STUDY ABROAD IN ST. PETERSGURG: REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

The University of Maryland’s iSchool is pleased to announce “Libraries and Cultural Heritage Institutions in St. Petersburg,” May 25-June 8, 2012.  The two-week course will explore unique and innovative libraries and information services in modern Russia in their historical and cultural context. The course will be offered during the festive and magical White Nights season, when the sun hardly sets.

Currently celebrating its 300-year anniversary, the magnificent city of St. Petersburg is today Russia’s cultural capital. Shaped by imperial, Russian, and Soviet influences, its rich heritage offerings are beautifully preserved. Students will take private tours and attend lectures at major institutions, including Peterhof,  the Hermitage, Pushkin (Tsar’s Village), Pushinskiii Dom (one of the most important literary archives of Russia), the Library of the Academy of Sciences of Russia, the National Library of Russia, Mayakovsky Central City Library, and other sites of cultural and national importance.  We will meet with Russian library school students from St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts to discuss technical, socio-cultural, and legal/regulatory information access issues, highlighting the similarities and differences between the U. S. and Russia.

Russia is a major player on the world stage—politically, economically, and culturally.  It is a country of contrasts. Through this course, students will see firsthand how Russia, a formerly communist state, is opening up and transforming access to information.  The course will help prepare students for careers as information specialists working in a variety of libraries and information centers serving international patrons, working in international organizations, or working in other countries.

The teaching team will be lead by Dr. Trudi Bellardo Hahn, Professor of the Practice at the iSchool, accompanied by Yelena Luckert and Lily Griner, subject specialists at the University of Maryland Libraries and fluent in Russian.

DATES: May 25 to June 8, 2012.  Students will meet as a group at the University of Maryland on May 25 and 26 and leave for Russia on May 27.

COSTS AND APPLICATION PROCESS:  The student fee is $2,875, which includes lodging, breakfasts and 5 dinners, some transportation within and around St. Petersburg, admission fees for all course-related activities, and insurance.  It does not include airfare, expenses during the pre-departure phase at the University of Maryland, or the cost of obtaining a visa. 

The 3-credit course is open to students at the iSchool at Maryland as well as students from similar master’s programs in the U.S.  Practicing librarians may also apply and will be admitted on a space available basis.  All non-Maryland applicants must apply to the Graduate School at the University of Maryland for admission as Advanced Special Students.

Registration will close February 15, 2012, or as soon as the course is filled.

REGISTRATION: http://myea.umd.edu/?go=sulbscstpetersburg

Questions?  Please contact Trudi Bellardo Hahn, [log in to unmask].