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)].

Monday, April 15, 2013

Librarians should make this investment in themselves: Thoughts from Carl Grant

Ps. This is not my selection, but I strongly recommed the following (titles), and continue reading comments @ Thoughts from Carl Grant -- info courtesy: Stephen's Lighthouse: “You’ll be a better librarian after making this investment in yourself. You owe it to yourself and to our profession.”
  • Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
  • The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser.
  • The Atlas of New Librarianship by David Lankes.
  • Expect More by David Lankes.


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    Thursday, December 20, 2012

    Indo-Canadian Librarian Series - Narendra Passi

    In his own voice:
    "I attended University of Delhi, School of Library Science and graduated in 1959. I was the first Gold medalist in librarianship at that university. I got encouraged and decided to continue my studies towards M Lib. Sc. which I completed in 1960. I was hired by Vikram University, Ujjain that year and stayed there for five years. I came to Canada in 1965 and found a job at McMaster University. Joined as a Reference librarian, got many promotions and by the year I retired, I was the Head of Reference Services. I also started Library Science courses (part-time) at the U.O.T. and graduated in 1969.
    I started doing volunteer work and also became President of the Hindu Samaj of Hamilton. It was during that time that the temple got attacked the week after after the 9-11 in the USA. We had to collect funds and start the temple activities all over again. Now I am the President of the Seniors Seva Mnadal of Hamilton and Region. This programme came about when the Ontatio Government announced "AGING AT HOME " program."

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    Wednesday, June 09, 2010

    So what do we lose when we lose libraries? -- Thought for the day

    Extract:
    "My librarian friend reminds me that President Barack Obama obtained his first job after attending Columbia University by going to the New York Public Library. He used something called Job Search Central, which provides all kinds of databases, books, classes and books on how to find a job that is both suitable and desirable, how to start a new business, how to write a resume, how to prepare for a job interview, even how to look for a job if you've just been released from prison. And you don't have to buy a $5 latte from Starbucks to enjoy the privilege.

    In short, libraries are vital to creating an informed citizenry that is the hallmark of any democracy. So what do we lose when we lose libraries? We lose a lot." Continue reading the full article: The Death of the Library: Read It and Weep 
    On the same shelf:






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    Thursday, December 17, 2009

    Reading between the Shelf - Thought for the day

    Virtual Dave Lankes' Tweet  2009/12/13 "Why did the library go to the psycologist? To get in touch with its inner shelf." [source]

    see also:

    Multifaith Stacks: Reading Between the Shelves

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    Friday, January 09, 2009

    The Best and Worst Jobs -- Ranking professions

    Ranked 43. Librarian
    Selects and organizes materials to make information available to the public.
    Overall Ranking: 43
    Overall Score: 334
    Work Environment: 385.200
    Physical Demands: 7.56
    Stress: 21.400
    Income: $52,142
    Hours per Week: 42.5

    Read the full list and the article: Doing the Math to Find Good Jobs

    By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN
    Nineteen years ago, Jennifer Courter set out on a career path that has since provided her with a steady stream of lucrative, low-stress jobs. Now, her occupation -- mathematician -- has landed at the top spot on a new study ranking the best and worst jobs in the U.S.

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    Wednesday, January 07, 2009

    International Workshop on Information Literacy 2009

    International Workshop on Information Literacy (IWIL) 2009
    Date: 22-26 June 2009
    Organized byIndependent University, Bangladesh
    (IUB)Sponsored byThe International Federation of Library Associations
    and Institutions (IFLA)
    Venue: Independent University, Bangladesh,
    Baridhara, Dhaka

    The Key resource person for the workshop is:
    Professor Gary Gorman, School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

    Click here for more details

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    Sunday, July 20, 2008

    Interpreting Library Job Ads

    ...from Biblia's Warrior Librarian Weekly:

    " ... extensive collection ... "

    no weeding has been done for 20 years

    " ... maintain archives ..."
    several hundred boxes of old papers need filing

    " ... multimedia skills are essential... "
    we really wanted to hire a computer technician, but the board insisted on a librarian for some reason

    " ... must be well organised ... "
    things are so chaotic here, someone has to sort out all the mess

    " ...stimulating environment ..."
    free coffee provided - no de-caff

    " ... ability to communicate ... "
    everyone is at each other's throats

    " ... have appropriate qualifications ... "
    that won't be considered in our decision - we just go on gut feeling here . Humor, Much more

    To correctly cite this page:
    Credaro,A.B.(2002). Interpreting Library Job Ads. Warrior Librarian Weekly [online]
    http://www.warriorlibrarian.com/LOL/jobads.html [Accessed:insert date]

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    Tuesday, June 17, 2008

    Paul Otlet and Henri La Fontaine: World Wide Webliographers' Revisited

    SCIENCE | June 17, 2008
    The Web Time Forgot
    By ALEX WRIGHT
    The Mundaneum Museum honors the first concept of a world wide wonder, sketched out by Paul Otlet in 1934 as a global network of “electric telescopes.”...

    Extract: Historians typically trace the origins of the World Wide Web through a lineage of Anglo-American inventors like Vannevar Bush, Doug Engelbart and Ted Nelson. But more than half a century before Tim Berners-Lee released the first Web browser in 1991, Otlet (pronounced ot-LAY) described a networked world where “anyone in his armchair would be able to contemplate the whole of creation.”...
    On the same shelf:

    [Info courtesy: sdyck@hevanet.com ]

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    Friday, June 06, 2008

    Making by Stealing of Un-cited (Recycled) Content in the Wiki Age: Role of Librarians?


    What comes to our mind by seeing the emerging open-source and open-gate information revolution? (most Netizens may think this as an avenue to be creative, in terms of manipulating and exploiting the deep Web--with the freedom and choice to use the Read-Write Web, 24X7, via blogs, wikis, and second life in nano-seconds)

    "We the users turned creators and distributors of content are TIME's Person of the Year 2006, and AdAge's advertising agency of the year. We form a new Generation C. We have MySpace, YouTube, and OurMedia; we run social software, and drive the development of Web 2.0. But beyond the hype, what's really going on?" Blogs, Wikipedia, Second Life, and B... >>>>>>-----

    The following links may make us think (indirectly, albeit) about a role libaries may have in promoting best practices for knowledge sharing:

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    Monday, March 10, 2008

    Tejinder Sibia, 70, dies; documented Sikhs' history in California


    I think by his great contributions, he continues to live in the digital memory of the World. For instance, view this documentary byte: 'Echoes of Freedom: South Asian Pioneers in California, 1899-1965,' picture

    "Remembered for: Documenting and promoting the history and culture of Punjabis and Sikhs in California and the Pacific Northwest; head of the Shield Library research unit for biology and agriculture at the University of California, Davis"
    "He became an unofficial archivist of the Asian Indian pioneers in California, filling in the blanks of their little-known history with a collection of rare historic photographs and documents compiled on a Web site, http://www.sikhpioneers.org/" notes, Chris Bowman @ sacbee.com Source

    News headlines:
  • Libraries News: Indian-American historian Ted is dead
  • Indian-American scholar Tejinder dead
  • Indian-American historian Ted is dead: After his retirement as a librarian from the University of California at Davis, he devoted his time to chronicling the history of Gadar leaders and early Indian Sikh pioneers through his web site www.sikhpioneers.com. It became a rich reference material for research on the Indian diaspora.

    Death info courtesy: K Prasanna @ motorola.com
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    Friday, February 01, 2008

    Career Path of an "International Librarian"


    By Arthur Vespry*, Director, Library and Regional Documentation CentreAsian Institute of Technology

    Special Libraries Association - Toronto ChapterVolume 33, Number 4, March/April, 1996
    I grew up in Trinidad where as a student I worked in the Public Library. I took my first professional training from the Library Association (Britain) and came to Canada for my BA (Ottawa) and my BLS (McGill). continue reading

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    Tuesday, January 29, 2008

    Reading now: International and Comparative Studies in Information and Library Science


    A Focus on the United States and Asian Countries

    Series: Libraries and Librarianship: An International Perspective #3. Edited by Yan Quan Liu and Xiaojun Cheng

    Introduction by Dr. Yan Quan Liu.


    Contents:
    NB. To read the following, point mouse over and scrolling stops!!!



    '
    Part 1: Research Methodologies
    1. Comparative Librarianship Lalitha K. Sami
    2. International Library and Information Science Research: A Comparison of National Trends Maxine Rochester and Pertti Vakkari
    3. Comparison between the People's Republic of China and the United States in the Field of Library and Information Science Weina Hua
    4. Introducing an International Cooperative Research Method Employed in Cross-Country Studies in Information and Library Science Yan Quan Liu
    Part 2: Information Policy
    5. The Impact of National Policy on Developing Information Infrastructure Nationwide: Issues in the People's Republic of China and the United States Yan Quan Liu
    Part 3: Professional Education
    6. Is the Education on Digital Libraries Adequate? Yan Quan Liu
    7. An Investigation of LIS Qualifications throughout the World Pete Dalton and Kate Levinson
    8. A Comparative Study of Library and Information Science Education: China and the United States Ziming Liu
    9. A Comparison Study on the Confusion and Threat of the United States and Chinese Library Education Xudong Jin
    10. Motivation to Manage: A Comparative Study of Male and Female Library and Information Science Students in the United States of America, India, Singapore, and Japan Sarla R. Murgai
    Part 4: Information Organization and Services
    11. Digital Library Infrastructure: A Case Study on Sharing Information Resources in China Yan Quan Liu and Jin Zhang
    12. Cataloging Nonprint Resources in the United States and China: A Comparative Study of Organization and Access for Selected Electronic and Audiovisual Resources Yan Ma, Steve J. Miller, and Yan Quan Liu
    Part 5: Academic Libraries
    13. A Comparative Study of the Use of the Academic Libraries by Undergraduates in the United States and Taiwan Ting-Ming Lai
    Part 6: Public Libraries
    14. International Public Library Trends Nerida Clifford
    15. The Use of the National Library Statistics by Public Library Directors Yan Quan Liu and Douglas L. Zweizig
    16. National Public Library Statistics and Management: A Comparison between the United States and People's Republic of China Yan Quan Liu
    Part 7: School Libraries
    17. Teachers' Perceptions of School Libraries: Comparisons between Tokyo and Honolulu Yuriko Nakamura
    18. An International Study on Principal Influence and Information Services in Schools: Synergy in Themes and Methods James Henri, Lyn Hay, and Dianne Oberg
    Appendix A: Schools Offering International and Comparative Librarianship Related Courses
    Appendix B: Journals Pertaining to International and Comparative Studies in ILS
    Appendix C: International Conferences on Information and Library Science
    Appendix D: Web Resources Relating to Information and Library Science Worldwide
    Bibliography
    Index

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    Saturday, January 12, 2008

    India's Contribution to Open Source Movement - NEWGENLIB


    Dear All,

    I am happy rather excited to inform you that NewGenLib - Library automation/Management software finally became Open source. Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Haravu and Mr. Siddarth, the main persons behind the software.

    I always feel, India is more a downloading country, hardly anything to offer to the rest of the world.

    Even Indian software industry is mostly service oriented rather than product oriented.

    I feel rather proud that India's Open s/w happened in the field of Library and Information Science ( Am I communal, more biased to library profession, yes I do not mind being communal).

    From technical point of view, NewGenLib has good back-end technology - Java based, Lucene Search Engine, postgreSQL, JBOSS.

    Highly standards compliant - MARC21, Z39.50, UNICODE (Indian Language records can be generated), ILL -- you name any. It is more compliant than many of the so-called commercial software.

    I am sure Library professionals all over the world will welcome it, encourage it and the keep it up-to-date. In one word, future-proof. (as technology keeps evolving, so is the software. Remember, how far we traveled from command-lines, to menus, to GUI and now Web-based).

    We all can seriously, think of organizing the hands-on training courses, just as we all did in case of CDS/ISIS and DSpace. It can be deployed in any kind of library - public or academic or special

    Yes, in my excitement, I forgot, You can download from Website

    You all can help in preparing various user manuals. I look forward for you response. Perhaps, by next week, I should be able to configure and show a demo version of it on DRTC site.

    Meanwhile, I look forward for you response.

    with best regards
    ard
    Home Page
    --
    ARD Prasad, Ph.D.
    Documentation Research & Traning Centre (DRTC)
    Indian Statistical Institute (ISI)
    8th Mile Mysore Road
    Bangalore 560 059
    India
    Phone (Off): +91-80-28483002 Ext. 496

    ----Info courtesy: Dr. Abbas Khan, Moulana Azad National Urdu University

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    Saturday, November 03, 2007

    Library behind bars gets forced into closet

    Oct 24, 2007 04:30 AM Joe Fiorito, Toronto Star
    Darlene Soares helped a lot of guys escape from jail. Oh, relax. She put no files in cakes. She ran the library at the Toronto Jail. She gave out books.

    Not any more.

    We met in her apartment building the other day. She took me back to the beginning. "I was a legal secretary for 20 years. After I retired, I started working as a volunteer for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, at Old City Hall. One day we went over to the jail for a visit and I found myself filling out an application as a volunteer."

    And then, almost just-like-that, the woman who had been running the library went on vacation and never came back, and Darlene had a library on her hands.
    She said, "It was a mess in the beginning. There were empty shelves. There was no budget. I went to the Riverdale Library and asked for any books they were throwing out. I'd bring them home, clean them up, glue them, tape them, and bring them to jail in my bundle buggy." She became an expert at finding good used books for free; and in time – a nice touch, this – she began to get an annual donation of books from the Criminal Lawyers' Association. continue reading

    Info courtesy [Found by Bookninja] @ Slow Reading

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    Sunday, October 14, 2007

    Participatory Librarianship: The Library as Conversation

    An introduction to the participatory librarianship test bed, by Dave Lankes.



    See also:
  • Participatory Librarianship: The Library as Conversation [pdf format]
  • Participatory Librarianship « Ellen: Learning Library 2.0
  • The Participatory Librarianship Talking Tour 2007
  • Massive Scale Librarianship
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    Thursday, September 13, 2007

    Indo-American Librarian Series - Dr. Sarla R. Murgai

    "Professor Sarla Murgai came to the university from Chattanooga City College in 1969 when it was absorbed into UTC as a result of the UT/UC merger that year. She had been with the City College for a year, and when she came to UTC the library was in Fletcher Hall. Over the years she has worked for four different library deans, and two interim library heads. She notes that every Dean brought a different personality and perspective, view, and vision to the library and the campus, as well as to librarianship and campus goals."

    "She once served as Head of Circulation, and was in that position when the university converted its catalog to the online VTLS system in the early 1980s. The biggest changes she’s seen in her thirty-six years at UTC have been the move to the new library building in 1974, the digitization of records, automation of circulation and reference databases, and the acquisition of over one hundred databases. Prior to coming to the United States, Dr. Murgai was teaching Library Science at the Women’s Polytechnic in Delhi, India. She had received her first library science degree from the University of Delhi, and received another from Atlanta University. She also received certification in medical librarianship from Emory University in Atlanta. UTC and Lupton Library has benefited from having Dr. Murgai serve the campus community in Lupton Library!" [ source ]
    She completed her Ed.D. degree in Education from UTK in 1987. More about Sarla Murgai is on her Web site and at the Faculty profile

    Contact:
    Professor and Reference Librarian
    University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
    Dept., 6456, 615 McCallie Avenue
    Chattanooga, TN USA 37403-2598
    phone: 423-425-2672
    fax: 423-425-4510

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    Wednesday, August 15, 2007

    'Fat library man' bullied online

    Info courtesy: Janette Coulthard

    Monday, 23 July 2007, 18:12 GMT 19:12 UK, BBC
    A university student has been telling how a social networking website was used to set up a group which aimed to target him with bullying and hate.

    Graham Mallaghan, 36, who also works as a library assistant at the University of Kent, said the Facebook group had existed for weeks before he knew of it.

    continue reading

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    Tuesday, August 14, 2007

    Free Journal Access: Sage Publications

    PS. Info courtesy: Rachel @ Beyond the Job Nicole C. Engard @ What I Learned Today, and Tom Wilson @ Information Research Weblog

    Free trial access through Sept. 30 to current and back issues
    NB. SAGE Publications are pleased to offer free online full text access to the current and back issues of the following selected Information Sciences
  • IFLA Journal
  • Journal of Information Science
  • Journal of Librarianship and Information Science
  • Information Development
  • Business Information Review
  • Journal of Health Informatics
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    Monday, August 13, 2007

    Certificate Course on "Modern Library Practices"

    - Call for Participation from Developing Countries
    PS. Info courtesy: Rachel @ Beyond the Job
    Indian Technical And Economic Cooperation Division
    The Resource Centre, NITTTR, is organising a Certificate course on "Modern Library Practices", which will be held on 15th October 2007 to 7th December 2007 at National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR) (Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India) Taramani, Chennai 600 113, Tamil Nadu, India. continue reading

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    Wednesday, July 25, 2007

    Demise of the Local Catalog or The OPAC Reborn?


  • Demise of the Local Catalog, by Roy Tenant***
  • The OPAC Reborn.(Online Public Access Catalog at libraries)
  • The Future of Cataloging, by Peachy
  • Thought for the day - Now if we had the semantic web or enough catalogers

    ***My 2 cent:
    This article is an excellent eye opener, and makes a good feed-forward. Thanks to John Jaeger for sharing this info.

    I agree with Roy that libraries must pack off their catalogs (I packed it too, and seen so many). But moving with a Google model (a free search-ware mindset) is probably not going to make the library catalog that useful and value-added, on the face of umpteen competitors; and a searchology (as Google calls it) that comes with a package minus the controlled vocabulary (with whatever name one likes it, LC, Meta tags, etc.).

    I think there must be an effort to upgrade our mindset of catalogoing / cataloguing and fine tune it with our own foundations of librarianship and user-friendly ventures.

    I have been working on the idea of visual catalogs, that started with the idea of an indepth, as well as, localized cataloging spirit of my professional inspirer: Sanford Berman.

    FYI. I have compiled a webliography on this theme. Would appreciate your comments on this dimension. The link to my webliography is:
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