A survey of internationalization activities in Asia Pacific library and information science schools

Abstract

This study replicated Leif Kajberg’s Survey of Internationalization Activities in European Library and Information Science Schools with regards to Library and Information Science Education in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Kajberg wrote that internationalization activities in European LIS Schools reflect different national traditions, institutional histories and missions. The purpose of this survey was to discover the different paths toward internationalisation that institutions of Higher Education have taken in LIS Schools in Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand using the same types of variables which Kajberg used. Findings would assist in developing a theoretical understanding and a knowledge base regarding the forces of international co-operation relevant for higher education institutions at 70 universities concentrating on the LIS discipline. The following issues are examined: (1) Do international issues and priorities have a place on the educational and research agenda of the schools? (2) To what extent are international LIS issues reflected in the schools’ curricula? (3) What is the number of international-degree students enrolled? (4) Do schools have persons with an international background on their academic staff? (5) Are cross-country links developed with partner institutions abroad? These questions were considered representative of internationalization activities. As with Kajberg’s survey, the questionnaire designed for the study included a mix of close-ended questions (yesno model) and questions of the semi-open and open-ended type. The close-ended questions were formulated to elicit general information on LIS schools’ actual involvement in the various types of internationalisation processes and activities and gauge the level of cooperation. Permission to conduct the study was granted by the Institutional Review Board, Human Subjects Committee of the University of Southern Mississippi. Responses were held confidential.