TRAINING AND FAMILIARIZING WITH WAYS OF THE INFORMATION LITERACY PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTATION
A One Week Visit to the In Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland

“Developing Information Literacy for Lifelong Learning and Knowledge Economy in the Western Balkan Countries”
Tempus project

From 24 June to 1 July 2013, the Tempus project “Developing Information Literacy for Lifelong Learning and Knowledge Economy in the Western Balkan Countries” participants from partner institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina were in a one week visit to the town of Limerick, Ireland for training and familiarizing with the ways of information literacy implementation in different academic institutions.

UNSA Representatives: Doz. Dr. Samim Konjicija, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and M.Sc. Esrefa Beba Rasidovic, Faculty of Criminalistics, Criminology and Security Studies, together with one representative from the University of Bihac, Cantonal and University Library Bihac, and University of Mostar participated in this training. The training proved to be very useful and diverse, and included a visit to the Limerick Institute of Technology and to their Library and Information Center, and familiarizing with the Institute, information literacy programs that are utilized in this institution, available information sources and modes for them. Through the presentations by guests and hosts, as well as round table discussions, the experience related to the information literacy implementation and its subsequent inclusion in the academic institutions curricula, got exchanged. Through noteworthy presentations, the UNSA representatives presented the University and current activities and progress in the information literacy development. Similar activities were taking place during the visits to the University of Limerick, Institute of Technology in Tralee Campus and their library, Limerick Public Library, the Hunt Museum and Mary Immaculate College Library.

The end of visits and training was in the Institute of Technology’s main Campus. The roundtable discussions on this Tempus project’s outcomes and of this one-week visit were subject of discussion. All discussions and conversations, both in the official as well as during the chatting with the hosts  in all visited institutions, especially with the library-information experts, proved  to be rather useful in strengthening the notion of the necessity of having such programs, training and awareness that we are following the right path.