About American Corner Mitrovica
American Corner Mitrovica was opened on September 26, 2005. This project is the result of the cooperation between the Public Affairs Office of the US Embassy in Pristina and the Public Library “Vuk St. Karadzic”.
American Corner Mitrovica offer access to current information about the United States via book collections, the Internet, and through a variety of events such as speaker programs, English-language classes, discussion clubs, workshops, lectures, exhibits, documentary and movie projections, holiday celebrations, meetings, webinars, TOEFL and other tests, and various exchange programs. Also, the AC Mitrovica has a great numbers of games for children (educational board games and Wii), as well as other resources such as the Smart Board, iPads and kindles.
Target Audience
American Corner Mitrovica is primarily designed to serve younger audiences to access multimedia resources. The main audiences in the Corner are students and all interested citizens. The list of our members includes primary, high school and University students, English teachers and others.
Collection Overview
The collection includes print and electronic collections of various media and formats covering areas of interest to the target audience as well as supporting programing in the five core pillars of American Corners. The collection includes, but is not limited to, English Language learning; EducationUSA materials; reference resources; information about U.S; Literature, and other resources about the U.S of interest to local audience.
American Corner Mitrovica consists of the following materials: books, films, games, e-readers, and other technology for online resources.
Selection Standards
The coordinator of American Corner Mitrovica, in close coordination with the U.S. Embassy Pristina, are responsible for the selection of materials and resources for the Corner. English Teaching Assistants are also consulted in this selection process in order to facilitate future joint activities. In addition, requests and suggestions will be taken into consideration all year long from readers, partner organizations/institutions, and host institution.
The tools to be used for the selection of materials at American Corner Mitrovica include, but are not limited to: book awards and reviews, local audience polls, IIP standards, suggestions from local organizations interested in English language and American culture materials, and additional online resources.
The main criteria to be used when making the selection of materials for the corner will be taken from the AC Guidebook and Standards. This means that all materials must be in English (original or translations) and in some way related to American culture and traditions.
American Corner Mitrovica may accept donations and gifts if fitting, but reserves the right to add donations to the collection or to dispose of the material in an appropriate manner. This process is made in close coordination with the host institution, i.e. the Public Library “Vuk St. Karadzic”, as well as with the U.S. Embassy Pristina.
Weeding Policy
American Corner will apply weeding policy for the collection of print materials in order to maintain high standards in providing current, balanced, and relevant materials (books, magazines). This process is made in close coordination with the host institution, i.e. the Public Library “Vuk St. Karadzic”, as well as with the U.S. Embassy Pristina.
The following criteria will be used to de-select print materials and dispose of them in an appropriate manner:
- Poor Condition (item is worn, torn, or damaged)
- Old Edition (content is no longer current or has been superseded by another edition)
- Low Circulation (item has not circulated or been used in the last three years)
- Unrequested Duplicates (multiple copies of items that are not in active use)
- Irrelevant Information (item’s content does not correspond to selection standards)
- Malfunctioning electronic devices;
- Damaged and outdated games;
Processing and Cataloguing
The Corner registers all its new acquisitions in its inventory books.