international librarianship

Understand global perspectives on effective information practices that are supportive of cultural, economic, educational, or social well-being.

STATEMENT OF COMPETENCY

By organizing across borders to build shared understanding toward methods of librarianship, maintaining a grasp on global library trends and standards, utilizing emerging technologies to promote information access, and developing collections and services to meet the needs of international and multilingual populations in local communities, librarians can demonstrate an understanding of information practice which transcends boundaries in an increasingly globalized and hyperconnected world.

Communication and organization between librarians on a global scale is often facilitated via professional organizations, international consortia, and more informal means which include social media platforms and listservs. According to Shimmon, et al., (2017) the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the primary global organization by which librarians and their institutions engage in professional networking and further their understanding of international trends and standards pertaining to librarianship (p. 2451). In addition to holding an annual “congress” which brings members together in a physical setting, IFLA contributes to global library scholarship via publication of the IFLA Journal as well as various monographs, supports continued understanding of international standards such as bibliographic control and copyright, provides training and educational services with an emphasis on libraries in developing nations, and continually updates “manifestos”—in collaboration with UNESCO—regarding common missions of public and school libraries worldwide (pp. 2451-2459). According to the American Library Association, (ALA) (n.d., a) other prominent international library associations include the Special Libraries Association (SLA), the International Association of Technological University Libraries (IATUL), and the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL). International listservs are valuable communication channels by which librarians share perspectives and advice regarding librarianship. According to the ALA, (n.d., b) prominent examples of such listservs include IFLA’s IFLA-L and the ALA’s ALA-WORLD.

IFLA’s Global Vision Report (2018) and Trend Report (2021) are continually updated documents which convey ongoing themes and trends within global library practice. The most recent Trend Report largely addresses the Internet, among other emerging technologies, in relation to education, information access, equity, and privacy. In addition to emerging trends, international information standards demand librarians’ continued attention. Bolin (2016) notes that IFLA presides over bibliographic standards including Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD), which ensure context and continuity across Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) records in cataloging applications (p. 10). Bordonaro (2017) explains that these standards, in addition to Resource Description and Access (RDA) provide the universally approachable groundwork for international, multilingual cataloging, which must be competently observed for effective collaboration (pp. 29-30).

The global exchange of resources is an increasingly crucial concern for information professionals. According to Bordonaro, (2017) global consortia such as the Center for Research Libraries allow institutions to share resources, and cooperatively develop digital collections via joint subscription plans (p. 28). Organizations such as Libraries Without Borders offer resource sharing models which bolster the physical and digital collections of libraries in developing areas and nations (p. 30). Additionally, through promotion of open-access models which offer non-paywalled access to peer-reviewed research, open educational resources (OERs) which utilize Creative Commons licensing to provide free alternatives to costly textbooks, and accessible educational models in the form of massive open online courses (MOOCs), librarians can decrease traditional barriers to information access, and benefit global and local communities in the process (McGreal, et al., 2012).

Librarians can additionally apply and refine their global perspectives in local contexts, by developing collections and services which reflect the information needs of international and multilingual users. In a study of Somali students at Minnesota State University, Schomberg and Grace (2005) assert that collection management practices which properly reflect the needs of diverse users serve to meaningfully include such populations, while pushing dominant groups toward improved cultural understanding. In its Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Multilingual Collections and Services, the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) (2007) establishes best practices for reference, staffing, collection management, programming, marketing, outreach, and cataloging practices which equitably and competently account for multilingual library users. Similarly, in its Diversity Standards, the Association of College Research Libraries’ (ACRL) (2012) provides guidelines for culturally competent collection and service development, staffing, leadership, and academic research, among other practices. By observing such standards, continually assessing the needs of multilingual and international users and employees, and assuring that needs assessments meaningfully inform organizational policies and personal conduct, librarians can effectively employ principles of global librarianship within local contexts.

COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT

Before entering this program, I spent nearly ten years as a U.S. Correspondent on an Australian community radio station, discussing American politics and current events. This background has given me valuable opportunities to communicate complex political ideas and frameworks across cultural barriers as digestibly as possible, and to gradually learn about Australian politics and culture in the process; such experience should valuably inform my approach to librarianship within a global context.

Within this program, INFO 200 (Information Communities) allowed me to investigate ways in which libraries and information centers serve the needs of serious leisure hobbyists on an international scale. INFO 210 (Reference & Information Services) exposed me to RUSA guidelines regarding multilingual collections and services, indigenous classification systems, and other means of serving diverse user bases, both locally and abroad. INFO 248 (Beginning Cataloging & Classification) introduced me to the value of such cataloging standards as FRBR, FRAD, and RDA, which ensure consistency across MARC records created worldwide, via internationally recognized standards. INFO 281-20 (Building a Critical Culture) improved my understanding of critical theory, which is instructive when considering how organizational structures, policies, and attitudes within libraries affect librarians and users of marginalized identities. Finally, while I’m still completing INFO 287-01 (The Hyperlinked Library), this course has offered valuable insight regarding the development of library trends and practices within contexts of globalization and emerging technologies.

SELECTED ARTIFACTS

Through the following pieces of written work, I aim to demonstrate my understanding of global librarianship, and how international approaches can potentially influence theory and practice locally.

INFO 287 - Blog Post 3 copy.pdf

INFO 287 – Blog Post #3: Participatory Service, Community Outreach, and the Limits of Global Inspiration

This blog post considers the potential for U.S. information centers to take inspiration from Scandinavian public libraries’ thriving participatory service initiatives, with specific emphasis on Aarhus, Denmark’s Dokk1 library. While such libraries present exciting, forward-thinking trends which should capture the attention of libraries abroad, this post argues that robust public spending in Scandinavian countries enables the development of library services and spaces which comparatively austere U.S. public spending might not so easily facilitate. As such, when taking inspiration from global library practice—and scaling it for local implementation—librarians should arguably consider the functionality and viability of such practices within the social, political, and economic contexts of their own communities.

INFO 287 - Blog Post 4.pdf

INFO 287 – Blog Post #4: IFLA, Global Trends, and the Hyperlinked World

IFLA’s Global Vision Report (2021) offers ten sets of overarching themes which reflect emerging trends, circumstances, challenges, and opportunities facing libraries worldwide. This blog post analyzes themes central to IFLA’s 2021 update of the report, within the context of Stephens’ (2022) hyperlinked library model, which accounts for increasingly seamless connections between global libraries—as well as between libraries and their user bases—due to globalization and Internet-based technologies, among other factors. Themes including advocacy and funding challenges, information and digital literacy initiatives, and flattened organizational structures, are found to affect libraries on a global level; as such, global librarians can look to the policies and actions of libraries abroad when navigating their own challenges, and initiating progressive services.

INFO 281 - Critical Conversations, Week 4 - Taylor Kaplan copy.pdf

INFO 281 – Critical Conversations: Week Four

This discussion post addresses the tendency of “multiculturalism” and “diversity” initiatives and discourses to approach issues of race and ethnicity within neoliberal contexts, which often fail to consider the systemic power imbalances central to marginalization. It is argued that such initiatives, which aim to meaningfully include marginalized librarians and library users of marginalized identities, must be designed from a critical perspective which demonstrates an understanding of historical, social, political, and economic dimensions of discrimination and oppression. This lesson arguably applies to librarians who aim to network abroad, as well as libraries which seek to meet the needs of international and multilingual staff and users.

INFO 210 - Discussion Five copy.pdf

INFO 210 – Discussion Five: Diversity in Reference Collections

This discussion post addresses the prevailing whiteness of U.S. librarians, as well as Eurocentric biases within the publishing industry and collection management practices. It is argued that reference librarians should understand this context when developing reference collections which aim to meet the information needs of diverse user bases. Additionally, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) are discussed, as an example of classification systems which demonstrate Eurocentric bias, and thus lack universal applicability; as such, indigenous classification systems are explored, as they bear the potential of organizing specialized local collections with the integrity and respect they deserve.

INFO 248 - Assignment 4 copy.pdf

INFO 248 – Assignment Four: LCC-DDC Schedules MARC Record

This assignment contains two MARC records, created within OCLC Connexion and subsequently copied and pasted into Microsoft Word. These records are created according to international standards, developed and maintained by IFLA: FRBR, which establishes relationships between a given record’s identity, authorship, and subject descriptions, and FRAD, which entails connecting these components to designated access points. The use of such standards ensures that catalogers can easily copy and/or adapt existing records for their own library’s purposes. FRBR and FRAD exemplify the importance of international standards which enable effective communication and resource sharing in international and multilingual library contexts.

CONCLUSION

Given an increasingly globalized world, and the Internet’s capacity to facilitate seamless connections between people and institutions, it is more crucial than ever for librarians and their institutions to engage in professional networking on an international scale, and to study trends and challenges affecting libraries across the globe, in order to ensure the continued relevance of local collections, services, and spaces. Additionally, given increased immigration, and the prevalence of international and multilingual communities worldwide, libraries must possess diverse staffing, cultural competence, and demographic knowledge of their usership, in order to properly serve the information needs of such communities, and to facilitate their social and communal well-being. By engaging with international professional organizations, respecting internationally observed standards and best practices for librarianship, promoting resources which emphasize equitable access for all, continually observing trends and evaluating emerging technologies, and refining my understanding of international and multilingual user needs, I aim to ensure that my approach to academic librarianship possesses a global reach, while meaningfully attending to the needs of my immediate community.

REFERENCES

American Library Association. (n.d.). Library associations around the world. https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/iro/intlassocorgconf/libraryassociations

American Library Association. (n.d.). International library discussion groups/listservs. https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/iro/iroactivities/discussionlists

Association of College & Research Libraries. (2012). Diversity standards: Cultural competency for academic libraries. https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/diversity

Bolin, M. K. (2016). Beginning cataloging and classification. San José State University.

Bordonaro, K. (2017). International librarianship at home and abroad. Elsevier Science & Technology.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2018). IFLA global vision report. https://www.ifla.org/global-vision-report/

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2021). IFLA trend report. https://trends.ifla.org/

McGreal, R., Sampson, D., Kinshuk, N. S. C., Krishnan, M. S., & Huang, R. (2012, July). The open educational resources (OER) movement: Free learning for all students [Paper presentation]. IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies 2012, Rome, Italy. http://doi.org/10.1109/ICALT.2012.227

Reference and User Services Association. (2007). Guidelines for the development and promotion of multilingual collections and services. https://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidemultilingual

Schomberg, J., & Grace, M. (2005). Expanding a collection to reflect diverse user populations. Collection Building, 24(4), 124-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604950510629282

Shimmon, R., Lor, P. J., Kapnisi, S., Koopman, S., & Hamilton, S. (2017). International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). In J. D. McDonald & M. Levine-Clark (Eds.), Encyclopedia of library and information sciences (4th ed., pp. 2451-2464). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ELIS4

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