The Role Of The American Academic Library In International Programs

A collection of essays from across the world, detailing how library work is becoming globalized. The articles demonstrate new ways to address language and cultural differences, access issues abroad, the international purchase and processing of materials, and information literacy needs of students from all over the world.

The case studies describe projects that support the success of international students studying at academic institutions, and provide examples of strategies for librarians to encourage library use among international students and increase international student success.

This book offers a fresh perspective on understanding university library work with international users in North America. It investigates what librarians, international students, and international scholars perceive the role of the university library to be in internationalization in higher education. It also explores the phenomenon of internationalization itself as it is lived and experienced by both librarians and international users. Personal definitions and experiences of internationalization offered by librarians and international users include viewing internationalization as the broadening of knowledge on multiple levels, the idea of seeing oneself as part of a greater whole, and the building of international research connections. Both librarians and international users describe elements of internationalization such as exposure, awareness, engagement, empathy, and transcending boundaries. Inherent contradictions are present as well, such as the stronger emphasis on defining differences rather than similarities and the disconnect between inward and outward looking aspects of internationalization. Finally, this book connects theoretical perspectives concerning the phenomenon of internationalization to the practice of academic librarianship in North America. It does this by presenting what librarians in both the United States and Canada think about working with international users in terms of benefits, challenges, and best practices. Practical lessons learned include the need to move beyond focusing solely on the linguistic and cultural challenges of working with international users to also consider the positive aspects of working with them, such as widening worldviews and expanding personal knowledge.

This book addresses the issues faced by both international students and by librarians who work with them and offers suggestions on ways to make the relationship between the two groups more positive and productive. The annotated bibliography provides an overview of the literature on the topic.

This book advances the belief that the library--more than any other cultural institution--collects, curates and distributes the results of human thought. Essays broaden the debate about academic libraries beyond only professional circles, promoting the library as a vital resource for the whole of higher education. Topics range from library histories to explorations of changing media. Essayists connect modern libraries to the remarkable dream of Alexandria's ancient library--facilitating groundbreaking research in every imaginable field of human interest, past, present and future. Academic librarians who are most familiar with historical traditions are best qualified to promote the library as an important aspect of teaching and learning, as well as to develop resources that will enlighten future generations of readers. The intellectual tools for compelling, constructive conversation come from the narrative of the library in its many iterations, from the largest research university to the smallest liberal arts or community college.

In five sections--Information Literacy; Outreach & Inclusion; Collections & Digital Humanities; Establishing Libraries & Services Abroad; and Career & Professional Development--The Globalized Library collects chapters from practitioners across the world detailing how their work is globalized and demonstrating new ways to address language and cultural differences, access issues abroad, the international purchase and processing of materials, and information literacy needs of students from all over the world. It explores the use of campus partnerships to create specially designed programs and lea.