We will now turn to a discussion of "Global Information Systems." Our discussion leader is Professor Pauline (Atherton) Cochrane who teaches in the area of the organization of information in all types of libraries and information services. Beyond the traditional aspects of this subject, cataloging and classification in libraries, Professor Cochrane teaches and works on computer-based problems in libraries, the publishing industry, and places like the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress. Most recently she has been involved in the Digital Library Initiative at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where she and Mr. Eric Johnson have developed a hypertextual thesaurus browser. Her list of publications is too long to cite, but her reason for taking on this assignment has to do with her consulting with Unesco, years of living overseas in developing countries, and then returning to the United States where she is now visiting professor at UIUC's Graduate School of Library and Information Science.
Please welcome Professor Cochrane and join us in a discussion of Global Information Systems.
Robert Wedgeworth, University Librarian at UIUC (and president of IFLA), wrote a recent article for American Libraries (November 1995, page 1012-4) entitled, "Toward a Global Library Community."
Academic institutions are holding retreats to address an objective in their strategic plans which has to do with "the increasingly international character of our economy and culture." At UIUC this meant addressing the following topics:
Having lived overseas and visited library schools abroad I often thought how much more international they were than we in the USA. Quite often the faculty would have come from four or five countries; their syllabus listed authors from Europe, U.S.A., Asia; both students and faculty would make yearly study trips abroad, etc.
The floor is open for a discussion of the implications of the above trends for library education.
Those of you who know me, or have "listened" to me on the Internet, will recognize my concerns in regard to remote/rural locations a recurrent theme in my conversations. Reading the intro to this latest CRISTAL-ED discussion has been helpful to me in that it made me realize that information concerns re: remote/rural locations is not just a Michigan or American problem, but a global challenge. I hope to begin to help you realize the importance of remote/rural services coming from the global point of view.
As a practicing information professional in a remote/rural location in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A., I have become acutely aware of the serious shortage of information services and training in areas such as mine. Library/information schools, as well as the state and national library organizations have yet to begin to effectively address this challenge here in the United States. (This is a very basic statement of a very complex issue, but I have kept it short for the purposes of this discussion.)
On a global scale, would not these same challenges exist? If there are shortcomings in information services and training in remote/rural America, will we also see these challenges in countries like Uganda, Brazil, the Ukraine, etc.? Yes, perhaps even on a more severe level.
Remote/rural libraries/information centers often face the challenges inadequate funding, low staffing, ignorance, and little or no training opportunities. Whether in the frozen north of Michigan, U.S.A., or in rural China, there must be many common threads in terms of information service.
Then, should not library/information schools make certain that they are seriously and effectively addressing the education of their students in regard to delivery of information services and instruction to remote/rural locations? This study area should then be integrated into the overall global studies.
We are prohibited by policy of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board from offering the doctoral program via telecommunications, although we certainly would like to. The THECB is currently considering revisions to its policy, so perhaps in a year -- two? -- a different policy will prevail.
>Pauline Cochrane
>cochrane@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu
Coursework focusing upon the mechanics of distance education and transmission of information. The mechanics are well-known but the problems of setting up the program and what could be encountered are things that must be learned through practical experience, dialogue and social interaction.
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