By: Shannon Brennan

We were excited to receive numerous applications over the summer and were able to finalize supporting four Colorado libraries with ILCE grant funding. The following are the recipients of a CAL ILCE Interest Group Grant for 2025:

• Claudine Perrault, Director & Village Librarian, Estes Valley Library, in partnership with Estes Park Sister Cities Association and Sister Cities International, will further the development and enhancement of their Sister City library, Santa Elena Interactive Public Library in Costa Rica. The grant will be used to improve its library space, technology, and services.
• Boulder Public Library District, in partnership with the Center for African American Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, will use the grant to celebrate their “Kwanzaa is for Everyone!” program.
• Taylor Evans, Adult Services Librarian of Montrose Regional Library, in partnership with the Mexican American Development Association’s Hispanic Heritage and History Coalition, will develop a community-led walking tour of a historical Latinx neighborhood Tortilla Flats.
• Poudre Libraries, in partnership with Fort Collins Museum Discovery, The Family Center– La Falia, Fuerza Latina, and Realities for Children, will celebrate a collaborative library program.

By Shannon Brennan and Kathleen Robertson

Ever wondered how to expand your library services abroad and connect with another country? CAL’s International Library & Cultural Exchange Interest Group has partnered with Sister Cities International to create a toolkit. In this toolkit, Sister Cities International (SCI) and Sister Libraries share best practices for developing long-lasting and successful relationships between libraries and Sister Cities. Check out this link to access the toolkit.

By Shannon Brennan and Kathleen Robertson

Diana Price, manager of the Charles E. Beatley, Jr., Central Library in Alexandria, Virginia, was a guest speaker at the May meeting of the CAL International Library and Cultural Exchange interest group. She described her positive experience with the International Sister Libraries program. Her library developed a new Sister Library partnership with a library in Dundee, Scotland, that enriches patrons in both countries. One popular program that has resulted from the partnership is an adult book club, in which patrons in both communities read a book and then gather together virtually for a rich discussion. This presentation explains the exchange in more depth.

By Shannon Brennan and Kathleen Robertson

We hope you have had a wonderful summer full of amazing adventures and international travel! To recap, in the spring the CAL International Library and Cultural Exchange interest group posted an opportunity to apply for a grant. We are excited to announce that we have awarded the grant to Elektra Greer, director of the Nederland Community Library, for her Nederland Community Library International Sister Library Student Exchange Program. Students from the Nederland, Colorado, area worked with students in The Netherlands to develop skills to address the issue of climate change. The project concluded with student exchanges during July, when, first, Dutch students visited Nederland and then Colorado students visited The Netherlands. The communities on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean welcomed the visitors and shared their unique activities, food, and cultural events; it was an unforgettable international experiential learning opportunity for all. Congratulations to Elektra for the library’s involvement in spearheading such a program!

Update!  Elektra Greer let us know that the American Embassy in the Hague is going to give her program over $20,000 to help them do their International Student exchange again next year! This award is a great tribute to Elektra’s hard work and dedication to cultural collaboration.

Here is a link to the Nederland Community Library webpage highlighting the program: International Student Cultural Exchange.

Here is a program overview.

I have always been passionate about early literacy and education. As an undergraduate majoring in human development, I focused most of my studies on child development with a minor in gerontology. After undergraduate studies, I worked as a literacy advocate with military families in Hawaii. When I returned to Colorado, I began work at Denver Public Library and decided to pursue a MLIS focused on children’s services. Upon graduation, I worked as a school librarian to promote the love of literacy and support teachers. I also had the opportunity to promote the love of reading with Foreign Service families in Washington D.C. 

Now as a children’s librarian, at Bemis Public Library, I enjoy conducting story times to children ages birth through five years with my ukulele; providing reader’s advisory to parents and kids; as well as ordering the JFICTION, E-READER, and Parenting collections of Bemis Library. I have been a member of CAL’s ILCE-IG for about 5 years and graduated in August from the CALLI (Leadership Institute) Program. I look forward to expanding my leadership skills as a co-chair of ILCE.    Shannon Brennan

When my husband brought home a job posting and suggested I might like working in the library, little did I realize he was pointing me towards my life’s purpose. I have spent nearly 20 years in Library Land, working my way through all the public-facing jobs at suburban public libraries of different sizes: I was a page, and then a library specialist, and then a lead library specialist, and then a co-supervisor. Currently I supervise a small branch, Sheridan Library, in the southwest corner of Denver. I was proud to earn my master’s of library science from Emporia State University in December of 2023.

Connection, expansion, and service are my strongest values. Librarianship speaks to all three, and international librarianship offers even more opportunity for expansion and connection. I believe my interest in other cultures makes me a better librarian–more aware, more understanding, more tolerant, more inclusive. I look forward to advocating for cultural exchange as co-chair of the International Library and Cultural Exchange Interest Group.  Kathleen Robertson