Email Updates RSS
Search
Interview with Joan Petit regarding her work in Ethiopia in conjunction with IGI Global's book donation

IGI Global Donates Books to Ethiopia: Interview with Joan Petit Reveals All

By IGI Global on Apr 11, 2017
Emerging Research TrendsProfessor Joan Petit
IGI Global recently donated ten titles to Jimma University, which is a well-established, public university in southwestern Ethiopia. This institution offers a range of programs, including engineering and medicine, but it can be both expensive and challenging to purchase academic materials in Ethiopia. Therefore, when Fulbright Scholar, Joan Petit, requested assistance, IGI Global was eager to deliver.

Joan Petit is an associate professor and the communications and outreach librarian at Portland State University (PSU) in Oregon. She is currently taking a sabbatical from PSU and is serving as a Fulbright Scholar at Jimma University in Ethiopia.

She recently took some time out of her busy schedule to collaborate with Elizabeth Leber, promotions assistant, to discuss her ventures in Ethiopia.
What do you plan to do in Ethiopia?

In Ethiopia, I am in the information science (IS) department at Jimma University, and I am teaching information science classes to first-year IS graduate students. I am also giving some guest lectures on other campuses, helping with programs at the public library in Jimma and conducting a research project.

How did you get involved with teaching less economically developed countries (LEDCs)?

I have a personal connection to Ethiopia: my kids, whom my husband and I adopted, were born here. Years ago, when I joined the library faculty at Portland State, I realized that, after tenure, I would be eligible to take a sabbatical. Since then, I have hoped to be able to work here as a Fulbright Scholar, in part to give something back to the country that has given me so much. This is not my first time working overseas. From 2007-2009, I worked as a librarian at the American University in Cairo, Egypt as well.

What ages are the students you teach and what subject area(s) do you teach?
Emerging Research TrendsProfessor Joan Petit's Students
My students are first-year graduate students working toward a master’s degree in information science. Some are young, full-time students, though many have worked at least a few years before returning to school; others are full-time professional library and technology staff who received their undergraduate degrees many years ago.

How will this donation help with your plans in Ethiopia?

In Ethiopia, English is the language of instruction for higher education, and higher education is growing fast, with a great deal of investment from the government. However, Ethiopia has only a small academic publishing industry, and most instructors use research and course materials from other countries including India, Great Britain and the United States. Textbooks are often expensive; the cost of shipping makes it even more prohibitive. Instructors often use old textbooks held by the library because they simply cannot get newer editions. This is particularly a problem in library and information science, as our field is developing quickly and books can become outdated within a few years of publication. The IGI Global books are a great addition to the university’s collection of current materials on information and library science. The information science graduate students are Ethiopia’s future librarians and directors of information centers, and their work will benefit so many of Ethiopia’s students.

What type of research do you do?

My research project here looks at open educational resources (OER) and if they might be feasible given real limitations in infrastructure, including power interruptions and limited Internet bandwidth.
A sincere thanks to Professor Joan Petit for sharing her story and collaborating with IGI Global for a worthy cause. Please take a moment to view her co-authored chapter “Innovation on a Shoe String: High Impact Space and Technology Updates in a Low-Funding Environment” within the title Cases on Higher Education: Spaces: Innovation, Collaboration, and Technology, along with a select few of the books IGI Global donated to Jimma University below.


Newsroom Contact:
Elizabeth Leber
Promotions Assistant
eleber@igi-global.com
(717) 533-8845, ext. 132
www.igi-global.com/
Browse for more posts in:
Research TrendsEducationDistance EducationResearch EssentialsMiddle East & Africa

No comments Comments

Log in or sign up to comment.
Be the first to comment!

More from IGI Global

May 31, 2024 IGI Global Titles Included in Doody's Core Titles 2024
Recently, Doody's Core Titles, an essential collection development tool for health science librarians, included 5 IGI Global reference books in their book database.
IGI GlobalRead More
Medical, Healthcare, and Life SciencesBooks & E-BooksAwards & RecognitionResources for Librarians
May 30, 2024 Tourists are Ruining EVERYTHING
Japan is among several locations struggling with rebuilding sustainable tourism since it halted during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. How will this industry survive if tourists are allowed to destroy both habitats and culture?
IGI GlobalRead More
Business and ManagementHospitality, Travel & Tourism ManagementSustainable DevelopmentBooks & E-BooksResearch Trends
May 29, 2024 How Concerned Should Authors Be With Formatting, Style, and Accessibility?
When preparing a manuscript for publication, it is important that authors pay special attention not only to showcasing their research but also to formatting, citations, and accessibility.
Mikaela FeltyRead More
NewsletterResources for LibrariansAuthor NewsResources for ResearchersAcquisitions
May 23, 2024 Economic Showdown: China and the United States
President Biden's administration is implementing tariff increases on various Chinese goods to tackle persistent issues like intellectual property theft and unfair trade practices, aiming to create leverage for negotiating more favorable trade terms and protecting American industries.
IGI GlobalRead More
Business and ManagementGovernment and LawGlobal BusinessResearch Trends
May 16, 2024 Sketch the Future
What is sketchnoting, and can it improve learning outcomes and student engagement?
IGI GlobalRead More
EducationInstructional DesignVirtual Learning EnvironmentsBooks & E-BooksResearch Trends
May 14, 2024 IGI Global and Scite Partner to Fortify the Next Generation of Citations
Scite, an award-winning platform used by students and researchers to discover and understand the scientific literature better, has partnered with IGI Global, an independent academic publisher of Business & Management; Scientific, Technical, and Medical (STM); and Education books and journals, to enhance citations and create deeper research insights for its global audience.
IGI GlobalRead More
ArticlesResources for Researchers
May 9, 2024 Navigating the "High" Risks and "High" Rewards of Cannabis Legalization in Medicine
Despite increasing acceptance and legalization of cannabis in some US states, disparities persist in federal marijuana laws, exacerbated by the Biden administration's classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug. This inconsistency leads to unfair penalties in the criminal justice system, where individuals in legal states can still face federal prosecution.
IGI GlobalRead More
Medical, Healthcare, and Life SciencesBooks & E-BooksResearch Trends
May 2, 2024 Who will Win the AI Chat Wars?
Google has recently introduced its new Gemini platform, which competes with OpenAI's ChatGPT. This platform promises to provide real-time chat with advanced algorithms to meet the increasing demand for instant AI interactions.
IGI GlobalRead More
Computer Science and Information TechnologyArtificial IntelligenceBooks & E-BooksResearch Trends
Apr 25, 2024 How AI Changes the Game with Targeted Advertising and Rapid Upscaling
How can advertisers possibly keep up with billions of unique individuals on the planet? Enter artificial intelligence.
IGI GlobalRead More
Business and ManagementMarketingBooks & E-BooksResearch Trends
Apr 23, 2024 Participate in the IGI Global Annual Academic Publishing Trends & Open Access Survey 2024
In its second year, the IGI Global Annual Academic Publishing Trends & Open Access Survey 2024 seeks to create a realistic outlook on problems faced by the academic community and their potential solutions.
IGI GlobalRead More
Resources for LibrariansResources for ResearchersOpen Access
First Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  ... Next Last