Each year the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences celebrates the cultural heritage of a country/region with its Passport to the World Program (PWP). The University of Kentucky Libraries International Programs has been an active contributor to PWP since 2010. We have coordinated liaison librarians’ collaboration with faculty from different departments to annotate and showcase relevant materials from the library’s collections in physical and online exhibits. We have also hosted lectures and movie screenings in which faculty introduce audiences to specific cultural features and practices.

Thanks to positive feedback and faculty recommendations, the library’s involvement in PWP went from peripheral to being a major organizer with the appointment of its Director of International Programs as a member of PWP’s steering committee since 2013. Meanwhile, the annual library budget for hosting international events jumped from a pittance to $8,000.

This poster demonstrates that the library has been a crucial and trustworthy partner in executing the university’s internationalization strategy through collaboration with academic units to organize cultural events that are open to all on campus and in the local communities. We will highlight representative events and share the recipe for the ongoing success of the collaboration.