Sister City Sèvres
The week of June 7, a delegation from Mount Prospect’s Sister City, Sèvres, France, visited the Mount Prospect Public Library and several neighboring libraries. Representatives included: Joelle Brunemer, Executive Director of Bibliothèque-Médiathèque de Sèvres; Jean-Christophe Nicolas, Multimedia Manager; and Didier Adon, Deputy Village Manager of Sèvres.
Their objective was to visit MPPL and a few other progressive American libraries to learn how to modernize French library services, especially in the area of technology and multimedia. During the course of their visit, the delegates participated in several professional discussions with MPPL staff on partnerships, community involvement, technology, and programming. “This was a wonderful opportunity to find out about French public librarianship and to discover the commonalities as well as the differences,” said Marilyn Genther, Executive Director of the Mount Prospect Public Library, “They were very interested in our virtual services, including downloadable books and electronic online resources, as well as our extensive programming and partnerships with businesses and community organizations.” Didier Adon, the Deputy Village Manager of Sèvres, was intrigued by the role American libraries play as a center for the exchange of ideas and information, not necessarily connected with public reading.
The Sèvres delegation spent time in each department of the Library to learn how American libraries are organized and what services are offered. To help increase their understanding, the delegation also visited several area libraries, including Elgin’s Gail Borden Public Library and its Rakow branch, Cary Area Public Library, and Skokie Public Library.
This visit not only provided the opportunity for a professional exchange, but also served to kickoff Book Crossing, an intercontinental book discussion. MPPL staff and their Sèvres counterparts collaborated to choose books, written by French and American authors, that the citizens of both cities were encouraged to read and discuss. “We used technology to facilitate the planning of this book discussion,” noted Genther, “We created a collaborative website (Wiki) through that staff here and in France could hold discussions. We accomplished all of the planning online, with the need for only one phone call.”
Mount Prospect and Sèvres residents young and old, were invited to spend the summer reading the books and then participating in the discussion. To continue the technology theme, the two communities were encouraged to discuss the books online, through a blog, http://sevres-associatif.fr/sevresmppl. Traditional book discussions were also being held in the fall. For more information, contact the Library at 847/253-5675.
Sèvres Librarian's vist Chicagoland
Slideshow of Sèvres France
