introducing international & comparative librarianship · le biblioteche scolastiche negli stati...
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IntroducingInternational & Comparative
LibrarianshipPeter Johan Lor, University of Pretoria
What do these cities have in common?
Bali, Indonesia 2013Nairobi
2011
Baku, Azerbaijan 2012
Vilnius 2010
João Pessoa 2015
Istanbul 2014
Quiz:
What do the following stand for?
FAIFEFRBRIBBYICANNIFEXITUISOWIPO
Quiz: Answers
What do the following stand for?
FAIFE: Free Access to Information and freedom of expression FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records IBBY: International Board on Books for Young PeopleICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and NumbersIFEX: International Freedom of Expression ExchangeITU: International Telecommunications UnionISO: International Organization for StandardizationWIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization
Quiz: Answers
What do the following stand for?
FAIFE: Free Access to Information and freedom of expression FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records IBBY: International Board on Books for Young PeopleICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and NumbersIFEX: International Freedom of Expression ExchangeITU: International Telecommunications UnionISO: International Organization for StandardizationWIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization
Which is the odd man out?
How many countries are there?
What do you understand by
“International”?
International librarianship (and information work)
“International librarianship consists of activities
carried out among or between governmental or non-
governmental institutions, organizations, groups or
individuals of two or more nations, to promote,
establish, develop, maintain and evaluate library,
documentation and allied services, and librarianship
and the library profession generally, in any part of
the world.” (Parker 1974: 221)
Parker, J.S. (1974) International librarianship – a reconnaissance. Journal of librarianship 6(4):219-232.
Which of the following fall within international librarianship?
1. US aid to develop library schools in Brazil
2. A description of public libraries in Rio de Janeiro
3. Resource sharing among libraries in the Pacific Rim
4. Le biblioteche scolastiche negli Stati Uniti
5. US influence on school libraries in South Africa
6. Information literacy instruction for international students
7. UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme
LibraryLibrary
Library
Library
LibraryLibrary
Country A
Country B
Library
Library
Library
Library
Library
Library
Library
Library
Library
Library
LibraryStaff training
Brain drain
Library
LibraryIndigenous knowledge
International librarianship
Country A Country C
Country B
International influencesglobal politics – economics – resources – power shifts
– security – environment – ICTs – globalization –commodification –
dematerialization, etc.
Intergovernmental organizations (UNESCO, WHO, FAO, WIPO, WTO…)
International non-governmental organizations, foundations, charities…
Education, scholarly research, communication, databases,
publishing, IPRs, information commons, ethics, etc.
Some themes
• International influences and “borrowing”
• Library development aid; “book aid”
• International organizations: e.g. IFLA
• International resource sharing
• International information relations
• Your international career
• International comparisons
Some themes
• International influences and “borrowing”
• Library development aid; “book aid”
• International organizations: e.g. IFLA
• International resource sharing
• International information relations
• Your international career
• International comparisons
Image IMG_5543 from Springvale Primary School, Pretoria, (With permission of the principal of the school and the parents of the children pictured)
Spot the innovations/influences
Image IMG_5543 from Springvale Primary School, Pretoria, (With permission of the principal of the school and the parents of the children pictured)
Spot the innovations/influences
International LIS Influence
Europe: former colonial powersTrade and cultural influences; development aid WHICH country
influences WHICH country?
International LIS Influence (2)
United StatesTrade and cultural influences; security-related aid WHICH country
influences WHICH country?
What is transferred or disseminated?
Equipment
Professional associations
Funding policies Governance policies
Educational & cultural philosophies
Social aimsValues
Systems
Procedures
Techniques
Education & training
Low resistance
Materials
Database access
High resistance
High context-dependence
Low context-dependence
Some themes
• International influences and “borrowing”
• Library development aid; “book aid”
• International organizations: e.g. IFLA
• International resource sharing
• International information relations
• Your international career
• International comparisons
This school library at Mogosane Combined School in the Northwest province, South Africa, is one of only a few functional libraries in this rural area. Images: iBiblio, http://www.ibiblio.org/wlp/7-11-mogosane-library.html
Book famine!How is this possible in South Africa, the biggest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Image: Isang Bata: http://isangbata.blogspot.com/2010/06/isang-bata-receives-book-donations-from.html
Send books!
There are many philanthropic and charitable agencies that send books to Africa.Some do great work.Others do not.
Image: Isang Bata: http://isangbata.blogspot.com/2010/06/isang-bata-receives-book-donations-from.html
“Horror stories” abound.To Namibia: American books on hairdressing (in Spanish)
(personal communication)
To Nigeria:The topography of Wales (1820)Morley’s The life of Richard Cobden (1879)How to win the war: an address to the Polish people (in Polish)
(From: Sturges & Neil, The quiet struggle)
Publishers’ remainders = tax breaksImpact of “dumping” on local book industries
Image: Isang Bata: http://isangbata.blogspot.com/2010/06/isang-bata-receives-book-donations-from.html
Some themes
• International influences and “borrowing”
• Library development aid; “book aid”
• International organizations: e.g. IFLA
• International resource sharing
• International information relations
• Your international career
• International comparisons
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Image: Profholtz, http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3320137768_ece7b7d5b3.jpg
What is going on here?
27
Sinclair, I.,, Hockey, P., & Tarboton, W.
(2002) SASOL Birds of Southern Africa.
3rd ed. Cape Town, Struik Publishers.
L&I SCI 891 Module 3A, slide 27
28Prehistoric Paleo-Indian Migration, by O. Ned Eddins
http://www.mountainsofstone.com/images/Paleo-Indian%20Points.jpg
29
)
Classification of Romance Languages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_of_Romance_languages
English I have I have done There is Auxiliary verbs
Romanian (eu) am (eu) am făcut este (or e) HHE
Italian (io) ho (io) ho fatto c'è HHE
Sardinian (deo) apo (deo) apo fattu b'hat HHH
French j'ai j'ai fait il y a HHH
Catalan (jo) tinc (jo) he fet hi ha THH
Spanish (yo) tengo (yo) he hecho hay THH
Portuguese (eu) tenho (eu) tenho feito há TTH
Portuguese (Brazil)
(eu) tenho (eu) tenho feito tem TTT
H: Habere (to have)
E: Esse (to be)
T: Tenere (to hold)
30
Comparison in experimental designs
Hantrais, Linda (2009) International comparative research: theory, methods and practice.
Basingstoke (England): Palgrave Macmillan, p.60.
Does an intervention (manipulation of independent variable)
affect the value of the dependent variable?
X (Intervention) O1 (Observation)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[No intervention] O2
(Observation)
(Not a true experimental design – a
pre-experimental design)
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Comparative librarianship
Comparative librarianship is an “...area of scholarly investigation
and research [that] may be defined as the analysis of libraries,
library systems, some aspect of librarianship, or library problems
in two or more national, cultural or societal environments, in
terms of socio-political, economic, cultural, ideological, and
historical contexts. This analysis is for the purpose of
understanding the underlying similarities and differences and for
determining explanations of the differences, with the ultimate
aim of trying to arrive at valid generalizations and principles.”
(Danton 1973: p.52)
32
Comparative librarianship (2)
Three requirements:
A “cross-societal”or “cross-cultural” element.
Often cross-country or international
Comparison can be conducted within a single country, if significant societal, cultural or ideological differences.
“Actual comparisons” Beyond mere descriptions or juxtaposition of data
Comparison implies the analysis of the similarities and differences in the sets of data collected.
An attempt to explain the observed similarities and differences with a view to building theory. Rigorous scientific methodology, as in other, older comparative disciplines
such as comparative education.
InternationalLibrarianship/
LIS
Comparison in LIS
Comparative Librarianship/LIS
A field/discipline(?) of systematic scholarly study; also cross-cultural &
cross-societal
A field of activity(can be subject of scholarly study)
For practical, tactical and
scholarly purposes
International comparisons
• Why? (Purpose)
• By whom? (Symmetry)
• What? (Themes; Scope)
• Which countries? (How many, how to choose)
• How? (Methodology)
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K-12ElementaryMiddleHigh
Junior College
Community College
Four-yearCollege
University
School SchoolPrimaryMiddle?Secondary
Post-Secondary
Nursing, teachersCollegesUniversity of Technology
University
?
?
?
?
?
Challenges in comparative research:Spurious lexical equivalence
USA
South Africa
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