Gurgaon, Haryana: A four-day International Leadership Skills Training workshop for Indian school librarians was held during October 3-7, 2017 at the GD Goenka University Campus. The workshop was organized by GD Goenka University and Indian School Library Association (ISLA) in collaboration with the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), UN, Netherlands, International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) and the National Library of Singapore.

Ms. Ingrid Bon, Manager, Development Programs, IFLA was the Chief Guest at the inaugural session held on 3rd October.  Dr. Ramesh C. Gaur, University Librarian, Jawaharlal Nehru University delivered the keynote address. Prof (Dr) Srihari, Vice Chancellor, GD Goenka University, Dr. Moorttimatee Samantray Rath, Head, LDD, NCERT and Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Director, National Resource Centre, NIFT, Mr. Sanjay K. Bihani, Library & Information Officer, Ministry of External Affairs and IFLA Chair for Regional Standing Committee for Asia and Oceania addressed the participants. Dr. Nitesh Bansal, Registrar, GD Goenka University gave felicitations. Dr. Hrushikesh Senapathy, Director, NCERT was the chief guest at the valedictory session on 7th October. Dr. Rajender Ahuja, Associate Professor, Dept of Economics, Govt. College, Gurgaon also delivered a guest address.

School Librarians Workshop

A pre-training study “School Libraries in India: A Statistical Review” was also released at the inaugural session. The training was imparted to a group of selected school library professionals representing various regions and school education sectors of India by International Resource Persons Ms. Ingrid Bon (Project Development Manager, IFLA, Netherlands) and Ms. Premila Gamage (Librarian, Policy Making Institute, Sri Lanka). The workshop was coordinated by Mrs. Madhu Bhargava, Programme coordinator & Dean of Libraries, GD Goenka World School, Gurgaon.

About School Librarians Workshop: The workshop was conceived as a Capacity Building Leadership Training program for School Librarians of India. School Libraries and School Librarianship in India have lagged behind; continue to work in isolation for long, consequently resulting in slow and retarded professional development. Collaboration and Team Work are the mantras for Professional Development and excellence in Education and Schooling. It is in this context that a Capacity Building Leadership Training Workshop is worked out for School Librarians of India.