The Library’s first international exchange partner was the Jamaica Library Service in Kingston where Library staff presented workshops on children’s librarianship and multicultural storytelling. They performed traditional American folktales for the Jamaica library staff and patrons. They also met with local folklorists who gave great insights into Jamaican folktales, particularly stories about the famous trickster, Anansi the Spider.

Later that same year, two Jamaican librarians, also storytellers, traveled to Miami-Dade as part of the exchange. They performed at several branch libraries and presented workshops to the staff of the Miami-Dade Public Library System, including one intended to inform and sensitize staff to the particular needs of Miami-Dade’s large Jamaican population. Library staff responded to their presentation enthusiastically, and felt comfortable asking questions about how to improve library services for this particular community group. No sensitivity training has ever gone so well. Miami-Dade staff commented that they felt much more confident getting information right from the source.

The presence of these international librarians provided a forum for open discussion and better understanding of our commonality rather than our differences. Library staff from both countries understood that they share the same purpose and they both strive to achieve the same worthy goal of providing excellent library services to their communities. Although there may be differences in policies or funding resources, all came to realize that the library as an institution is crucial to economic, educational and cultural development, whether here in Miami-Dade County, or in Kingston, Jamaica. The exchange proved to be successful, having a positive impact on each library’s staff, administration and, most importantly, patrons in two communities, thousands of miles apart.