International and Comparative Librarianship

DEDICATED TO PIONEERS   INCLUDING:
S. R. Ranganathan, P. N. Kaula, R. N. Sharma, J. F. Harvey, D. J. Foskett, J. P. Danton, M. M. Jackson, etc.
This Blogosphere has a slant towards India [a.k.a Indica, Indo, South-Asian, Oriental, Bharat, Hindustan, Asian-Indian (not American Indian)].

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Reading now: Global Librarianship (Books in Library and Information Science)


Martin A. Kesselman and Irwin Weintraub (Editors), ISBN-10: 0824709780, CRC Press (2004).

About the book: "Providing new insights into the role of librarianship in an age of socioeconomic, environmental, and political transformation, Global Librarianship illustrates how globally networked environments promote and increase the sharing and dissemination of ideas, information, and solutions to obstacles affecting libraries. This reference showcases methods to tailor and build collections and technologies that continually support worldwide scholarly and business communities through the utilization of digital tools and electronic media. It Illustrates breakthroughs in the organization, management, and dissemination of information to facilitate easy access to libraries anywhere in the world."

Contents
Foreword Barbara Ford v
Roots of Global Librarianship
1. Historical Perspectives on Global Librarianship 1, Tom Glynn
2. International Library Organizations 19, Robert Wedgeworth
Libraries in a Global Perspective
3. The Role of Libraries in Rural Development 33, Daniel Ruheni and Thelma Tate
4. Can You Say Swiss Without a Smile? Multicultural Approaches to Library Services in a Multilingual Context 45, Daisy McAdam
5. Public Libraries in Developed Countries: A Success Story from Scandinavia 67, Barbro Thomas
6. Library Services in Multinational Corporations 79, Maria Novella Castagnoli
7. Library Collaborations 89, Martin Alan Kesselman
Libraries and Education in the Global Community
8. Preparing Library Users for Productive Global Information Use 101, Hannelore B. Rader
9. Academic Library Support for the Cyber-University of the Future: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times 119, Kathy Kunneke
10. Global Education Information in the Digital Environment 135, Patricia O’Brien Libutti
Global Information Flow and Access
11. The Digital Divide 151, Linda Ashcroft and Chris Watts 12. Intellectual Freedom 163, Marianna Tax Choldin
13. Globalization in the Lives of the Selectors of Foreign Materials and Their Collections 177, James P. Niessen
Global Digital Libraries
14. Toward the Global Digital Library: Information and International Development 191, Richard Gartner
15. Copyright and Related Issues in a Global Economy 209, Marianne Scott 16. International Standards for Global Information 219, Alan Hopkinson
Selected Bibliography of Literature on Global Librarianship (Compiled by Irwin Weintraub)
257
2 books cite this book:

On the same shelf:

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Students commemorate on August 13, 2013 the spirit of librarianship

Shreya Bhandary, TNN Aug 19, 2013

MUMBAI: Librarians' Day was celebrated at Principal LN Welingkar Institute of Management Development (WeSchool) on August 13, 2013 to respect the spirit of librarianship.

The event commemorating libraries and librarians across the world was aimed at elucidating the various steps taken to kindle the lost connection between a library and its reader. Libraries are trying to liberate themselves from the traditional cocoon to hone their information sharing capabilities through the adoption of state of the art technology. Channelling the myriad potential of technology, libraries are today getting accustomed to the likings of digital natives such as e-books, audio-visual materials, online databases etc. continue reading

On the same shelf:

Launch of IFLA Trend Report in Singapore, Aug 19, 2013

Trend Report @ World Library & Information Congress (Session 93: Plenary session):
  • Trend 1: New technologies will both expand and limit who has access to information
Questions posed by the IFLA Trend Report include:
  1. When information is so easy to share – can anyone really own it?
  2. “You don't have permission to access that”: Will your Internet stop at the border?
  3. The world's information at your fingertips – but what can you do with it?
  • Trend 2: Online Education will democratise and disrupt global learning
Questions worth considering:
  1. If online education is free, then how much is it really worth?
  2. If we’re learning together but studying alone – will online education change the face of learning forever?
  3. Will you ever need to remember anything ever again?
  • Trend 3: the boundaries of privacy and data protection will be redefined
Questions worth considering:
  1.  What are the resulting impacts on privacy, and protection of our personal information?
  2. Who’s profiting from your personal information?
  3. Does your government know more about you than you do?
  4. Who’s to be trusted more: your government or your search engine? Or neither?
  • Trend 4: Hyper-connected societies will listen to and empower new voices and groups
Questions worth considering:
  1. What impact will hyper-connected societies have on traditional political parties?
  • Trend 5: The global information economy will be transformed by new technologies
Questions worth considering:
  1. When your phone, your car and your wristwatch know where you are at all times – who runs your life?
  2. Ymmärrätkö minua? Will automated translation lead to greater multi-cultural understanding?
  3. Will individuals and businesses be able to be economically active from anywhere in the world?

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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Indian Contributions @ IFLA / WLIC 2013, Singapore

VADODARA: "For the first time in the history of HansaMehta Library, a university librarian has been sponsored by government of another country for World Congress on library.

Dr Mayank Trivedi has been invited by the Singapore government to attend World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) 2013 which is being held at Singapore by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). .. Trivedi, who will be attending the conference which started from Saturday and will continue till August 23, told TOI. Over 2,000 delegates from across the world are participating in the conference, which is being held on the theme of 'Future Libraries: Infinite Possibilities'. " Maharaja Sayajirao University's librarian invited to World Library and Information Congress, The Times of India, Aug 18, 2013.
On the same shelf:

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Saturday, August 17, 2013

PhD Theses and Online Availability in India, Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt

PS. India of today has exceptions/unique characteristics even in academic scenario. The  extracts below, very nicely pinpoint the crux of the problem as far as the 'e-access' to the same is concerned. In terms of marketing and outreach by personal efforts of the individuals, there are many Indian dissertations in the market (many customized to meet the market; and hence no exact statistics will be available to quantify), some of these go out to reach a wider audience, with a permission of the university authorities. More and more dissertations are appearing via scholarly open presses--beware of what the critics say about this open source market. Ask me more about this pattern/approach.

Extract:
"Locking away awarded PhD theses instead of publishing them for public and academic knowledge only encourages mediocrity and enhances poor academic practices. It also propagates unhealthy hierarchy among universities and hinders the advancement of knowledge. ..."
"Most Indian librarians are reluctant to allow others to consult and borrow earlier PhD theses probably because of the belief that it will enhance the chances of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is indeed an important issue, and it has been difficult to hinder it effectively in India where the use of detection softwares (such as Turnitin) is still rare, excepting in better-funded central universities like the JNU."  
"I am fully aware of the inequities in the world of knowledge production, and the mutual exclusion of different actors in it who seem to converse within their respective silos of knowledge. An argument, often made by academics, based in the less developed world, is that the unfair use of their research (“we are treated as sources of data by them”, “they take our stuff to theorise”) by their academic counterparts located in more developed countries. Such grievances are often genuine; I remember when I taught in Burdwan University in West Bengal, my 1990 book In Search of a Homeland on McCluskiegunge, the homeland planned by the Anglo-Indians in early 1930s, was used by a renowned British-based film company to make a film on the same name. Someone from the company’s local office visited my home, took copies of all the old documents and maps, never to return them and never to even acknowledge that the film’s name was borrowed from that of my book..." [sections in this article include: Different Academic Cultures, “Confidentiality Culture”] Continue reading: PhD Theses and Online Availability in India @ Economic and Political Weekly

On the same shelf:
  • What Ails Doctoral Research in Library and Information Science in India? by M.P. Satija, DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, Vol. 30, No. 5, September 2010, pp. 61-66 @ International and Comparative Librarianship  Blog -- Abstract: The paper discusses research in library and information science in India. It delves into the history of library and information science research crediting the institutionalisation of research to Ranganathan. While presenting the growth of the research, the article discusses the factors responsible for poor standards. It also provides an international comparison by citing examples at places.
  • The IFLA/FAIFE PhD Project, by Stuart Hamilton. Opening quote: "To what extent can libraries ensure free, equal and unhampered access to Internet-accessible information resources from a global perspective?"
  • Do Open Access Electronic Theses and Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities in the Social Sciences and Humanities? College and Research Libraries by ML Ramirez  and others.

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Sunday, August 04, 2013

The Countries You May Like to Go with your American / Canadian MLIS - A literature survey

PS. What is required to work outside the United States / Canada for Library Science Graduates (aka Working Abroad by American / Canadian LIS), is a question, many ask. The answer to this is not clear to many, and professional bodies don't necessarily post this in their FAQs. As the literature survey, below, shows, there are green signals (wherein ALA accredition is recognized), yellow signals (ALA recognized, but...) and red signals (Stop: and ask the respective country's professional bodies).



Here is a thought for the day
"I do feel that the level of LIS education here in American is far superior to many other nations." Extract from the Librarian Alternatives Discussion Linkedin discussion: Michael H. Gelman, MLIS, MBA

"I know someone from a foreign (mideast) country who received an undergraduate degree in library science. Of course, she couldn’t get a professional job, so she went ahead and got the MLIS. Similar to someone with significant work experience in libraries prior to entering the masters program, she didn’t feel she learned anything new in the program. She’d already covered it all. Yet, she needed it. That points out two things… 1.) the MLIS is undergraduate-level work, and 2.) an undergraduate degree in library science is useless despite being essentially the same curriculum."
source: Library Journal's comment @ Library Science Majors as Unemployed as High School Dropouts November 14, 2011 By Annoyed Librarian

Literature Survey (here is a sample ask me for more):


  • 5 Things to Know When Taking a Librarian Job Abroad : 1. The Job Titles Aren’t the Same; 2. The Workplace Culture is Different; 3. Your Responsibilities May Differ; 4. Your Job is to Provide Training;  5. Contracts and Benefits May Be Flexible – or Surprisingly Inflexible. Details are at   Hack Library School


  •  Oh, the Places You'll Go (with your MLIS)! | Hack Library School

  • Places where no additional qualifications or knowledge are required: Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore
  • Places where you may need to learn a new language or jump through a few more hoops: Germany, Denmark, Finland, Belgium,

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