The past two days have been long but incredibly engaging. The delegation spent the day at the Rochester Hills Public Library, starting with a tour and discussions with four RHPL trustees. After delivering a presentation at the Rochester Rotary Club, they returned to the library to learn about services for individuals with disabilities and the role of the Friends of the Library.
On Wednesday, the delegation spent the morning at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Rotarian Roger Roller, who also serves as a DIA docent, gave us a fantastic museum tour. District 6380 Governor Sharna Hatcher walked in! What a pleasant surprise.
After lunch, the delegation headed across the street to the Detroit Public Library, beginning with a tour of the Main Library. In a conference room, staff members gave insightful presentations on various aspects of their library services. Sergei, our translator, continues to impress with his remarkable skills—what a talent!
From left to right, we have Nurzhan Zholdybalinov, Deputy Head of ElectronicRresources at the National Academic Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Next is Zhanar Kulzhayeva, the American Corners program coordinator at Kazakhstan's US Embassy and Consulate. Zhanar is fluent in English and is the delegation's facilitator. Ainur Shaimukhanbetova is the Chief Executive Officer of Karagada Regional Universal Research Library. and is head of reference at the East Kazakhstan regional library. Altoty Saliyeva is the Department Head of the Aktobe Regional Universal Scientific Library. Meruyert Zhailibayeva is the head of reference at the East Kazakhstan Regional Library. Last but not least is Meiram Beltembayev, the director of the centralized Library system of Almaty.