International Librarianship at Home and Abroad examines both the concept and reality of international librarianship. The intent of this book is not to glorify international librarianship, but to instead explore different ways that international librarianship might be understood and practiced. The book seeks to enrich and improve the everyday work done by librarians both at home and abroad in areas such as collection management, library services, and learning styles and techniques. Describes familiar librarian work, such as resource sharing, weeding and distance reference services Explores features and how they contribute to, and reflect, international librarianship Offers further examples on how to incorporate more explicit elements of international librarianship into home library practice

Demonstrates the impact of global education partnerships related to information access. International librarianship stems from a desire to bring about political change, transcultural understanding, collaboration, and mutual respect. Historically, librarians have been deeply involved with challenging issues of information sharing, equity in information access, and bridging the digital divide between different socioeconomic communities. This collection draws on case studies from American librarians who traveled to Central America, the Caribbean, Central Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean, and Asia to participate in librarian-initiated and sponsored projects. They united communities, promoted religious and cultural tolerance, developed new facilities, or enhanced existing libraries and archives, thereby enriching communities with resources, professional expertise, new partnerships, and sustainable development practices. International Librarianship offers insight into how these experiences might serve as templates and promote best practices in collaborations within the library profession in the United States and abroad, and it also demonstrates how international experiences can enliven home institutions upon return. “With its concrete, real-world examples from librarians with substantial cultural and professional experiences, this book is an outstanding resource for librarians aspiring to engage in librarianship across the borders. It will also serve as a valuable text for graduate courses.” — Tim J. Zou, University of Arkansas Libraries

This book explains how and why to get an international library job, what to expect when you arrive in your host country, and how to overcome challenges in your new home. For those who possess an ALA-accredited degree, there are opportunities to work in library settings around the world—and many of these attractive career options do not require non-English language skills or an EEC/Commonwealth citizenship. This guide to library work in countries outside the United States and Canada explains the benefits of taking on a library position in an international setting, how to find such a job, what to expect in working in a library outside of North America, and what strategies to employ to be successful and happy living and working in your host country. This guide answers all the questions that a librarian considering a position abroad would have, and it also covers subjects and concerns that might not be as obvious. Based on the direct experiences of the authors as well as anecdotal accounts from other librarians who have worked around the world, the book informs readers about common cultural differences with the application and interview process; explains how workplaces and working assumptions can be different from American expectations; profiles the different procedures, collection scope, curricular support, and intellectual freedom policies of libraries outside the United States and Canada; and describes the unique experience of moving to another country and living as an expat.

With the introduction of the Bologna Process, the emphasis on the importance of international librarianship and its activity between governmental or non-governmental institutions, organizations, and groups of nations has continued to grow. Collaboration in International and Comparative Librarianship highlights the importance of international librarianship in governmental and non-governmental institutions, organizations, and groups in order to promote, develop, and maintain librarianship and the library profession around the world. This publication is essential for graduate students, researchers, teachers, and LIS administrators in the field of library science.

Whether you're a library professional with decades of experience or a recent graduate in your first position, career enrichment can mean so much more than simply watching a webinar, taking a class, or even attending a conference.

Gain an international perspective on law library practices and precedents! Because law librarianship is an increasingly international field, working and learning abroad can enrich you culturally and professionally. Whether you visit for a few weeks or move halfway across the world for a year or more, Law Librarians Abroad gives you information about exchange programs, tips for adapting to a different culture, and ideas on how to make the most of a life-changing experience. Law Librarians Abroad explains a number of types of work you may find in other countries: US Information Agency or UN library programs informal visits formal exchange programs teaching clients or colleagues to use new technologies temporary library positions combining personal research with library work Some of the contributors to this exciting volume visited completely different cultures. Their new experiences included seeing snow for the first time and scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef. One went home to Korea after 25 years in the United States. Law Librarians Abroad offers practical suggestions as well: pitfalls and pleasures of living in a foreign country how to set up an exchange or plan a visiting librarian program how to build friendships with librarians abroad before you go In countries from Canada to Zimbabwe, on every continent except Antarctica, the authors of Law Librarians Abroad combined work and travel--and you can too!

Based on his extensive experience in international librarianship, Peter Johan Lor, South Africa's first National Librarian and a former Secretary General of the IFLA, has written the first comprehensive and systematic overview of international and comparative librarianship. His book provides a conceptual framework and methodological guidelines for the field and covers the full range of international relations among libraries and information services, with particular attention to the international political economy of information, the international diffusion of innovations and policy in library and information services, LIS development and international aid. It concludes with a discussion of the practical relevance and future of international and comparative studies in LIS. See a short interview with Peter Lor on his work https://www.ifla.org/node/92590