Program

Project Welcome: Libraries Serving Refugees and Asylum Seekers Summit
PROGRAM (Preliminary)
Cambria Hotel & Suites Chicago Magnificent Mile
166 East Superior Street, Chicago, IL, 60611
February 6, 2017
Summit Program Preliminary PDF

Follow and participate on social media using hashtags #projectwelcome  #refugeeswelcome  #librariesrespond

8:30-9:00 Registration, Light Breakfast and Scoping Activity (View our registration and hotel information)

9:00-9:30 Welcome and Contex (Clara M. Chu and Ngoan Le)

9:30-10:30 International Library Experiences: Canada, Germany and India
Moderator: Michael Dowling, Director, International Relations Office and Chapter Relations Office, American Library Association

Speakers:

  • Sulekha Sathi, Library Service Manager, Agincourt District, Toronto Public Library (Canada) [PPT]
  • Anne Barckow, Department of Intercultural Services, Languages and Education, Hamburg Central Library (Germany) [PDF]
  • Trishanjit Kaur, Professor, Department of Library and Information Science; Former Dean, Faculty of Education and Information Science, Punjabi University (India) [PPT]

10:30-10:50 Break and Poster Viewing

10:50-12:00 US Library Services: Basics and Beyond
Moderator: Touger Vang, Programming and Outreach Librarian, Yolo County Public Library

Speakers:

  • Oralia Garza de Cortes, Scholar, Community Leader and Library Advocate; Co-Founder of Children in Crisis Project [PPT]
  • Mary Anne Confer, Librarian, Farragut High School, Chicago Public Schools [PPT]

12:00-1:00 Lunch and Presentation
The US as Resettlement Destination: The Role of International, National and State Agencies
Moderator: Jody Gray, Director, Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS), American Library Association

Speakers:

  • Anne-Marie McGranaghan, Associate Resettlement Officer, United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees
  • Ngoan Le, State Refugee Coordinator, Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services [PPT]

1:00-1:45 Poster Presentations

1:45-3:00 Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Organizations: Mission, Services and Information Needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Moderator: Shailja Sharma, Associate Dean of College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Director of the MA program in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, DePaul University

Speakers:

  • Sandra Vines, Director for Resettlement, US Programs, International Rescue Committee (IRC) [PPT]
  • Kate Steger, MA, MPH, Deputy Director, Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange, IRC [PPT]
  • Melineh Kano, Executive Director, Refugee One
  • Aklilu Adeye, Executive Director, The Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, Inc. (ECAC) [Word]

3:00-3:50 Group Discussions: Key Issues

3:50-4:10 Break and Poster Viewing

4:10-4:50 Group Activity: Challenges, Resources and Priorities

4:50-5:00 Wrap-Up