2008 Blogs

Picking up the pace

02/17/2009

Okay, I know it looks like I am on vacation, but really, I'm working quite steadily.  I have finished preparing workshops on the Credit-Based system of Education, Curriculum Design, Syllabus Construction, and Administrative Issues, and I have nearly finished workshops on the Engaged Learner, and Assessment.  I've begun designing an American literature course to be taught here in the fall, assessing the library and its services, searching for grant funding, and co-teaching four sections of English courses.  Thursday I fly to Ho Chi Minh City for an international library conference, where I'll be speaking, and I have been asked to go to the University of Dalat to assist with a strategic plan for its library.  There's more, but I think I'll stop there.  I'm a listmaker, and as you might imagine, my to-do list has gotten rather long.

In this picture I'm standing next to Ms. Quynh, who translates for me during meetings.  She and another faculty member also are translating questionnaires for the library staff and material for the workshops.  I'm keeping them rather busy, I suspect!

Today Ms. Oanh and Mr. Hoan gave me a tour of the library, which is housed in three buildings.  The above picture was taken on the rooftop of the main building, which is beautifully situated.  You will find the Lending Room in a separate building, and the Periodicals & Newspaper Room (pictured here) is housed in what formerly was a chapel.

Library services at NTU are both similar and different from the U.S.  Like some American libraries, they use the Dewey Decimal System, have an online catalog, have bar coded their books, and are concerned about overdue books and why people don't use the library more frequently.  One difference is that you are not entitled to use the library simply by virtue of being a faculty member or student here--you must take a short course and pass a test in order to receive a library card.  I was told that the library purchases ten copies of books, placing 3 in the Reading Room (a shelving area that holds books you can check out for one day) and 7 copies go to the Lending Room and may circulate for 7 days.  In the next picture, Ms. Quynh and Ms. Oanh are standing in the Reading Room.  As you can see, the library is not overflowing with books.

 

The future seems to be in the digital library initiative, which will be unveiled in ten days, but that requires resources--both human and material.  If I understood correctly, the computers in the library have not been updated since 2000 or 2001, and there is only one librarian working on the digital library project.  As I've heard said before, "many challenges!"

Speaking of challenges, the technology did not work properly during much of this afternoon's class.  First, the computer projection system wouldn't turn on, and then it wouldn't play the film I had planned to show (even though I had previewed it on this computer earlier).  As my co-teacher and the technician fussed with the equipment, I spontaneously taught a lesson on stress and how to cope with it.  One of the suggestions a student gave was to keep smiling, which we did, despite the frustration!

 

This evening I went to dinner with several Americans and two Brits.  After being surrounded by the Vietnamese language, or by people speaking vinglish (as they jokingly call Vietnamese-English), it seems strange to hear people speaking English fluently.  I found myself surprisingly silent as I absorbed the familiar sounds.  Tomorrow promises to be another full day so I'd better close for now.  If you'd like to see a few more pictures of the library, check my Picasa site!