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Learning |
Cathy Chung My library visit in Japan through the 1989 ASLA/ Horner Japanese Exchange Fellowship was an enlightening experience, from the application of robotics in document retrieval and storage to traditional Japanese book binding. The generous assistance from Japanese librarians and warm reception from the host families also gave me a first hand look at work and home life in Japan. I was delighted to be able to reciprocate during the exchange visit from a delegation of 14 Japanese librarians the following year. The fellowship gave me an opportunity to meet the late Dr. Jack Horner in person and to continue my friendship with Mrs. Marian Horner. I will always remember the invaluable advice on preparing for the 5 K run in Wakayama from champion runner, Dr. Horner! Link to Horner Report |
Friendship |
Carol Elliott What other Fellows have said about how the Horner changed their lives is not exaggerated. I was almost too young and inexperienced to appreciate the richness of this opportunity at the time. The Horners made a constructive investment: they hoped that the Fellows would forge relationships that would continue to flourish, that Fellows would want to return to Japan, and that it would be a great experience personally and professionally. And for me all of this has happened. I have returned to Japan with family members and have had my hosts while in Japan as a Fellow visit me. I have also had professional visitors and, with others, was able to assist Mr. Shihota with his sabbatical in Tucson at the School for Information Resources and Library Science. Having visitors from Japan in our home has had a tremendous impact on my family and has given us a new perspective on our own lives. We look forward to continuing these wonderful relationships. Mrs. Horner has become a good friend and mentor. We visit each other often and I know we will continue to learn from and enjoy each other. I also feel fortunate to have known Mr. Horner and to have had him meet my family. The Fellowship offered me enrichment and has had a continuing impact that exceeded all my expectations. Link to Horner Report |
Harmony |
Kris Swank I'm not exaggerating. The Horner Fellowship changed the way I see. Aside from tending "the Foro" in Hermosillo, Sonora earlier that same year, my trip to Japan was the first time I had been outside the U.S. It was the first time I had to live inside another culture. And it was my first lesson in viewing an issue through someone else's spectacles. What I remember most vividly was the manifestation of "harmony" in Japanese life and Japanese libraries. I was privileged to view many beautiful and ancient scrolls in library archives, and also to see some very modern and innovative automated library systems, all coexisting peacefully. I learned that Japanese libraries weren't giving up what was good about the past in order to benefit from the computer age. At that time in America, and indeed in my own institution, over-zealous proponents of the computer were proclaiming the death of the printed book. Yet in Japanese libraries, it was understood that each new information medium had its unique advantages, without necessarily usurping the usefulness of older media. I saw clearly, then, the printed word would survive. I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude for the vision of Dr. and Mrs. Horner, and the Arizona Library Association, for establishing this exchange program. I am also thankful for the hospitality and friendship of so many people, including the Yamabe Family, the Kakiguchi Family, Professor Shihota, Thunderbird's staff and students in Tokyo, and the National Diet Library International Exchange Section. "Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." -- Miriam Beard |
Hospitality |
John Irwin I shall never forget Dr. Shihota's expert personal guidance and the overwhelming hospitality shown to me by librarians I met in Osaka and Tokyo during my 1995 Horner Fellowship trip. It is their courtesies - as well as those of the Yamabe, Torikata, and Takano host families - which I most vividly remember. I also fondly recall touring a variety of public and academic libraries, noting their functionality, automation, and distinct architecture. At the National Diet Library, the National Archives, and the Nakanoshoma Library I was granted the unusual opportunity of viewing the very rarest Japanese art and literary treasures in existence, a privilege which most Japanese never have. These events, along with personal tours of the religious and cultural shrines of Nara, Kyoto and Kamakura, made this Fellowship truly a rich, unforgettable experience for me. Link to Horner Report |
Generosity |
Phil Heikkinen I visited Japan for three weeks in the spring of 1997. Before then, I had never traveled overseas. Before Japan, I had never seen with such immediacy the contrasts between our modern technology-centered culture and a way of life focused on elements of earth and spiritual practice. And I saw this not just in places like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, but in individual homes. I toured a wide variety of libraries. In each, I was grateful at my hosts' obvious dedication to preserving archival materials and historical information while developing internetworking and audio-visual technologies. While a guest in Japan I felt honored by invariably generous professional and social consideration. This remains a wonderful daily reminder for my own life and helps to fuel my excitement about the Fellowship's current transformation. Link to Horner Report |
Cultural Exchange |
Charlotte Cohen While memories may ebb and flow over time, the richness of my experience as a Horner Fellow will always be a special part of my life. The vision and foresight of Jack and Marian Horner in fostering an exchange between librarians in Arizona and Japan was, in retrospect, quite remarkable. The professional and personal friendships that have developed in the past ten years have flowered into a network of people dedicated to promoting cultural understanding and information exchanges. With this festschrift, we thank the Horners, ASLA/ AzLA, and our generous Japanese colleagues who together have created a very special legacy -The Horner Japan Exchange Fellowship. Link to Horner Report |