Bibliocycle

This Seminar was sponsored by the Aga Kahn Educational Service, Pakistan, and was held at the National Institute of Public Administration on August 5, 2006. A welcome address was provided by Ms. Sughra Choudhry Khan, Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan. The keynote address: The State of Public and Private School Libraries in Pakistan – Past, Present, and Future — was provided by Dr. Syed Jalaluddin Haider. Ms. Elisabeth Tully, Director of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library at Phillips Academy, made two presentations:  "The Role of the LIbrary in a 21st Century School" and "The Instructional Program of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library"  Mr. Nooruddin Merchant and Mr. Ahmed ali Shah made a presentation on "Revisioning Libraries" describing their work with four libraries in the network. These are some of the librarians I have been  working with this week.  They volunteered to help with registration and logistics.

Nooruddin had assured me that the seminar would be bilingual, and that translation would be provided.  It was only bi-lingual in the sense that I spoke English while everyone else (except Sughra Choudhry Kahn, who gave opening remarks) spoke Urdu.  I was concerned that I might contradict something said by one of the other presenters, as I had absolutely no idea what was going on.  It was particularly awkward to be on the panel as the only English speaker.  I sat on the stage for more than an hour, not understanding, not getting any of the jokes, and hesitating to comment on any of the questions as I did not know what others had said.