Benefits and Challenges for Special Librarians
by Katherine Cveljo
There is a lot of talk these days about the future-the New Millennium and the role of information and the information professional2 in the development of a "global village." We also hear references to the creation of the "Global information infrastructure," referred briefly as "GII"3 - an interactive, interconnected system that will provide a dynamic means for people to communicate worldwide; allow information professionals to communicate not only as a global community, but also to create a "global information marketplace;" and provide information professionals with opportunities to participate in exchanges not only of information, but employment opportunities worldwide.
During the last fifty years, we have been moving from a world in which society, commerce, technology, and education were defined within the context of nation-states to a world in which they are increasingly perceived as part of a global community In essence, ours is a world of fax machines, email, international TV instantaneous coverage, interactive electronic communications, and rapid travel; a world of academic research interconnected with the work of scholars throughout the world; a world in which people interact with their colleagues around the globe, exchange information and messages, and coordinate activities through a variety of technological and communication means4.
It should also be emphasized that one of the most important features of information technology is its universality-its global impact. As new information technologies expand their uses and coverage, the world shrinks; information flows globally, faster, and in more detail; and both personal and business contacts proliferate globally. Accelerating technology changes are creating many challenges globally. our roles and skills as information providers require us to understand the potentials of continuously developing technologies, the systems they support, the status of technological change, and the types of systems those changes will foster not only nationally, but more so globally. it should also be emphasized that economic developments, as well as technological advancements, are providing the means and increasing the need for the information profession to transcend geographic barriers and enhance the profession on a global scale.
Special Libraries Association (SLA) is an international organization with members in fifty-eight countries and is increasingly becoming involved in promoting international cooperation, exchange visits, and forums. SLA fosters participation in international organizations and conferences and encourages sharing of information resources between libraries worldwide. Numerous programs and publications also reflect SLA's international focus. In consideration of international readership, summaries of feature articles in Information outlook are provided in English, French, and Spanish. They are also exploring ways to broadcast portions of SLA's annual conference to other countries or 'better yet, create an interactive format."5 It should also be noted, as emphasized in the February 1996 issue of SpeciaList, that the Second Worldwide Conference on Special Librarianship will be held in the year 2000 in Brighton, England, 'to bring together information industry leaders from around the world to seek solutions to common problems and to enhance the information profession on a global scale."6
Viewing the information profession globally as the predominant profession of the future, it is important to emphasize that at no point in history has there been such a high level of realization about the importance to understand the dynamics of global interdependence and the need to establish and maintain strong and harmonious international relations. As we have progressed from the age of agriculture to an age of technology and finally into the present informational society, our capacity and the need to build strong relationships with other nations has grown exponentially. Understanding other cultures is becoming more important as we move forward to an increased global exchange in technological and economic productivity. These and other similar global issues are almost certain to have an even greater impact in the future on the information services provided by information professionals-in particular by special librarians-who must adjust and be prepared to meet the escalating demands for specialized information for the changing needs of their user clientele. It is thus logical to conclude that only a dynamic, forward-looking, and globally oriented information professional-aided by up-to-the minute information generated both nationally and globally-can provide quality service in the realm of continuously changing specialized information needs and participate in exchange of information on professional issues and developments globally.7
As we travel into the future, our world is becoming more interconnected and interdependent, information is becoming an international commodity, and a critical need for more emphasis on the integration of international issues into library and information science (LIS) programs is becoming an imperative urgency. More than ever before an "information workforce"-one that is professionally skilled, well-educated, and knowledgeable of worldwide conditions and developments-has become an essential prerequisite not only for the control and growth of an organization and sustained economic growth of a country, but also for the exchange of information globally.
Expanding on the above issues, we are reminded of a critical issue that has been occasionally discussed during meetings at professional conferences: "Are American library and information science schools providing students with the knowledge and understanding to participate and discuss the conditions in countries worldwide and relate to global library and information increased global exchange in technological sues?" A related and equally important !sand economic productivity. These and other sue that has also been raised by several in similar global issues are almost certain to - internationally minded leaders in our profession pertains to internationalizing the LIS curriculums 8 an issue that has become more important than ever before in view of the expected outcome of the New Millennium in making the "global village" a reality and especially in view of social, economic, and technological developments taking place globally. For example:
* world problems have become interconnected;
* every single aspect of mankind's activities, concerns, and crises is presently considered in a global sense, a perspective that is expected to increase in the future;
* an emerging globally integrated society is demanding increased utilization of technology and information obtained through technology;
* information has become the most important ingredient in decision-making anywhere in the world;
* the exchange of information worldwide has become imperative;
* sweeping changes in technology, increase in worldwide communications, and a growing competition in the global marketplace require global knowledge and education and training in all types of information technology and communications;
* in an increasingly interdependent society information services will increase in the need for networking across national boundaries and across oceans. 9
It is thus logical to conclude that if information professionals both in America and worldwide are going to participate in international data flow and exchanges, it will require a greater degree of international knowledge and professional sophistication. Thus, attention to international professional LIS education has become a mandatory issue. in this respect, it should be emphasized that contrary to the belief that every innovation and change requires monetary investment, internationalizing LIS programs requires no increase in the LIS schools budget. What it does require is an attitude and an initiative on the part of LIS school's administration and faculty and the involvement of the total student body-American and international. 10
To create the most effective means of internationalizing LIS programs in order to be beneficial to both LIS schools and the international and American students, we may consider:
(1) involvement of international students in curriculum planning with information on their home country information needs; (2) study of global issues in appropriate courses; and (3) creation of specialized courses dealing with specific international subject matter. LIS schools would expand their programs in a positive way by including information on international students' home country information needs and relevant global issues into certain aspects of the curriculum; international students would gain from a more appropriate education to adapt their acquired knowledge and skills to the needs of their home countries; and American students would have a better knowledge of the world and the workings of the information profession worldwide. AU students stand to develop a better understanding of global affairs and world cultures and the universality of librarianship, be motivated by this experience and eventually be more involved in international exchanges, and develop an awareness that actions of one nation deeply affect the rest of the world.
Challenges and benefits from internationalizing LIS programs are thus numerous. International students would have the opportunity to participate in the design of certain aspects of the program more appropriate to the needs of their home countries. American students, on the other hand, would benefit from additional courses designed from an international perspective and from the integration of foreign countries' professional issues into the contents of appropriate courses.
In adding global professional issues into the curriculum, there would be a wide choice of issues to select from:
information activities of UNESCO and the organization's efforts in bringing to an appropriate level of education worldwide, including education and training for library and information service;
information on communication and behavioral aspects of the Third World societies that determine the production, distribution, and utilization of graphic and non-graphic records in contrast to those of the Western Society;
situations in lesser developed countries that affect the development of collections in libraries and cultural institutions;
issues that are characteristic of numerous countries worldwide, including the issues of illiteracy and semi-illiteracy, resulting in special considerations in building library collections and in providing specialized services;
the critical issue of resistance to technology that relates to employment problems in some countries, including the resulting problems for libraries and their potential solutions;
the critical question of bibliographic control in numerous countries worldwide.
Diffusing international issues and materials as widely as possible throughout the LIS curriculum in addition to creating specialized courses dealing primarily with international subject matter has also been strongly recommended by E. J. Josey during the International Doctoral Student Conference at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Library and information Science, held during September 23-25, 1988. In response to the question, "What can faculty members do to bring more international perspectives into the curriculums Josey suggests, "Faculty members can take the diffusive approach, that is, diffusing international materials as widely as possible throughout the library and information science curriculum as contrasted with creating specialized courses only dealing with international subject matter. While we may use the diffusive approach by bringing the international perspectives throughout the curriculum, nevertheless, we would still need specialized courses such as seminars and the introduction to international librarianship. But the specialized courses would only reach a small percentage of the students in library and information science schools, that is, those who opt to take the course. The diffusing of the international perspective throughout the entire curriculum will mean more students will become more in internationally oriented and this will be very helpful to the international students." 11
Dispersing international materials and relevant global issues-including issues and materials pertaining to a foreign country or countries-throughout the LIS curriculum, in addition to creating several courses and seminars dealing primarily with international subject matter, and having several faculty members with strong international expertise would indeed constitute the characteristics of a strong internationally oriented LIS program. Since most international students that come to study in LIS schools in the United States come from the lesser developed countries (hereafter referred to as LDCs 12), we should briefly refer to the information needs of these countries in the context of their economic, social, and professional conditions. While the populations in developed countries-especially in the United States-enjoy a high level of sustained economic growth and technological development as a result of having devoted a large amount of resources to education and training, populations in numerous LACS are simultaneously living in different socioeconomic systems and at several stages of technological development. Numerous LACS continue to be predominantly characterized by illiterate or semi-illiterate populations living in rural communities that are without access to library or other information services. Although the revolution in computers and communications technology offers hope for the LACS to catch up with the developed world, some LACS have been unable to profit to their full extent from the new age of information.
Among the main reasons for this situation are absence of an adequate infrastructure for information storage and processing; absence of an adequate infrastructure for information retrieval, dissemination, and use; and economic, technological, and quite often cultural barriers to an adequate information flow. 13
It should also be emphasized that the solutions the LACS adopt are often inappropriate. For example, before fully reaching the age of print and literacy, numerous LACS have to face the age of computers and satellites. High levels of illiteracy among the majority of the people are contrasted with high levels of education for a few of the elite who are tied to global information and power networks. Here we have the information-poor the illiterate majority contrasted with the information-rich-the elite minority, and this gap is narrowing slowly, if at all. In this respect, it should be emphasized that the information needs of diverse user communities in the LACS should constitute some of the guiding factors in determining the type of LIS education and training to be undertaken by international students from most LDCs and education programs abroad should take such needs into consideration. 14 A well-known African library professional leader, Ogundipe, calls for preparation to meet the information needs of the few elite; however in particular, to promote literacy, educate for change, articulate the wants of the rural communities, increase productivity, and improve the quality ol life-especiauy in the rural areas where most of the population in developing countries live. 15
With all these points in mind, we can easily see that the challenge of attracting and educating information professionals for the New Millennium-both for the developed and the developing countries-has become one of the critical issues of the remaining years of the 1990's. The American LIS degree programs have a special role and an increasing challenge and responsibility in the education of information professionals worldwide. Although these programs have received acclaim worldwide, there is a need for new ways and ideas to make the education experience for international students more meaningful and transferable upon returning home. Thus, the LIS faculty needs to realize that international students are an invaluable resource. With their input of information regarding their home countries into the LIS curriculum, as well as other changes suggested recently in professionai literature and during meetings at professional conferences, the American education experience for all students-international and American-might become a more meaningful one entering the 21st century. 16 The groundwork for the development of future international network contacts-professional partnerships-would indeed be enhanced when international students return to their home countries. Endless opportunities would open up with communicating globally-colleague to colleague. What better place to begin with this .partnership" then in the library and information science classroom situation?
Communicating with their foreign colleagues, the challenges and benefits for special librarians of all types are numerous. If CEOs in the corporate world and industry are developing exchange contacts with CEOs in foreign countries, special librarians, as part of the information industry, should also accept such challenges and become beneficiaries of contacts and exchange of information with their foreign counterparts. Through exchanges between special librarians globally, the knowledge of the special librarian/information professional in any country worldwide would be greatly enhanced with updating and keeping current with professional issues and developments around the world.
Through an exchange of information with foreign colleagues, U.S. special librarians employed by corporations with offices worldwide would have a broader and firsthand knowledge and understanding of the conditions, the culture, and the economic situation in a particular country and would most likely become a greater asset to the parent organization. Communicating with their foreign counterparts, special librarians employed by banks and other financial institutions which deal with banks in foreign countries and financial institutions with affiliates in foreign countries would have an excellent source of information for the bank CEOs and the bank newsletter. in a university setting, special librarians, through exchange of information with their colleagues in foreign country universities, would become invaluable sources of information for the university faculty and staff. Special librarians in museums communicating with their foreign counterparts would gain greatly in having first-hand knowledge and understanding of the happenings in the world of art and the culture of a particular country. For librarians in state libraries, the opportunities offered through exchange between information professionals are endless. For example, through contacts with foreign regional librarians, they would obtain business information; information on the social, cultural, and other conditions of the country; and be able to identify which information is extremely important for international business exchanges. They could also find information on the culture and the social customs of a foreign country for travel groups. As emphasized in the January 1997 issue of Information outlook: 'We cannot underestimate what it means to be a part of a global village. It is only at our perfl that we ignore events in other parts of the world, that we look for solutions with only one point of view, or that we look at opportunities for effective information management in only one geographic location. Simply put, we are living in an Information Age that allows us to think outside of the box. Our profession is no different than anyone else's. We not only live in an internationally aware world, we are often sought out to identify threats and opportunities in the world. How aware are we of what is going on in our own field? What kinds of organizations, networks, and developments are happening outside our own backyard that we need to know about? If credibility, objectiveness, and relevancy are as important as we tell our customers or clients they are, what are we doing to make sure we can meet those very significant expectations?"17
Special librarians worldwide indeed stand to gain through contact exchangespartnerships-with their colleagues in other countries. They stand to benefit from assistance in cataloging of specialized materials, acquisition of specialized materials, exchange of specialized publications, interlibrary loans, translations, locating rare and unique publications, specialized subject searches, keeping up-to-date on developments in a specific country and with relevant global issues-in particular on developments and issues of interest to their parent organizations, to name a few. Their knowledge and global understanding would be so much richer and their service to their communities so much more valuable. SLA is strongly encouraging worldwide partnerships between information professionals world wide. SLA Executive Director David R. Bender also calls upon the ability and the obligation of special librarians to facilitate the interdependence between businesses, governments, and other types of organizations and help make the global village a reality. 18
In line with the thoughts expressed in this article, the author strongly advocates that "attention to international and global education is no longer a matter of passive acceptance but an imperative mandatory is sue," as eloquently voiced by Martha Boaz in her article, "International Education: An Imperative Need."19 It is the author's strong belief that blending the philosophy of LIS education with a cross-cultural and world wide perspective would give LIS programs a new vision and effectiveness previously unrealized. The greatest benefits however, derived from such a perspective would include an impact on professional development and thinking and an influence on professional style and professional concerns worldwide bringing the global element into the profession and extending it into the New Millennium.
References and Notes
1An abbreviated version of a presentation given by the author during the Mid-Missouri Chapter SLA Meeting, Columbia, MO, April 25, 1996, on: international students in American LIS schools; information professionals worldwide; and challenges and benefits for special librarians in a global information infrastructure. (Invitation to participate as speaker during the meeting was extended by Nancy J. Ogg, Mid-Missouri SLA Chapter President.) A brief version of the presentation was published in the Professional Development column of March 1997 issue of Information Outlook, 17.)
2 The term information professional will be used to designate any type of librarian with anM.L.S. (M.I.S., M.L.I.S.) or higher degree and employed in any type of library or information center. it also denotes information professionals in noninstitutional settings and "virtual" enterprises. When it seems, however, more appropriate, the titles special librarian and special librarian/information professional will be used.
3 David R. Bender, "Creating a Global Village," 5peciaList 19, no. 2 (February 1996): 10.
4 Katherine Cveljo, "International Students in American Library and information Science Schools," Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, vol. 57, supplement 20 (1996): 210.
5 Bender, "Creating a Global Village....... 10.
6 Bender.
7 Cveljo, "International Students in...," 245.
8 For an in-depth discussion on the international students in American library and information science schools and the interntionalizing of LIS curricula, interested readers can refer to: Katherine Cveljo, "International Students in American Library and information Science Schools, " Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science 57, suppl. 20 (1996): 209-269.
9 Katherine Cveljo, 'Foreign Students in American Library and Information Science Schools: An Overview," in: The Management of Library and Information Studies Education, edited by Herman L. Totten, (New York, N.Y.: The Haworth Press, Inc., 1992), 67-79.
10 As can be observed throughout the professional literature, the international student is referred to as: overseas student, foreign student, student from abroad, and international student, and in an institute of international Education definition in Open Doors as study abroad student. Within this article the term international student will be used.
11 E.J. Josey, "Meeting the Challenge: Education for Universal Library and information Service, " in: kanslating an International Education to a National Environment (Papers Presented at the international Doctoral Student Conference Sponsored by the Doctoral Guild at the University of Pittsburgh School of Library and information Science, September 23-25,1988,) edited by Julie 1. Tallman and Joseph B. Ojimbo, Metuchen, N.J., London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1990, 6.
12 As can be observed throughout the literature in a number of professional fields, the lesser-developed countries are also referred to as: developing countries, less-developed countries, or "Third World countries." Within this article the term "lesser developed countries' will be used-briefly referred to as LDCs..
13 Cvelio, "International Students in..." 229.
14 Cveljo, "International Students in ..." 230.
15 0.0. Ogundipe, 'International and Comparative Librarianship in Developing Countries, " Journal of Educationfor Library and Information Science 35, no. 3 (Summer 1994) 236-248.
16 Cvelio, 'International Students in ..." 248.
17 Mary Lee Kennedy, "Living in a Global Village," Information outlook 1, no. I (January 1997): 6 (Section: International News.)
18 Bender, I 0.
19 Martha Boaz, " International Education: An Imperative Need": Journal ofeducationfor Libraty and Information Science 3 (Winter
1986): 165.
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