iSchool Faculty Trent Hill and Nancy Gershenfeld have received a grant of $42,000 from the Scan|Design Foundation by Inger and Jens Bruun to fund the 2013 iSchool Denmark Exploration Seminar (iDES).

The 4-week program is held in collaboration with the Royal School of Library and Information Science (RSLIS) at the University of Copenhagen. Participating students include 17 from three programs at the iSchool and 10 international students from RSLIS, Humboldt University in Berlin and Wuhan University in China.

The iDES is based on iSchool courses and consists of of classroom meetings, field trips in Copenhagen and longer excursions to library and cultural sites outside of Copenhagen. Students are encouraged to explore related library, instructional, and cultural opportunities during their unstructured time.

The primary goals of the program and partnership between RSLIS and the UW iSchool are:

• Promote the long-standing bond between Danish and American library traditions and the common struggle for democratizing society. Both traditions are engaged with problems of access and innovation in a networked world.  
• Allow UW students a greater participation in and understanding of the the cross-global issues surrounding information literacy, access, instruction, and assessment.
• Expand an understanding that the global information society demands cross cultural understanding and appreciation.
• Position students as future leaders in the global information society with exposure to the expertise of the two major educational institutions.