Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year 2021!  As the saying goes, “it is always darkest before the dawn.”  That pretty well sums up the situation in parts of the world still struggling with COVID-19 as we enter this new year.  For others, the worst is now past, but together, we look to a brighter new year and continuing our global collaboration.

Despite the many challenges we have faced in our own countries and communities, SET has found itself in a highly successful position of leadership for LIS education!  We have been able to accomplish many successful webinars that have been well attended, reflecting the excellent work by our SET organizers. The most recent webinar was in December entitled, “Moodle for Education,” hosted by SET colleague Dr. Jennifer Branch-Mueller. Our next webinar is planned for January 8 entitled, “Digital libraries and Learning” with Dr. Anna Maria Tammaro.

Our student spotlights have also been very well-received and answer such questions as, how does LIS education vary from one country to another? How does the student experience compare across institutions and countries? What is currently working for LIS students?  Our colleagues at IFLA headquarters have remarked on our good work and spotlighted SET to share our many accomplishments with the rest of the global LIS community!

It’s impressive that we’ve been able to accomplish so much together during some of the darkest days.  Imagine what we’ll be like as it gets “lighter!”  So here’s to a brighter 2021 and another year of successful collaboration in our global community!

Best wishes from the U.S.,

Kendra Albright