Background

The Second International Summer School, Stuttgart Media University, the Faculty of Information and Communication,
May 2009

The theme was ‘Managing Digital Technologies and Cross-cultural Challenges’. Participants were offered a variety of workshops and seminars, we had the privilege to arrange
a three-day long workshop with the title ‘Library Services for Multicultural Communities’. The workshop assembled participants from five different countries.We focused on Germany and Sweden. Amin Maalouf ’s book In the Name of
Identity served as theoretical base. In the book the author tries to understand the way people act, motivated by their
identification with a religion, ethnicity or nationality.
The theme of identity provided a perfect starting point for
the discussions.

At the last session the students received their final task:
to plan a new library building including new services for
the ‘New Global Library’.

Stuttgart Media University (HdM) The curriculum of the Library and Information Study Programme in Stuttgart has always kept a strong emphasis on library services for different target groups.

In January 2009 a group of master students arranged
a two days conference on the topic: ‘Promoting Language
and Reading Skills of Migrant Children in Libraries’.
The lectures and workshops assembled 160 participating
librarians.

The topic of the Second International Summer School fits perfectly into the frame of seminars with a practical
orientation.

Susanne Krüger

Gullvor Elf