What cross-border collaborations does The Bodleian Library have with institutes or libraries in the Global South? What do these collaborations consist of? How are they built and sustained and why?

Why North-South Collaborations?

• Bridge the knowledge gap• Exchange of experiences

• Capacity building

Evidence-based research on their benefits – see:• http://www.north-south.unibe.ch/• http://

unoy.org/wp-content/uploads/Looking-at-collaboration-in-North-South-networks.pdf

4 Case Studies

Capacity Building

Cases1.Refugee Study Centre Library

(former)2.Exchange Programme with

Eastern Europe (former)3.Oxford – Myanmar (current)

1. RSC library (former collaboration)

1980 online collection

for the Global South.

Forced Migration /

Oxford Migration

Training programme

s

Documentation centres initiated in

Global South.

Exchange of

experiences

2. Exchange Programme with Eastern Europe (former collaboration)

1970s exchange agreement

s

Negotiations

Exchange of

practices, experience

s

Diplomacy

Oxford – Myanmar (current)

Book donation

Access to databases

teaching

training

Improved higher educatio

n

Exchanges

New tools New experiences

New Capacity

Oxford Law Library

Yangon University

3 cases• Knowledge exchange• Acknowledged indigenous knowledge.• Capacity building for the South (RSC & Oxford-Yangon)• …but beneficial to both!

However…• Lack of clear guiding policies •Absence of strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.• Limits contribution to significant capacity building.

When thinking collaborations…

think globally – truly globally.