In October of 2023, School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Dean Sanda Erdelez traveled to her native Croatia as part of the Fulbright Specialist Program, which offers opportunities for U.S. professionals and academics to share expertise and collaborate with institutions around the world. Fulbright Specialists come from a range of disciplines and travel internationally to offer lectures and discussions on their topics of expertise.
“One important outcome of my project was the transfer of U.S. experiences in graduate library and information science (LIS) education,” says Erdelez, who gave a public lecture on LIS programs in the U.S., with a focus on Simmons SLIS, to members of the University of Osijek community. Her lecture included specific programmatic developments in LIS related to new digital technologies and employment opportunities for librarians and information professionals.
Erdelez gave another presentation on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the LIS profession to the librarians and the members of the Osijek Public and University Library, which was particularly well-received, leading to an invitation to deliver an additional Zoom lecture on AI at the public library in the town of Požega. As Erdelez notes, "While initially many participants were concerned about library functions that may be replaced by AI tools, my presentation also addressed numerous opportunities for enhancement of library services to library users and new career opportunities in generative AI prompt engineering."
Another key component of the Fulbright is to plant the seeds of future collaboration with the University of Osijek. Erdelez held in-depth meetings with faculty members from the Department of Information Science (DIS) at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University. “During these meetings we discussed the trends in library and information science education and possible adjustments to the programs available at the DIS,” says Erdelez. “I am interested in creating a summer study abroad program for students from Simmons University and University of Osijek.”