Librarians, archivists participate in US sponsored programme

A librarian from St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is among a group of librarians and archivists from Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean who will travel to the United States as participants in a US Department of State International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP), running from June 13 to July 1. The 21-day program is designed to enhance participants’ knowledge and understanding of policies, best practices, and challenges for improving awareness and protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).{{more}}

Participants in the program are Ryllis Mannix, the director of the National Public Library in Antigua; Joseph Prosper, the acting director of the National Archives of Antigua and Barbuda; Junior Browne, the officer in charge in the Faculty of Law Library located at the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus in Barbados; Grace Haynes, coordinator, Government Department Libraries in Barbados; Vernanda Raymond, the acting chief librarian at the National Documentation Centre in Dominica; Claudette Bartholomew, the court administrator at the Supreme Court of Grenada; Donna Mason-McLean, the librarian at the National Public Library in SVG; Petrine Clarke-Whyte, teacher/librarian/library assistant within the Ministry of Education in St Kitts; and Evauntay Bridgewater, senior library technician within the Ministry of Education in St Kitts.

This professional exchange programme is titled “Librarians and Archivists as Defenders of Intellectual Property Rights.” Through meetings and discussions with public and private sector professionals in the United States, participants will explore a broad range of IPR issues, including copyrights, patents, and trademarks. In addition, they will examine the implementation and enforcement of IPR legislation. The role and impact of non-governmental organizations on IPR will also be explored, and the role of libraries in providing critical services and expanding access to intellectual property will be emphasized.

The programme will begin in Washington, DC, and will include travel to Dallas, Texas, and Orlando, Florida, before concluding in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The IVLP is the Department of State’s premier, professional exchange programme. The programme brings together emerging leaders in their respective professions to learn how US experts in that profession operate and to share best practices with the other programme participants who hail from the same region and across the globe.