Five Russian leaders participating in the Open World Program have spent the past week in Durham learning about public access to government information in various types of libraries.

The Kostroma Committee of Sister Cities of Durham has hosted the delegation. Managed by the independent Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress, Open World enables emerging Eurasian leaders to experience American-style democracy at the local level.

The delegates are Yelena Baboshina, of Gymnasium #28, Kostroma City; Yelena Golovan, of the School Libraries Development Department of Kostroma Region Institute for Education Development; Natalia Mokshina, of N. A. Nekrasov Kostroma State University Library; Tatyana Podvetelnikova, of N. K. Krupskaya Kostroma Region Universal Research Library; and Lyudmilla Solovyeva, of the Bibliographic Information Department, N. K. Krupskaya Kostroma Region Universal Research Library. Syuyumbika Ziganshina from Tatarstan, accompanies them as a facilitator.

The delegates have toured the libraries at Duke University, UNC, Riverside High School, Durham County Library, the State Library of North Carolina and N.C. Archives in Raleigh, and the library at NIEHS.They met with the staff of Rep. David Price's Durham office, officials of the Durham Chamber of Commerce, and visited City Hall. Homestays allowed the delegates to experience American family life.

Over 12,000 Open World participants have been hosted in all 50 U.S. states since the program's inception in 1999. Delegates range from members of parliament to mayors, from innovative nonprofit directors to experienced journalists, and from political party activists to regional administrators.

Anne Berkley

Durham