In
February 2011, under the auspices of the Ghana-Michigan PARTNER Program
Fellowship, University of Michigan welcomed 14 scholars from Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology for a four-month study and research stay. The
objective of the fellowship program is to strengthen the interdisciplinary
research capacity in Ghana to address global health challenges and include
“long-term, comprehensive training of post-doctoral scientists who will become
future leaders of interdisciplinary global health research in Ghana”. (Source: Global REACH, University of
Michigan Medical School)
A major component of the PARTNER fellows’
research activities was based upon the successful use of library services and
research databases. To provide a foundation in research methods and
information skills and to address the scholars’ goals in developing creative
solutions for global health, I had the chance to create an integrated
instruction program, focusing on literature searching and subject-specific
information resources. It was a privilege to provide hands-on computer
classroom sessions and lectures, small groups instruction for subject-specific
teams, and individual consultations.
The four subject-specific research teams that the scholars were divided
into were: Gender and Health; Innovative Technologies in Global
Health; Genetic and Epidemiological Study of Breast Cancer; and Occupational
and Environmental Health. I
particularly appreciated the scholars’ subject knowledgebase and eagerness to
further their information-seeking skills.
The
Ghanaian scholars’ arrival was marked by “the” snowstorm of Winter 2011. These intrepid scholars, most of whom had
never seen snow, put any possible culture shock aside to deal with temperature
shock! On their first day of instruction at the Taubman Health
Sciences Library, most did not remove coats, gloves or scarves. My statement: “Would you believe me if I
told you it gets up to 35 degrees Celsius in the summer?” was met with disbelieving
laughter. (It was 14 degrees F that
day).
One
of the fellows exclaimed: “Don’t say
anything funny because if you do, I’ll get tears in my eyes and they will
freeze on my face!” And so began a
wonderful relationship with 14 remarkable individuals…..
Members of the Ghana-Michigan PARTNER Program Fellowship program with instructors and mentors.
My
experience with the PARTNER fellows is one I am not soon to forget. I cannot fully express in a few sentences how
the PARTNER fellows, for whom I created instruction sessions, left after
actually teaching me. Their
excitement and gratitude in learning information-seeking skills and finding new
research materials to investigate made me consider once again how very
fortunate we are in our own information environments and the degree of
information inequity that scholars in developing countries experience everyday
as they conduct vital research. The
PARTNER fellows’ generosity of spirit, openness, and intentions to change
“their world” through education is inspiring and provides another reminder of
“why we do what we do” as information professionals.
Gurpreet K. Rana
Taubman
Health Sciences Library
University
of Michigan
Email: preet@umich.edu
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