV to any and all countries that are actively seeking, but what do you do in the meantime? How do you make yourself an international sale?

One of the perks to working internationally is the international conference! You already know conferences are a great way to connect with others, market yourselves and learn latest and greatest practices. Attending an international conference will do all of this, plus probably introduce you to a country you’ve never been, or never knew cared so much about libraries. I know it’s a costly step, but I think it’s truly worth it. Start saving those nickels, dimes and pennies, there are some great conferences just up ahead!

First up: the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) World Library and Information Congress from August 17-23, 2013 taking place in……SINGAPORE!!! And as a side note, IFLA is one of those organizations where being a member is a wise, professional move.
http://conference.ifla.org/ifla79/congress-information

Next in line: the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) Conference happening August 26-30, 2013 in…….BALI, INDONESIA!! This one breaks my heart a little bit because I was invited to present but circumstances prevent me from going. I would have loved to have seen Bali…..
http://www.iasl-online.org/

And finally: the European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) happening October 22-25, 2013 in ……ISTANBUL, TURKEY!!! Who doesn’t need a little info lit support? This is my personal pick for conferences this year, so if you happen to attend please look me up!
http://www.arber.com.tr/ecil2013.org/index.php/home

Of course there are dozens more, this is just a small sampling of what is available. Find the ones that are best suited to your skill set and go from there. If you haven’t heard of this site yet, it’s a one-stop shop of conferences near and far: http://lcp.douglashasty.com/ . Happy travels!