Internationalization and
the Academic Library
Karen Bordonaro, Ph.D., James A. Gibson Library,
Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
Why pay attention to libraries?
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Personal one-on-one assistance for students and faculty
Collections/resources
Research support
Physical space: the “library as place”
Connections to other libraries – library networks
Who I am
• Liaison Librarian
– Applied Linguistics
– Modern Languages
– ESL Services, etc.
• ESL instructor
• Researcher
Research study
• online survey sent to Canadian and American
academic librarians 2012-2013
– 10 follow-up librarian interviews
• 48 personal interviews at two border universities:
– academic librarians
– international students
– international scholars
Purposes
• To see if academic libraries offer specialized services to
international users
• To investigate how academic librarians, international students, and
international scholars personally define “internationalization”
• To see if the library has any role to play in internationalization
• To explore the phenomenon of internationalization
Findings
• Academic libraries across North America do offer specialized
services to international users.
• Each of the three groups (academic librarians, international
students, and international scholars) define “internationalization”
differently.
• The library does have a role to play in internationalization.
• Internationalization is a multifaceted phenomenon.
Services
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Tours
Workshops
Web guides
Study spaces
One-on-one personal assistance
Language learning resources
Note on language learning
• Not all international students are non-native speakers of English.
• Example: American students in Canada, Canadian students in
U.S.
• For those who are, the library can help them with their language
learning while they use the library.
– It is an authentic environment for learning English.
Language learning in the library
Benefits of working with
international library users
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expanding personal knowledge
providing personal satisfaction
improving library service for everyone
enriching North American campuses
strengthening the flow of scholarly information internationally
Challenges of working with
international library users
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language issues
cultural differences
academic expectations
time commitment
attitudes of other library staff members
Avoiding the deficit model
• Librarians should not view non-native English speaking
international students as remedial, deficient, or culturally clueless
students.
• It is more helpful to view them as language learners.
Definitions of internationalization
From the literature:
• producing global citizens / civic responsibility
• promoting intercultural awareness
• enhancing the curriculum with international perspectives
• fostering institutional prestige
• revenue generation
Definition of internationalization for
academic librarians
• “the broadening of knowledge”
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At the personal level: strengthening personal awareness
At the library level: strengthening library support and services
At the university level: strengthening the library’s role
At the world level: strengthening information dissemination
Definition of internationalization for
international students
• “seeing ourselves as being part of a bigger
whole”
– Being welcomed as a recognized, important part of the
university community
– More than just bringing international students here
– Having opportunities to meaningfully interact with students
from all cultures
Definition of internationalization for
international scholars
• “the building of international research
connections”
– At the personal level: with other international scholars
– At the institutional level: with host colleagues and the
institutional department
– At the worldwide level: through sustained contact after the
visit is over
Role of library in internationalization
for academic librarians
• Dissemination of information
– To international students through services
– To international scholars through research support
Role of library in internationalization
for international students
• Inclusivity
– including international students in all student services offered
by the library
– providing a “culturally safe place on campus” for study
Role of library in internationalization
for international scholars
• Global research connections
– Collecting and providing access to international research
– Supporting international research transfer (sharing of results)
Phenomenon of internationalization elements
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Exposure and awareness
Engagement and interaction
Acceptance and empathy
Enrichment and knowledge
Building connections and transcending boundaries
Phenomenon of internationalization contradictions
• Differences are emphasized more than similarities
• Asks us to acknowledge differences but treat everyone the same
• Is invoked by institutions but relies on committed individuals to make it
happen
• International students and scholars represent many diverse cultures, but
are often viewed as a homogeneous group
• Is both inward-looking (ex. library services on campus) but also outwardlooking (ex. support to scholars abroad)
Putting findings into practice
• Libraries do not often explicitly articulate how we can contribute
to internationalization efforts on campus.
• If internationalization does not appear as a strategic goal for the
university, it does not appear in library plans either.
• There is sometimes a limited understanding of what the library can
offer by higher level administrators (the library may not appear in
a university internationalization plan).
Going forward
• Increase staff awareness both inside and outside the library of the
benefits of working with international library users.
• Promote the library as a culturally safe place on campus.
• Promote the library as a friendly place to practice English.
• Librarians can become more visible in contributing to campus
internationalization efforts.
• Leverage the power of personal connections.
• More librarians could present at conferences like this one!
Summary
• Libraries do provide services to international users.
• Internationalization means different things to different people
(academic librarians, international students, and international
scholars).
• The library does have a role to play in internationalization efforts
on campus.
• Internationalization is a multifaceted phenomenon.
My contact information
Karen Bordonaro
James A. Gibson Library
Brock University
1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way
St. Catharines, Ontario
Canada L2S 3A1
Office: Schmon Tower 1128
Phone: (905)688-5550 extension 4423
Email: kbordonaro@brocku.ca
For further information
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Biddle, Sheila. “Internationalization: Rhetoric or Reality?” American Council of
Learned Societies Occasional Paper no. 56 (2002): 8
Bordonaro, Karen. Internationalization and the North American University Library.
Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2013.
Conteh-Morgan, Miriam. “Journey with New Maps: Adjusting Mental Models and
Rethinking Instruction to Language Minority Students.” ACRL Eleventh National
Conference Proceedings, April 10-13, 2003, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Knight, Jane. “Internationalization Remodeled: Definitions, Approaches, and
Rationales,” Journal of Studies in International Education 8 no. 1 (2004): 11.
Montgomery, Catherine. Understanding the International Student Experience.
London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
Robson, Sue. “Internationalization: A Transformative Agenda for Higher Education?”
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice 17, no. 6 (2011): 619
Stone, Nick. “Conceptualising Intercultural Effectiveness for University Teaching,”
Journal of Studies in International Education 10, no. 4 (2006): 350-351.
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