University of Maryland iSchool Study Abroad Opportunity: Libraries and Cultural Heritage Institutions of St. Petersburg, Russia

Join Maryland's iSchool in St. Petersburg, Russia, May 24-June 6, 2014! Participants in this course will see firsthand how Russia, formerly a communist state, is transforming access to information. Be prepared for rich cultural immersion experiences as you learn about Russia through visits to libraries and other cultural heritage institutions of St. Petersburg. LIS students and practitioners are welcome to apply for this exciting opportunity. Highlights include:

• Visits to the Russian Academy of Science Library (BAN), the National Library of Russia, and the St. Petersburg State University Library, the oldest academic institution in Russia
• Meeting with faculty and students at library school at the St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts
• Behind the scenes tour of the Hermitage Library and Museum
• Tours of the A.S. Pushkin Children’s Library, the Mayakovsky Public Library, and the B.N. Yeltsin Presidential Library
• Trips to the Peterhof Grand Palace and Tsarskoye Selo, home of the baroque Catherine Palace and the neoclassical Alexander Palace

Estimated costs for this trip are $3300 plus airfare.

For more information, please visit: https://myea.umd.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10493

The interdisciplinary teaching team will be led by Ann Carlson Weeks, Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the College of Information Studies. Dr. Weeks was the initiator of the Education Abroad programs in the iSchool and has taken students to Nicaragua and Germany. She was one of the creators of the International Childrens Digital Library (ICDL) and was an active member of the US State Department's Specialist and Speakers program.

Yelena Luckert, Head of Research Services and Subject Specialist for Jewish and Slavic Studies at McKeldin Library, will be a co-instructor of the course. Luckert grew up in St. Petersburg and is a native Russian speaker. She has developed a book exchange program with the National Library of Russia and is a member of the executive committee of the Maryland Sister States Program (Office of the Secretary of State) for Leningrad Region/City of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Contact: Yelena Luckert, [log in to unmask]

Application Deadline: February 15

Mary Carroll-Mason

Communications Coordinator

College of Information Studies, Maryland's iSchool

University of Maryland

4105J Hornbake Building

College Park, MD 20742

[log in to unmask]

(301) 405-1260

ischool.umd.edu

Twitter: @I_UMD