2010

The Athens Information Resource Center of the American Embassy, the Greek Committee for the Support of Libraries and the Central Public Library of Samos organized a two-day program for Greek and Turkish librarians at the Central Public Library of the island of Samos on June 1-2. American speaker Maria E. Gentle addressed “Youth Services and Outreach in Public Libraries” to a group of twenty librarians from the wider Aegean region including professionals from both countries.

Gentle shared her experience in educational and outreach services during four presentations which were followed by a Q&A session. Additional sessions included hands-on activities and discussions focusing on ways of cooperation between the public libraries of both countries, in addition to exploring program ideas and Web 2.0 applications which could eventually promote educational and cultural exchanges for youth in the Aegean region.

Maria E. Gentle
Youth Services Arlington Central Library 1015 North Quincy Street Arlington, VA 22201 mgentl@arlingtonva.us

Maria E. Gentle received her MLS from the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked as children’s and university librarian for many years in Texas and currently has been a Youth Services Librarian since 1992 at Arlington Public Library in Arlington, Virginia. She is very active in the ALA (American Library Association) having participated as member of the YALSA (Young Adults Library Services Association) Board of Directors and also in many book award committees such as the Printz Award, Margaret A. Edwards Award, and currently the Newbery Award committee. She does presentations on teen library services in the United States and abroad. The aim of this program is to bring together Greek and Turkish librarians to share best practices, identify common challenges, and reach out to young audiences utilizing latest technological trends in the field of library science. We believe that the resulting network and knowledge gained will help library professionals continue their professional development for years to come.