As a city characterized by its Midwestern roots and viewpoint, Indianapolis, like many American towns, could benefit from a broader worldview. This perspective would foster appreciation of family heritage, cross-cultural connections with the local immigrant population, and understanding of the larger global community. Although the Indianapolis Public Library has long been a place for cultural discovery and appreciation, we wanted to move our efforts to a deeper, more meaningful level. Previous attempts at international events seemed one dimensional. These programs provided opportunities to learn about cultures and even experience the flavor of another land, but they were limited by an American point of view. To make an impression, the community needed immersion in the culture and shared experiences with new world friends. In cooperation with global cities, we could develop a rich exchange. Learning from each other, exploring our differences, and realizing our common threads would be an important way to create a genuine understanding and friendship. The challenge became…how?

With advanced technology and the ability to connect globally, the Indianapolis Public Library formed partnerships with the international cities that are part of the Indianapolis Mayor’s Sister City Program. All Sister Cities have a committee of local volunteers who promote and advance the culture of each city. By partnering with these groups, The Indianapolis Public Library began making connections with the following cities: Cologne, Germany; Hangzhou, China; Piran, Slovenia; and Campinas, Brazil. After introductions and greetings via email, the first connection involved a book exchange between each city. As a gift of goodwill, carefully selected books (including popular materials, local authors, and sometimes, bilingual versions) were exchanged between the partner Libraries and added to our respective collections. Despite the language and cultural barriers, we solidified the relationship between each global city and, through Skype and email communication, we worked toward a common goal: seeking ways to share our cultures. Months were spent collaboratively planning to ensure the goals for all stakeholders were met. The resulting ideas were innovative. We built partnerships for sharing Library best practices and created deep cultural experiences through staff exchanges. Exhibits have opened in Indianapolis, as well as in the Public Libraries of our global partners. Each of these events explored the diversity, languages, and people of our respective cultures in authentic ways and featured borrowed display materials from our respective countries. The Hangzhou Public Library showcased a 2,000 foot display about American culture and life in Indianapolis. As a result, they received a national award in China for their efforts. The cross-cultural communication has been paramount to realize success and create meaningful experiences for staff and the public.

Progress has been both astounding and frustrating. Librarian visits to Cologne, Germany and Hangzhou, China and subsequent visits to Indianapolis by their staff resulted in a new broadmindedness. These exchanges enlightened and created goodwill among new friends. The Chinese were as interested in our digital expertise as we were with their access and retrieval system. Additionally, a Library Board official visited China, and Indianapolis welcomed the Director of The Hangzhou Public Library. The Cologne staff exchange resulted in the development of a unique joint public program known as One Book, Two Cities. Together, we selected Austrian author Eva Menasse’s book, Vienna, because she was recently honored by Cologne and the book has a universal theme of discovering family heritage. Locating 2,000 English copies of the book was difficult, so we requested a special printing through a publishing house in England. Both cities circulated the book, distributed free copies, and offered book discussion groups and special events, creating a healthy dialog around literature. Among the richest experiences was the blogging site maintained between our two cities. A group of Cologne citizens took a field trip to Vienna, photographing book locations and posting on the blog. One reader even created a genealogical tree of the fictional family. Translations of the blog were made by those who were bilingual. Participating in global efforts strategically places the Library as a leader in the globalization of our city. Indianapolis is becoming not just the crossroads of America, but the crossroads of the world.