Library Programs 2009
The American Library organizes orientations, library tours, video screenings and road-shows all over South India. Here are a few of the events organized by the American Library.
Presentation on Storytelling, Libraries, and Literacy by Ruth Stotter
American Library
Saturday October 24, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
Stotter is a professional storyteller, educator, and author based in California, USA. She has performed, lectured, and led workshops on four continents. She served as Director of the Storytelling Program (1985-1999) at Dominican University in San Rafael, California, where she taught Analyzing Folk and Fairytales, and other courses. Ruth is former Chairperson of the American Folklore Society’s Folk Narrative Section. Her publications include the books, About Story, The Golden Axe: Folktales of Compassion and Greed, and You’re On! 101 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills.
The presentation will last about 30-40 minutes and be followed by a Q and A session. This program is in collaboration with the World Storytelling Institute, Chennai.
American Library Exhibition to Strengthen Indo-U.S. Relations
August 25-26: The American Library of the U.S. Consulate General-Chennai brought its resources to Kerala last week, as part of a concerted effort to reach out to audiences beyond Chennai. Inaugurating the exhibition at Baselius College, Kottayam, on August 24, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, said that dissemination of knowledge about the United States would help the community in Kerala to better understand America. The Principal of Baselius College also expressed appreciation for the American Library Traveling Exhibition, remarking that this would further strengthen Indo-U.S. relations. Over 900 students, academics, journalists, and members from the general public visited the two-day exhibition, August 25-26.
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July 23, 2009: Consul General Andrew T. Simkin inaugurated an American Library Exhibition at JBAS College for Women and served as Chief Guest at the launch of the college’s English Association on July 23, 2009. The one-day exhibition featured book displays, film screenings, exhibits on the 200th birth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln and showcased information about the resources and services offered by the Library to JBAS students and faculty. If you are interested in having a similar exhibit come to your school please send an email of interest to chennairefdesk@state.gov.
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June 4, 2009: In recognition of LGBT Pride Month, the American Library had a book display of works of literature by some outstanding writers who are gay or lesbian - like Truman Capote, Gertrude Stein, Susan Sontag, Tennessee Williams and Alice Walker – along with some excellent nonfiction, such as Stonewall by Martin Duberman. The library also displayed a poster exhibit on the history of the gay and lesbian struggle for equal rights in the United States.
American Library Opens on Saturdays
April 11, 2009: More than 200 people visited the library and attended the grand opening ceremony on Saturday. After nearly a decade, the Chennai American Library renewed its Saturday schedule as a way to serve a broader number of people.
Screening of “Rachel Carson: The Silent Spring” at JBAS College
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February 27, 2009: More than forty undergraduate students of Commerce and Economics from the Loyola College visited the American Library for an orientation and screening of videos on Business Communication and Conflict Resolution.
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February 12, 2009: Post-graduate students from the Department of Library & Information Science at Gulbarga University did a tour of the American library facility and received an orientation on library services, including the use of electronic databases.
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January 8-18, 2009: More than 22,000 people visited the American Library booth at the Chennai Book Fair from January 8–18, 2009, where they sampled a selection of the resources and services available to the public.