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Vol. 22, No.2/Winter 2000

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Jennifer Small EvertBy Jennifer Small Evert

As promised in my last column, I am reporting back on my experience in Asia in October. Thanks to both the Freedom Forum and SLA, I was able to travel to Hong Kong and Bangkok to train librarians, reporters, editors and students how to use the Internet. Having never left the country, I approached the trip with more than a little trepidation but the experience overall was unforgettable.

In Hong Kong, I started my week by leading several short workshops with students and practicing journalists. I was amazed at the level of interest. Every session was packed with people. The most common questions - how do American newspapers deal with copyright issues and the Internet? How do journalists find reliable information? I ended the week in Hong Kong by leading two full-day sessions with radio, print and television reporters from around the city. Several librarians from various fields also attended those classes. The librarians were particularly interested in the discussion of intranets. It was encouraging to see librarians trying to take a leadership role in utilizing the Internet within their organizations.

The Freedom Forum and the Reporters Association of Thailand organized the program in Bangkok differently. Journalists and news librarians from all over Southeast Asia were invited to Bangkok - one of the most intriguing and exotic cities I have ever seen. For three days, I worked with this group of fascinating people. Because we had more time, we were able to cover HTML in addition to the curriculum I had developed on searching the Web. My last two days in Bangkok were spent with Thai journalists. The American Embassy provided an interpreter for these sessions. I was amazed at the number of librarians who attended the final two days. The knowledge of the Internet varied significantly but the interest level was incredible.

Overall the experience was fantastic. The people were incredibly friendly. Arnold Zeitlin and Janet Chung at the Freedom Forum were wonderful to work with. The environs were, at all times, intriguing. The experience cannot be traded for the world. I encourage all news librarians who have an interest in training and in travel to pursue this wonderful opportunity sponsored each year by SLA and the Freedom Forum.

 


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