PLYMOUTH, N.H.- For the sixth consecutive year, Plymouth State University will host Pakistani educators as part of the Pakistani Educational Leadership Institute (PELI) from July 4 to August 2, 2009.

Twenty educational leaders, recognized for their leadership capabilities, will attend this year's Pakistani Educational Leadership Institute. The educators represent secondary level public and public/private sectors and teacher training institutions.

Refferred to as the "Plymouth Model" by Ambassador Nicholas Burns and other officials at the United States Department of State, PELI exposes Pakistani educators to American innovations in education for adaptation in Pakistan. The four-week Institute creates an atmosphere where Pakistani educators can come and immerse themselves in an inspiring and creative learning environment and work to enhance leadership capabilities to affect positive change in the educational environments and systems in their communities.

PELI matches the resources of its College of Graduate Studies and taps its expertise to teach innovations and best practices in science education, interdisciplinary initiatives, and educational leadership that can be adapted for maximum efficacy to Pakistan's secondary school sector and in-country realities.

This unique collaboration crosses boundaries and connects learning communities in New Hampshire and Pakistan. The program also engages the communities of the Lakes and White Mountains regions of New Hampshire in educational and cultural exchanges with the Pakistani delegates.

This year PELI alumni are playing a critical role in the development and implementation of the "Education in Emergency" model for use in humanitarian efforts to educate Pakistani children in refugee camps.

This year PELI alumni are playing a critical role in the development and implementation of the "Education in Emergency" model for use in humanitarian efforts to educate Pakistani children in refugee camps.

Funded since 2003 from the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Plymouth State University has trained 100 educators in five summer institutes from all over Pakistan.

According to statistics compiled by Lahore-based Pakistani partner Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, alumni of the program acting as master trainers in Pakistan have trained more than 100,000 educators. The Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs works closely with PSU and the Pakistani partner organization, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, to ensure that the program curriculum reflects U.S.-Pakistan education cooperation goals.

Additional Resources and Information

• Official PELI Web site
• Read this year's participants' stories on the PELI blog
• Learn more about PSU's partner in Pakistan Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi

For more information contact PSU Director of Public Relations Christopher Williams, (603) 535-2476.

PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- For the first time users of Plymouth State University's Lamson Library are able to read and search excerpts, or even full texts, of select books online.

The University today announced the implementation of the Google Book Search Book Viewability API through its Scriblio library software. This means patrons can preview the text of select books they find in the Lamson Library catalog online free of charge via Google Book Search.

"Access to information is what libraries are all about. The integration of Scriblio, our library's content management system and online catalogue, with Google Book Search promises to enhance the research experience for all our users," said David A. Berona, PSU Lamson Library and Learning Commons Director

Examples of how the Google Book Search Book Viewability API works using Scriblio can be seen in these books by PSU authors Bruce Heald and Joseph Monninger. The "Browse on Google" link in the New Features section leads to extended previews of their works.

"The ability to browse a library's collection online, to see not only what's on the shelf but to peek inside the books and flip through the pages can only help to expand horizons," said Casey Bisson, lead developer of Scriblio. "Free samples attract readers, Google Book Search integration with Scriblio and library catalogs should attract a lot of them."

Google announced the launch of the new Google Book Search Book Viewability API yesterday on the Google blog. PSU is one of the first nine universities worldwide to link to the new Google Book Search Book Viewability API feature at its launch.

* Plymouth State University, (New Hampshire)
* Kansas State University
* University of California
* University of Huddersfield. (Huddersfield, UK)
* University of Iowa
* University of Minnesota
* University of Texas
* Waterford Institute of Technology, (Waterford, Ireland)
* Universita degli Studi di Padova in Italy, (Padova, Italy)

Scriblio, an open source project developed by Casey Bisson at Plymouth State University, has been gaining additional recognition since being awarded one of the first Andrew W Mellon Foundation awards for technology collaboration in December 2006. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has recently selected it as their next generation library catalog.

Scriblio makes it easier for libraries to post their collections online, and as open source software, it is available to other libraries to download and use for free.

For more information contact Christopher M. Williams at cwilliams@plymouth.edu or (603) 535-2476.

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