
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)].

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Librarian at Chinese university admits to replacing famous paintings with his own fakes

By LOUISE WATT, Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — A former chief librarian at a Chinese university admitted in court Tuesday to stealing more than 140 paintings by grandmasters in a gallery under his watch and replacing them with fakes he painted himself.
For two years up until 2006, Xiao Yuan substituted famous works including landscapes and calligraphies in a gallery within the library of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. Details
More details:
"Man admits swapping classic Chinese artworks for fakes he painted himself: Xiao Yuan stole 143 works from the Guanghzou Academy of Fine Arts while working as its chief librarian, making £3.5m from auction sales "
"Appearing in court on Tuesday, he claimed the practice was rampant and the handling of such paintings was not secure. Xiao said he noticed fakes already hanging in the gallery on his first day in the job. Later, after he replaced some of the remaining original works with his own fakes, he was surprised when the latter were substituted for further fake paintings." Details

Friday, August 15, 2014

Philosophy of information literacy: To read, view, listen or interact in using information

PS. image courtesy: Brenau Trustee Library
Miriam (Mimi) Sue Dudley, 1983:
"Library instruction, bibliographic instruction and user education are all reference services. The concept of reference as an assistance to users of libraries first appeared in Library Journal in 1891. In 1870's personal assistance to the reader was made available, in 1877 the access to the resources themselves was restricted to the research. In 1884 Dewey introduced the first reference department at Columbia University. In the last quarter of the 20th century library instruction was formalized as a separate function. establishing a separate unit within ALA.
The philosophy of bibliographic instruction asks the questions: why, when, where and who of library instructions. The answer: When? Now, Always, Anytime. Where? Anyplace. Every Place. Who? Your users and your colleagues. Why? Because you are a librarian." (p.63) [source] (probably the complete citation is :  Mimi Dudley, "A Philosophy of Library Instruction", Research Strategies, 1:2 (Spring 1983), 63.)
Readings:

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Thursday, August 07, 2014

Access top articles from International Information & Library Review for FREE online

Free Access to the Most Downloaded Articles of 2012-2013 International Information Library Review
For more than twenty years, the International Information and Library Review has been welcomed by information scientists, librarians and other scholars and practitioners all over the world for its timely articles on research and development in international and comparative librarianship, information sciences, information policy and information ethics, digital values and digital libraries. Contributions to the journal have come from staff or members of many different international organizations, including the United Nations, UNESCO, IFLA, and INTAMEL, and from library and information scientists in academia, government, industry, and other organizations. continue reading

Access these top articles for FREE until December 31, 2014:
  • A university library management model for students’ learning support Volume 45, Issue 3-4 (2013) Kulthida Tuamsuk, Kanyarat Kwiecien & Jutharat Sarawanawongong
  • Library and information literacy instruction in Israeli colleges and universities: A preliminary surveyVolume 45, Issue 3-4 (2013) Carol R. Simon
  • The prediction of Internet utilization behavior of undergraduate agricultural students: An application of the theory of planned behavior Volume 45, Issue 3-4 (2013) Naser Zamani-Miandashti, Payam Memarbashi & Parvin Khalighzadeh
  • Multilingual Digital Libraries: A review of issues in system-centered and user-centered studies, information retrieval and user behaviorVolume 45, Issue 1-2 (2013)Evgenia Vassilakaki & Emmanouel Garoufallou
  • Traditional knowledge management and preservation: Intersections with Library and Information ScienceVolume 44, Issue 1 (2012) Charles Kamau Maina
  • Users' perceptions of library effectiveness: A comparative users' evaluation of central libraries of AMU, BHU, ALU and BBRAU Volume 44, Issue 2 (2012)Abdul Mannan Khan
  • Use of social networking sites by research scholars of the University of Delhi: A study Volume 44, Issue 3 (2012) Margam Madhusudhan
  • Use of digital media and demand for digitized contents in higher education sector of Pakistan Volume 44, Issue 3 (2012) Muhammad Rafiq & Kanwal Ameen

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Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Public Libraries in US and Canada are now a great attraction with foreign language learning tools

  • The idea was up in 2006 in the minds of a knowledge curator, JABRA GHNEIM, and he  said:

Public Libraries as a Resource for Foreign Language Learning

Public libraries in America are one of the best functioning and worth while public institutions. Making language resources available there is a wonderful idea. Language material is usually very expensive. Buying it through the public library system is a great idea. I have been learning Farsi for three years now using the resources of our great public library system here in the Salt lake City area. I also use it when I am designing curriculum or tests for other languages. Since we are now in a phase where we are trying to encourage the learning of critical foreign languages in this country I totally believe that public libraries should jump on board and use some of the available public funding to finance their purchases of foreign language learning material."
  • Mango Language Learning @ Toronto Public Library: . A tutorial on how to use the Mango online languages system to help you learn languages such as French, Japanese, Greek and more

"More and more, libraries strive not only to be spaces for researching subjects of interest to their patrons but to offer options that let users learn new skills, whether they’re physically in the library or not. One area in which mobile learning through the library is making headway is language learning. Many online lesson providers offer programs through libraries that patrons can use in the building, at home, or even while waiting in line for a cup of coffee.
In our first language learning survey, which gathered information on language learning programs from 337 public libraries nationwide, LJ asked public librarians around the country what they’re doing to help patrons study a foreign tongue. From picking up enough French to order dinner on vacation to improving English-language skills to shore up job prospects, all sorts of language learners are learning in libraries to hone their abilities... 
A sample question and response: Which languages are most popular with your users?
continue reading... Library Journal
On the same shelf:

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

A bibliometric chronicling of Library and Information Science’s first hundred years

By Vincent Larivière, Cassidy R.Sugimoto and Blaise Cronin [Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Volume 63, Issue 5, pages 997–1016, May 2012]

Abstract: This paper presents a condensed history of LIS over the course of more than a century using a variety of bibliometric measures. It examines in detail the variable rate of knowledge production in the field, shifts in subject coverage, the dominance of particular publication genres at different times, prevailing modes of production, interactions with other disciplines, and, more generally, observes how the field has evolved. It shows that, despite a striking growth in the number of journals, papers and contributing authors, a decrease was observed in the field’s market-share of all social science and humanities research. Collaborative authorship is now the norm, a pattern seen across the social sciences. The idea of boundary crossing was also examined: in 2010, nearly 60% of authors who published in LIS also published in another discipline. This high degree of permeability in LIS was also demonstrated through reference and citation practices: LIS scholars now cite and receive citations from other fields more than from LIS itself. Two major structural shifts are revealed from the data: in 1960, where LIS changed from a professional field focused on librarianship to an academic field focused on information and use and in 1990, when LIS began to receive a growing number of citations from outside the field, notably from Computer Science and Management, as well as a dramatic increase in the number of authors contributing to the literature of the field. Continue reading the full paper

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Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Library Value in the Developing World, Report

info courtesy: libraries.wright.edu
"SAGE, in consultation with Claire Creaser of LISU the national research and information centre based at Loughborough University (UK), and Lucy Browse of International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) have published the results of a research study, Library Value in the Developing World. Below is a summary of the study and findings, from the SAGE website.:
Raising awareness of how the library supports teaching and research staff is key to demonstrating library value in developing countries, concludes a new report published today. The findings are the result of a six-month research study with twelve developing country institutions conducted by SAGE exploring perceptions of the value of academic libraries by teaching and research staff in developing countries.
The findings are based on a series of surveys, interviews and case studies with twelve developing country institutions; Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras; Indonesian Research Institute; University of Cape Coast, Ghana; National Scientific Library, Georgia; Maseno University, Kenya; Convenant University and Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria; University of the Philippines Visayas, Philippines; University of Thies, Senegal; Makerere University, Uganda; Institute of Intellectual Property of National University Kiev, Ukraine, and the University of Zimbabwe.

‘Library Value in the Developing World’ reports that developing country librarians are beginning to recognize the importance of evaluating their value for research and teaching staff. Communicating the value of their role however remains a key challenge. Librarians noted that whilst they receive positive feedback about the resource collections they provide, there is limited awareness of how librarians can better support research and teaching staff beyond these traditional parameters.
Chief considerations
Outlined in the report are examples of best practice from the case study institutions, along with recommendations on how working relations between academic libraries and stakeholders could be enhanced. These include:
  • Communication
    The report highlights the value of increased engagement between individual libraries and their academic staff to help reinforce their changing role in supporting academia and in supporting training and advice. Developing research partnerships, integrated teaching, research services and literacy instruction were all considered part of the ‘reinvented’ librarian role, beyond providing access to resources. The report suggests that librarians are building an increased understanding of marketing skills, as well as developing external relationships with the scholarly community to promote advocacy for the library.
  • Support from the university
    Universities can also help to build awareness of the role of the library, the report advises, by investing in the professional development of librarians in both their provision of research and teaching skills, and by enabling librarians more contact time with research and teaching staff. It also advises that the University provide internal marketing support to help raise the status and recognition of librarians and the value they add to the work of academic colleagues and senior managers.
  • Collaboration with publishers
    There are also considerations for publishers. The report advises that further research be conducted to understand the ongoing needs of developing-country libraries and their work. Part of this includes the adaptation of marketing and online resources to enable greater access for those in developing countries.

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