Contributed Papers: Brigevich Wins Award!

On behalf of the Conference Planning Committee, I'm proud to announce that Larisa Brigevich from Franklin Templeton Investments has won this year’s Contributed Papers award, given to the paper that best represents the conference theme. 

This year, the theme of Breaking Rules, Building Bridges was demonstrated perfectly in Brigevich’s paper about how her company has chosen to work with librarians in India and the bridges that have been built in order to make this expansion a success. 

The abstract of her paper is below, along with a link to the full-text.  You are encouraged to attend any or all of the three Contributed Papers Sessions next week.  During the Wednesday session, Larisa will present her work and will receive the award, sponsored by Prenax.   

Doing Library Business in India: A Success Story
By Larisa Brigevich -- Franklin Templeton Investment

Offshoring library jobs to India is a sensitive topic in the library circles, often generating images of downsizing or even closing corporate libraries in the U.S. But this is not always the case. As this paper demonstrates, librarians can turn challenges of globalization into opportunities for themselves and their clients.  In addition to professional growth, working on a global team can provide huge personal rewards and a way to contribute to building a better, more interconnected world. This paper concludes with personal reflections and memorable moments shared by the U.S. and Mumbai librarians regarding how working on a global team has changed their lives.  See full text

Larisa does an excellent job of describing the business case for the transforming change to a global research library.  Innovation, collaboration and a willingness to substantively change the "rules" for doing library business are recurring themes throughout the paper.  She expertly guides us through the process of change, while also recognizing and honoring the incumbent challenges and difficulties.  Larisa's paper made me want to go out and break a few library business "rules" myself!  -- Conference Planning Committee Member

Each of us can read the experience of these people and imagine ourselves in a similar situation, and how we would respond.  Some people fear globalization while others welcome it.  It can be unsettling and unexpected either way.   As English-speaking India becomes a world juggernaut and achieves greater skills in knowledge management services, we must deal with a different world than what we have known.  -- Conference Planning Committee Member

Comments

[Jamie Nast]

Larisa,

Congratulations! I'm very proud of all your work!

Jamie