IFLA hosted Melissa Levine, Chair of our Advisory Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters in the Netherlands as a Fulbright awardee. 

A white man and woman, with an IFLA banner as background. The man has greying hair and classes, and a blue shirt. The woman has a white shirt and glasses.
Melissa Levine (right)

The Fulbright Program emphasizes partnership and building long-term relationships, “devoted to increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” The Program is the world’s largest and most diverse international educational exchange program made possible through annual appropriations by the U.S. Congress and often through contributions from partner countries and private parties. The United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs oversees the Fulbright Program.

In addition to her role in IFLA, Ms. Levine directs the Copyright Office at the University of Michigan Library, is an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, and is a founding board member of the Open Copyright Education Advisory Network (OCEAN). 

The idea of the stay sparked from a presentation by Angela Rodel, Executive Director at the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission at the CLM mid-year meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria. This opportunity allowed Ms. Levine to share her expertise to advance the Committee’s work and enhance her ability to contribute to her home institution. 

The Fulbright award allowed Ms. Levine to spend time at IFLA’s office at Den Haag to work extensively with IFLA’s Headquarters team. In more detail, the focus was on how to focus and get the most out of the Advisory Committee’s agenda. It was highly valuable to have the time to explore work in depth, and discuss how to establish effective, open communication and long-lasting cooperative relationships across time zones.” 

Ms. Levine said, “The Fulbright award allowed me to spend some sustained time to work collaboratively with IFLA HQ, to work out ways to activate ideas from conversations with committee members, and support the international partnership embodied by IFLA.” IFLA and Fulbright have aligned missions emphasizing the “opportunity to work collaboratively with international partners in educational, political, cultural, economic, and scientific fields.” 

“I received the Fulbright Specialist award just before the pandemic. In planning for my visit to the Netherlands and IFLA, I was looking over the application essay that I wrote in 2018,” Ms. Levine said. “I was struck by the emphasis on partnership, communication, mutual learning, and advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals — all characteristics of the IFLA community.” 

Fulbright is perhaps known best for its programs that support exchanges of a semester or a year. The Fulbright Specialist Program uniquely makes it possible for academics and professionals from the U.S. to go abroad for shorter-term appointments of two to six weeks over two years. “This shorter-term option is a fantastic opportunity for people who have something to contribute to the Fulbright vision even where they are not in a position to be away from their home institution for a longer exchange,” Ms. Levine said. 

Once on the specialist roster, participants can see a list of organizations seeking particular kinds of expertise. Libraries can host Fulbright specialists. “I hope my experience is the first of many Fulbright exchanges across the IFLA community.”

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