Overview

Asian populations are among some of the fastest growing cultural groups in the US. While books on serving other target groups in libraries have been published (e.g., disabled, Latino, seniors, etc.), no book on serving library users of Asian heritage has yet been written. Thus the timely need for this book. Rather than a generalized overview of Asians as a whole, this book has 24 separate chapters—each on 24 specific Asian countries/cultures of East, Southeast, and South Asia—with a wealth of resources for understanding, interacting with, outreaching to, and serving library users of each culture. Resources include cultural guides (both print and online), language helps (with sample library vocabulary), Asian booksellers, nationwide cultural groups, professional literature, and more. Resources and suggestions are given for all three types of libraries—public, school, and academic—making this book valuable for all librarians. The demographics of each Asian culture (numbers and distribution)—plus history of immigration and international student enrollment—is also featured. As a bonus, each chapter spotlights a US public, school, and academic library providing model outreach to Asian library users. Additionally, this book provides a detailed description and analysis of libraries in each of the 24 Asian countries. The history, development, facilities, conditions, technology, classification systems, and more—of public, school, and academic libraries—are all discussed, with detailed documentation. Country conditions influencing libraries and library use are also described: literacy levels, reading cultures, languages and writing systems, educational systems, and more. Based on the author’s 15 years of research and travels to Asia, this work is a must-have for all librarians.

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9780810887305

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Reviews

A very comprehensive reference book for librarians serving Asian students and communities. It is also useful for library and information science students looking for literature on comparative librarianship in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. -- Lourdes T. David, member, Board of Librarians, Professional Regulation Commission, Republic of the Philippines, former director, Rizal Library, Ateneo de Manila University This is a very useful book for librarians who serve Asian populations in the U.S., as its population is becoming increasingly diverse. This reference source is really handy for library professionals to serve Asian users anywhere in the world. Highly recommended for all types of libraries. -- Haipeng Li, University Librarian, University of California, Merced

Author Information

John Hickok is a librarian at California State University, Fullerton. He teaches information literacy classes, particularly to ESL and international students from around the world. He holds masters degrees in both Library and Information Studies and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. He has both written and presented programs on cross-cultural comparisons of library services in other countries (especially Asia) and the U.S. He is currently Chair of the American Library Association’s International Relations Roundtable Reception Committee which welcomes international librarians to ALA Conferences each year.

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