DOCUMENT RESUME IR 055 493 ED 382 212 AUTHOR Sharma, R. N., Ed. Linkino Asian/Pacific Collections to America. TITLE Proceedings of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (14th, Miami Beach, Florida, June 25-27, 1994). American Library Association, Washington, D.C.; INSTITUTION Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, Brooklyn, NY. PUB DATE 95 NOTE 52p. Conference Proceedings (021) PUB TYPE Collected Works EDRS PRICE MFOI/PC03 Plus Postage. Agency Cooperation; *Asian Americans; *Asian Studies; DESCRIPTORS Databases; *Library Collections; Library Cooperation; Online Catalogs; *Pacific Americans; *Shared Library Resources Asian Pacific Americans Librarians Association; *Asia IDENTIFIERS Pacific Region; International Federation of Library Associations; Library of Congress; New York Public Library; OCLC ABSTRACT The Asian/Pacific population in the United States is growing. Therefore, it is important to know what types of collections and facilities are available for ethnic groups within U.S. libraries. This is the issue addressed by the Asian/Pacific Librarians Association (APALA) at this conference. The fou speeches are: "Redefining 'Asia/Pacific' in the Life of APALA and the Working of the IFLA" (Kul B. Gauri), which urges cooperation between the organizations to help Asian/Pacific region iibraries and librarians; "Linking the Asian Collections Through Technology: A View from OCLC" (Andrew H. Wang), which outlines OCLC's efforts to link Asian collections through online systems for the benefit of scholars of both the east and the west; "Asian Collections and Services of the Library of Congress" (Warren Tsuneishi), which describes the Library of Congress' collections themselves, acquisitions and cataloging processes, staff members, and reference and research aspects of the Asian collections; and "Orientalia Collections in the New York Public Library" (John M. Lundquist), which gives a history of the development of the collection and the service provided by its staff. An introduction to APALA provides information on the background and activities of the association. Additional information includes: information on conference speakers; APALA committees for 1993-1994; APALA program for the 1994 conference; and APALA presidents 1980-1994. (MAS) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U S DEPANTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educe hone Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) C) Mrs document has been reproduced as received from the person or organaatron ompmatmg,t LINKING ASIAN/PACIFIC COLLECTIONS Sknor changes have Peen made to improve tepOduCtOn Wald y TO AMERICA Points of new or opmons stated m INS docu. ment do not necessarily represent olttctal OERI posMon or policy Proceedings of the Asian/Pacific American co Librarians Association held in Miami Beach, Florida LL1 June 25-27, 1994 Edited by R. N. Sharma WASHINGTON, D.C. 1995 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY R.N. Sharma TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." CONTENTS Introduction I Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association II Redefining "Asia/Pacific" in the Life of APALA and Kul B. Gauri the working of IFLA, 1 Linking the Asian Collections through Technology: A View from OCLC, Andrew H. Wang 6 Asian Collections and Services of the Library of Congress, Warren Tsunsishi 13 Orientalia Collections in the New York Public Library, John M. Lundquist 26 41 Speakers APALA Committees for 1993-1994 43 ASIAN/PACIFIC LIBRARIANS Association Program for the 1994 Conference 44 APALA Presidents 1980-1994 45 Acknowledgements 45 Editor 46 INTRODUCTION The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association is a (APALA) small but a growing association. It is an important part of the American Library Association (ALA) which is the oldest and the largest library association in the world. The Fourteenth Annual Conference of APALA held in Miami Beach, Florida from June 25-27, 1994 was a great success. The theme of the conference was "Linking Asian/Pacific Collections to America." Four distinguished speakers delighted the librarians, library educators and others with their excellent presentations. Dr. Kul B. Gauri spoke on Redefining "Asia/Pacific" in the Life of APALA and the working of IFLA. He urged cooperation between both organizations Asian/Pacific help region libraries to and Mr. Andrew H. Wang talked about the OCLC's efforts to librarians. link the Asian Collections through technology for the benefit of researchers and scholars of both the east and the west. Dr. Warren Tsuneishi introduced the Asian Collections, services, and staff of the Library of Congress. He showed slides of the collection and of the professional staff and talked about the importance of the Asian Orientalia Collections in the New York Public Library Collection. was the topic for Dr. John M. Lundquist. He gave a history of the development of the collection and the quality service provided by the staff of his department. The Asian/Pacific population is increasing in the United States. Therefore, it is important to know what types of collections and facilities are available for the interested scholars and for the ethnic groups in our libraries in the United States. It was due to these important factors that APALA chose this topic for the conference. I had the honor to chair this important session during the APALA The success of our conference was due to our team Conference. All speakers were excellent and the delegates in attendance work. spoke very highly of them. The conference was a success due to the financial help given to APALA by Ballen Booksellers International, Blackwell North America, CD Plus, EBSCO Subscription Services, Gale Research, Faxon, High. Smith Company, Information Access Company, Retro Link Associates, Scarecrow Press, Troll Associates, VTLS, and Yankee Book Peddler. I want to thank all committees for their hard work including my special thanks to Wilfred Fong, Abdul Miah, Fazle Kabir, Sushila Shah and Dipak Parekh for their contributions. Ms. Linda Smith Secretary of the History Department worked very hard to type the manuscript for publication purposes. Therefore, I want to thank Linda for her help and cooperation. It has certainly been a pleasure and an honor to serve as President of APALA. It is my hope that readers will learn from the presentations of our speakers who did a commendable job at the conference. Evansville, Indiana May 1995 R. N. Sharma I A ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION (APALA) The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (AIWA) was founded in 1980, incorporated in 1981, and affiliated with the The objectives of the American Library Association in 1982. to provide a forum for discussing problems and association are: concerns of Asian-Pacific American librarians; to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas by Asian-Pacific American librarians and support and encourage library services to the other librarians; Asian-pacific American communities; to recruit and support Asian- pacific American librarians in the library/information science in schools seek funding for scholarships professions; of to for Asian-Pacific Americans; and to library/ information science provide a vehicle whereby Asian-Pacific American librarians can cooperate with other associations and organizations having similar or allied interests. Membership of APALA is open to all librarians and information specialists of Asian-pacific descent working in U.S./Canadian libraries, information centers and other related organizations, and to others who support the goals and purposes of APALA. Asian- Pacific Americans are defined as those who consider themselves They may be American of Asian-Pacific Asian-Pacific Americans. permanent Asian-Pacific with people status the of descent, residency, or Asian-Pacific people living in the United States. Dues (institutions) $25; (Students /Unemployed (individuals) $10; Librarians) $5. APALA Meetings are held every year in January and June along with the Midwinter and Annual Conference of the American Library The elections for officers are held during the spring Association. and elected officers serve their one year terms from July through APALA has an Executive Board and an Advisory Committee June. Vice Consisting Immediate President, President, Past of and an e3ected President/President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, There are nine Standing representative of the Standing Committees. Constitution and Bylaws, Committees: Local Awards, Finance, Program and Arrangements, Membership, Nominations, Newsletter, Publicity Committee, and Recruitment and Scholarship Committee. APALA Newsletter published quarterly in March, June, September, and December is the official publication of the association. It covers news of interest in the field for all librarians and keeps all members up-to-date with the latest developments in the profession. APALA has organized very successful conferences and invited well known speakers every year to speak on emerging issues, topics and problems in the field of library and information science with Asian-Pacific emphasis on librarians, and librarianship, the Many scholars, librarians, library educators, and other libraries. APALA prominent honored been leaders by have their for distinguished services and contributions the Asian-Pacific to regions and the United States. Many APALA member are very active II in the American Library Association, Association of College & Research Libraries, Public Library Association, Special and other library associations the United States well of other as as international associations. They are active in. research, writing, publishing, and committee work. APALA is a growing body and has certainly made a difference in the field of library and information science for all Asian-pacific American librarians. III REDEFINING "ASIA/PACIFIC" IN THE LIFE OF APALA AND THE WORKING OF IFLA KUL B. GAURI In preparing this review of International Federation of Libraries and Institutions' (IFLA) activities for a group like Asian/Pacific one is struck by the American Librarians Association (APALA), reality of the global village. Also, one cannot escape the reality that members of APALA who come from a specific region of the globe do not have any formal communication with the professionals or libraries within that region nor any mention of such a role in its Thus, it is a strange dilemma for me to describe to you Charter. IFLA's role in Asia/Pacific region when this should be a common knowledge to all of you. do not intend to be facetious or I sermonizing but if I ask a question from a librarian back home about the mission of APALA, he/she will never understand that its mission is simply the professional well-being of the Asian/Pacific librarian in the American context only. At the same time, the scope and terminology in defining roles of APALA and IFLA's focus on this region also vary drastically. In my view, APALA is in a way a quasi-ethnic organization in the U.S., while IFLA never maintain such distinctions in its activities. As a matter of fact, APALA and similar organizations like Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) and RFORMA, as affiliates of ALA, have a vital life of their own which on an international level is somewhat irrelevant. IS GEOGRAPHY DESTINY? It is necessary to understand the context in which most of the Asian libraries exist and operate to realize the enormity and complexity of their problems. The geography and rural nature of the Asian countries in which these libraries are struggling is very daunting. Take for example a country like the Philippines. It has a spread of about 7,100 islands, covering an area of 300,00 square kilometers roughly the size of New Mexico, the fifth largest state in the United States. These islands in most cases are served by very limited and basic means of transportation. Similarly, Indonesian Archipelago is dotted with over 13,000 islands. These .countries and others in Asia have a variety of ethnic/cultural multiple differences, languages and and dialects, levels of literacy that frustrate all planning and delivery of library Only a select few countries out of the list of 32 services. members of the IFLA's Region of Asia and Oceania can boast of literacy levels and infrastructure that comes close to the one we enjoy here or other so called developed countries. The much talked about economic disparity between the North and. the South is very much evident. NOWHERE TO GO Even the objectives of libraries in these countries are somewhat Their focus is more on literacy and disseminating different. information that can assist in improving the living conditions. Put more frankly: their role is eradication of illiteracy, poverty and ignorance. It is a tribute to the genius of librarians in these countries who have come up with very creative and innovative approaches in carrying out their mission. They have "tin box libraries" which carry sometime sports equipment and yellow robes for Buddhist monks in Thailand. While we here enjoy dramatic comedies like Barefoot in the Park, they have perfected their practical versions of it in "Barefoot Librarians" and "Barefoot Their libraries function sometime out of postal loan Teachers ". services. Because of illiteracy and strong oral traditions, some listening groups within these countries of established have libraries which also perform the function of political and civic clubs, which are the original versions of the city clubs we are, familiar with. two words that capture the Simply put, the conditions of libraries in Asia are: scarcity and heterogeneity. Now picture IFLA's role in this situation and compare this with what ALA is doing. You get the sense of two extremes. Most of us her are information-privileged, that is, we have the options to choose among a variety of media and information offerings. Others in the third world, or the developing countries as most of the countries in Asia are designated, are information underprivileged since they are deprived of and have a very limited access to any information. CAN IFLA DO EVERYTHING? IFLA during its seventy years of existence has tried to do the best to ameliorate this under the prevailing spirit of paternalistic colonialism but has always hobbled along. The first IFLA/UNESCO Seminar for librarians from developing countries in 1971 revealed the "dichotomy between the concerns of the participants and those of the lecturers" almost two cultures which never understood each other. This seminar can be regarded as a turning point in the role of IFLA in library development in developing countries. In a similar review of the IFLA's activities, Wijaysuria commented that "In terms of the Third Worlds support, IFLA's performance record is less flattering...Taking an overall perspective, it is difficult (sic) to state that IFLA's efforts over the past fifteen years in the Third World have been of much significance". Thus, IFLA played a marginal role in advancing librarianship in the developing countries till 1984 when a unique core program for the Advancement Librarianship Third World of the in was (ALP) It attempted to bring together all its energies and initiated. resource) as well as a structure to focus on searching global 2 solutions to problems facing these countries by regions, and not customize programs by countries or ethnic groups. By establishing three regions--that is Africa, Asia and Oceania, Latin American and Caribbean--and applying ALP programs to these in a uniform manner, IFLA has given a new dimension to its role in and its relevance to the Third World. For us in APALA the activities under ALP and of the Regional Section on Asia and Oceania (RSCAO) are of immediate interest. It is in this regional context of RSCAO that APALA can establish some form of linkages with IFLA, if it so desires. I do not mean in any way to de-emphasize IFLA's other four core programs and most of the American delegates to IFLA Conference, more or less, are interested in these four core programs. These are: Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) - Universal Bibliographic Control and International MARC (UBCIM) - Preservation and Conservation (PAC) - Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications 'UDT) ALP PROGRAM The specific goals of the ALP Program for 1992-1997 are: To assist library staff, library schools and library associations in education and training programs; To promote the establishment of library and information services to the public with particular attention to the needs of rural and urban marginal areas; - To encourage a greater involvement and identification of libraries with literacy work. This program works in close cooperation with the three regions mentioned above. The chairpersons, secretaries and office managers from the three regions are advisors to the program as members of its Advisory Committee. The implementation of these programs in the Asian and Oceania region is accomplished by: - Awarding annual scholarships to the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, to persons from less developed countries; - Service training or "attachments" for junior or senior staff under 40 years of age in institutions within the region with established 17i.'praries and specialties; 3 Offering training based on a Thai model of library workers and their role as rural workers in Southeast Asian countries. is anticipated that all these projects and models will be It transportable (of course, in translation) across all geographical boundaries under the aegis of ALP. Competitive grants for projects that meet the guidelines established by ALP are available. As mentioned above, literacy also happens to be a major focus of the ALP Program. Various projects are being supported in Southeast Asian countries with funding from select international agencies. One of the major challenges that APL faces is to widen the base of funding, which so far has mostly come form the Swedish Development It is not sure what the source of funding will be for Authority. the years to come "with a very limited circle of responsible actors." CAN YOU NEVER GO BACK HOME? Does Asia/Pacific wants you to come home? Does APALA have a role These are very difficult questions to ask. in this area? ALA has maintained a very active interest in the working of the IFLA and its International Relations Division has been intensely involved in some of the IFLA's programs. Can APALA stay only marginally I have no doubt in my mind that APALA can meaningfully interested? influence and support the mission of ALP, specifically focussing on the Regional Section for Asia and Oceania, by justifiably expanding its mandate. As I stated in the beginning, in describing IFLA's role in Asian librarians and libraries one cannot avoid describing commonalities and differences between IFLA and APALA. Borrowing form a well- known pun, I can safely say that anything less than what I have shared with you will be "highly uncivilized". Britta Bergdahl, Director of the ALP Program, in describing the Program recently challenged the audience to support the program in every way which they can. I would like to share her words with "You understand that the challenge is great, the ambitions you. the needs are enormous, the difficulties not to be are high, underestimated and there is an endless need of support in all of Asia and Oceania. That is an invitation to you. What can you do Can we count on your cooperation?" to further ALP? I would like to thank Pensri Guaysuwan, Manager if IFLA's Regional Office for Asia and Oceania, for assisting me in preparing this review. fa 4 10