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Announcing

             Professional Development Courses for Librarians
                 and Practicing Information Specialists
                      in Central and Eastern Europe

           The International Centre for Information Management
                      Systems and Services (ICIMSS)
                              Torun, Poland.



     Announcement

A new international school for librarianship and information management,
formed in association with Nicholas Copernicus University in Torun, Poland
invites  practising librarians, information specialists and library school
teachers (especially from Eastern and Central European countries) to apply
for enrollment.

The Professional Development program delivered through a combination of
residential and distance learning (across the Internet) methods, has been
implemented in October 1997 and tested by students taking part in its pilot
program, who now have succesfully finished the second semester of studies.
You can read their opinions and make individual contact by looking at the
"Student Directory" pages on the ICIMSS www site:

        http://www.poniecki.org/ICIMSS/StudentsF.html

An International board of highly visible and recognized experts from the
region, the United Kingdom and the United States have assembled an
internationally renowned faculty and written a curriculum specifically
aimed at conditions in Central and Eastern Europe.

     Dates

ICIMSS announces that it will offer post-diploma Professional Development
courses in Information Science beginning October 5th, 1998.  It will offer
a course of studies leading to an MLS (Masters in Library Science) degree
beginning in the following year. Professional Development courses will be
recognized towards the Masters program.

     Background

Information science is one of the richest and most important research and
practice areas in today's environment. Social evolution and technological
progress continually raise new questions and challenges for librarians,
whether they work in public, academic, or specialized research libraries.

To help librarians gain the skills with which to solve these fundamental
challenges and to facilitate improved efficiency in library work, the
professional development courses will include sessions on the following
topics:

     Semester 1

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATION
Instructor:  Czeslaw Jan Grycz, Berkeley (USA)

      Distributed Networks
      Client/Server Technology
      Structure of Documents and Encoding Standards
      Internet Toolsets (TELNET, WWW, Databases, OPACs)
      Various Electronic Output Formats (online, CD-ROM, HTML, PDF)
      Introduction to Applicable International Intellectual
      Property Law, Copyright, and Fair Use

MANAGING THE PROCESS OF CHANGE
Instructor:  Simon Francis, Sheffield (UK)

      Human Resource Management
      Education and Updating of Skills
      Flexibility, Accountability, and Performance
      Feedback and building a "learning organization"
      Hierarchical vs. Responsible Management


     Semester 2

DIGITAL LIBRARIES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
Instructor:  Derek Law, London (UK)

      Range of alternative exemplars visible on the Internet today
      Resource identification, verification, and navigation
      Search engines and information retrieval strategies
      Z39.50 protocols and OPACs
      Cataloging and Exchanging Bibliographic Information across
       the Internet
      Specific Information Resources that are useful


INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES
Instructor: Ian Mowat, Edinburgh (UK)

      The process of negotiating licenses, submitting tenders and
      RFP's, evaluating vendors, comparing value
      Human Resource Management
      Communications Skills
      Job Descriptions, Expectations, Evaluations, Performance
      Team Building


     Semester 3

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Instructor: Terry Weech, Urbana-Champaign (USA)

      Fundamentals of financial documentation
      Financial analysis
      Elements in the line-items
      Process Control and Responsibility
      Fact gathering and reporting
      Judging and Reacting to changing situations
      Managing resources: technological, financial, human, and knowledge


ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING
Instructor:  Ed Valauskas (Chicago)

      Elements of a Successful www site
      Lack of quality indicators
      Essential components in building a www site
      Financial Models for supporting development
      Types of skills that are needed and useful

Courses leading to an MLS degree will treat many of these same topics in
greater depth, allowing students to explore the areas in detail, and to
consider a variety of implications of modern digital networks on
collections development, library automation, patron services, and
library management.


     Professional Development - Methodology

Students enrolled in Professional Development courses will be required to
attend a two-week residency in Torun, (October 5-17, 1998) during which
they will participate in a series of lectures and workshops. Following
this, students will return to their home institutions from which--for
another twelve weeks--they will conduct online exercises (using e-mail,
www, and Internet technology), interacting with their fellow students and
teachers using distance education facilities. Another two residential
sessions are planned around Easter vacation and in the summer. Each of
these sessions will be finished with the final assesment of two modules and
start with an introduction to another two modules.


     Eligibility

To be eligible for the professional development program, candidates must
have a Bachelors' degree or the equivalent. Candidates will be selected on
the basis of the following criteria and requirements

   * appropriate computer skills,
   * knowledge of English,
   * letters of reference (from their own institutions),
   * demonstrated aptitude for study.

All applications will be review by the Centre's Recruitment Committee.

Since the Centre is international in scope the official language of
instruction will be English.


     Application Deadline

The deadline for applications for the Fall 1998 semester is July, 30, 1998.


     Further Information

For additional information and an application package, please contact:

     mailto:  icimss at bu.uni.torun.pl

or visit our Web site, at

       http://www.poniecki.org/ICIMSS/


     Conclusion

If you wish to...

   * learn more about the latest changes in the information
     environment,
   * update your expertise as a librarian or information
     specialist,
   * learn how is information created, recorded, and organised
     for fast and easy retrieval,
   * how prepare a www home page for your institution,
   * how conduct an effective online search

                 ...join us!


Yours truly,

Maria Sliwinska
Executive Director, ICIMSS

Biblioteka Uniwersytecka
Uniwersytet  Mikolaja Kopernika
ul. J. Gagarina 13
87-100 Torun, Poland