The developing South Asian country of Pakistan

Transcription

1 The Library Scenario and Management Probems in Pakistan Libraries Syed Jaauddin Haider The deveoping South Asian country of Pakistan encompasses many popuation and economic variabes that affect overa ibrary services in severa unique ways. Pakistan is a mutiethnic, mutiinguistic state. Urdu, the nationa anguage, is the anguage of instructions in secondary schoos. Engish is widey used in commerce and business, and continues to be the officia anguage of Pakistan. The tota popuation is 150 miion, which is rapidy increasing at a rate of 2.1 percent per annum. Two-thirds of the popuation ives in viages, with agricuture as the main source of iveihood. Poiticay, it is a federation of four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, North- West Frontier Province, and Baochistan), and the Federa Capita Area of Isamabad. There is a pariamentary for democracy simiar to the British system. 1 Modern ibrary services in the territories now constituting Pakistan began in 1915 with the arriva of Asa Don Dickinson, an American ibrarian and a pupi of Mevi Dewey. His goa at the University of the Punjab was to organize the university ibrary and to teach modern ibrary methods to the ibrarians of the Punjab. 2 This was, in fact, the beginning of ibrary administration aong scientific ines, documented in his book Punjab Library Primer, which covered various aspects of administration and has been a guide for ibrary administrators for severa decades in British India. 3 The impact of this schoo was tremendous on successive ibrary deveopments throughout the region. It was Dickinson, for exampe, who introduced the Dewey Decima Cassification and the concept of author entry to this part of the word. The present ibrary scenario reveas many concerns. The most comprehensive survey on Pakistan ibraries was submitted by the students of the MLIS program at the University of Karachi, athough these figures have not been updated since There were 6034 ibraries in 1989, with a tota coection of 13,354,500 voumes. The types of ibraries and the number of voumes are as foows: one nationa ibrary (80,000); two university ibraries (2,098,400); 435 coege ibraries (3,640,800); 331 specia Syed Jaauddin Haider (sjh838uk@hotmai.com ) is Professor and Ex-Chairman of the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Karachi, Pakistan. ibraries (2,557,500); 281 pubic ibraries (2,190,800); 4,373 box ibraries; 464 schoo ibraries (905,400); and poytechnic and misceaneous ibraries (21,600). 4 Comparativey, the university ibraries are better paced with resources, organization, and staff. 5 However, there presenty exists a cimate of stagnation and decine in university ibraries, notwithstanding the best efforts on the part of the government and its Higher Education Commission (HEC), formery known as the University Grants Commission. The main factors for this state of affairs have been shrinking budgets combined with ever-rising infation, which has obviousy affected ibrary growth and services. There is no organized pubic ibrary system. The existing pubic ibraries, mosty subscription ibraries, are under the charge of municipa and oca bodies. The majority of these ibraries occupy temporary buidings, and their hodings are mainy fiction and out-of-date books on history and Isam. Few ibraries are propery staffed, and are often without a quaified ibrarian. The services of these ibraries are imited, and their main sources of funds are reguar grants from the municipa body s annua budget and subscriptions charged to the pubic. This sad picture of pubic ibraries aso coud be attributed to the absence of pubic ibrary egisation. Schoo ibrary deveopment in Pakistan is sti in its embryonic stage. In fact, it has not generay attracted the attention of education authorities and has thus been sporadic. Ony a negigibe percentage of schoos under government contro have a ibrary. Even then, the schoo ibrarian usuay has itte or no training in ibrary science, and the books in the coection are often outdated. The defective ibrary education system, ack of chidren s iterature, and ibrary funds are the major constraints in the deveopment of schoo ibraries. On the other hand, there are some exceent schoo ibraries in the private sector. The majority of specia ibraries are attached to government departments, institutions, and universities and coeges. A far smaer number of such ibraries have been set up in recent years by industries and firms. These ibraries are mainy concentrated in the arge cities and metropoitan areas. Their coections of books and periodicas are not arge; nonprint and audiovisua materias are 172 Library Administration & Management

2 amost nonexistent. With respect to services, these ibraries are primariy focused on the coection, organization, and use of materia, but have done itte by way of anaysis and use of data. Pakistan has been somewhat unfortunate in the estabishment of a nationa ibrary. Unti recenty, there was not a nationa ibrary in practica terms, ony the Department of Libraries, a subordinate department of the Federa Ministry of Education that carried out a nationa ibrary s functions on a imited scae. The present nationa ibrary came into existence in Apri 1988, with the shifting of a meager coection of 100,000 voumes coected over the years from the Department of Libraries to a newy constructed buiding, formay opened to the pubic on August 24, However, a thorough eucidation of the functions of the nationa ibrary is sti awaited. At present, seven university ibrary schoos provide training faciities at the postgraduate eve eading to an MLS. The Ph.D. program is avaiabe at the universities of Karachi, Bahawapur, Punjab, Sindh, and Baochistan. Courses of short duration are offered by the regiona ibrary associations. Library science is avaiabe as a minor at the higher secondary eves. For exampe, at the universities of Karachi and Punjab, ibrary science aso is offered as an eective at the B.A. eve. Aama Iqba Open University offers two programs eading to an MLS. There is need for broad change to improve Pakistan s ibrary resources. Externa changes in the environment are having an effect. The proiferation of eectronic pubishing, automation, and the Internet has had a profound infuence on ibraries and their work environment. Likewise, the poitica cimate and demographic changes a are affecting ibraries too often, adversey. Essentiay, everything in and around ibraries is changing, from coections, services, technoogy, access poicies, and so on. The chaenge is for Pakistan s ibrary eaders to capitaize upon these as opportunities to create positive change in the profession. Even in this era of change, stagnation and apathy are common in Pakistani ibraries of a categories. Why is this so? What needs to be done? From where coud eadership in this regard come? Library management needs a major restructuring based on current and future needs. What needs to be done for competency management? What must be done at ibrary schoos to meet internationa standards of ibrary and information science education? Effective managers depend upon sufficient and reiabe funding. Why has Pakistan not found aternate sources of funding? These are questions that no one person can answer. Instead, the foowing essay discusses the manageria probems encountered by ibraries in seected areas of interest and offers suggestions for their soution. These observations are based on the persona experiences and observations of the author for more than forty-two years, both as a practitioner and teacher of ibrary and information science inside and outside of Pakistan, and on a cose association with the Pakistan Library Association (PLA). The current iterature deaing with management issues was aso reviewed. The foowing are some specific areas where change needs to be managed. Human Resource Management Within the context of overa changes in Pakistani society, those affecting ibrary and information services have resuted in new demands on human resource management. The existing workforce does not possess the necessary competencies to shouder the future responsibiities. This is true in respect to a types of ibrary estabishments, and perhaps more in the case of ibrary schoos. One of the most pressing probems faced by ibraries has been the absence of competent manpower for top manageria positions. The university ibraries have suffered the most on this count. The seriousness of these probems can be gauged by the fact that, at present, two-thirds of pubic sector universities are without a fu-time professiona ibrarian. In most cases, the university ibraries, incuding the we-estabished universities, are headed by deputy ibrarians or by one of the assistant ibrarians. In newy estabished universities, both in the private and pubic sectors, the ibraries are administered by a fresh graduate under the overa guidance of a senior facuty member. Partiay, this situation can be attributed to the arge-scae immigration of the best of our professiona ibrarians to oi-rich countries of the Midde East and Africa during the mid-1970s for ucrative job opportunities. This immigration had a tremendous impact on ibrary deveopment and services, and as yet Pakistan has not been abe to fi this gap, notwithstanding the best efforts of HEC, PLA, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs). What coud be done to meet this chaenge? The arge ibraries, particuary the university ibraries, coud make use of technica and business managers for those top positions that have been vacant for years for want of competent manpower. The seected candidates coud be sent to ibrary schoos in the United Kingdom and the United States under a inkage program to receive customized short courses on academic ibrary administration. This step on the part of administrative authorities at the universities woud represent a revoutionary change in ibrary and information services. This suggestion is opposed in some professiona circes, but others agree that this is the need of the hour in the arger interest of the country in genera, and the ibrary profession in particuar. Library schoos aso suffered because of the immigration of the majority of highy quaified and senior teachers to OPEC countries, primariy to Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Kuwait. At the moment, a the ibrary schoos are suffering in the absence of teachers with research quaifications. This can be ascertained from the fact that there are ony four teachers with a Ph.D. degree in the country s eight ibrary schoos that offer programs eading to M.A., M.Phi., 21, no. 4 Fa

3 and Ph.D. degrees. At east five Pakistani Ph.D.s from eading ibrary schoos of the United States and the United Kingdom have eft the country and not returned in amost two decades. In recent years, the country s ibrary schoos have been criticized for not producing the quaity manpower to meet the changing needs of present-day ibraries. The specific charges eveed against them incude: ow entrance criteria; ow inteectua content curricua; ack of information technoogy reated courses; dominance of theoretica courses without practica appication; inadequate or i-prepared facuty; use of traditiona teaching methods; a dearth of teaching materia; and poor ibrary and aboratory faciities. 6 The annua 200 to 250 graduates of the country s ibrary schoos ack the necessary competency desired by empoying agencies. 7 The country s ibrary schoos need to emerge from their imited roe so as to bring revoutionary changes. The growing incorporation of a few information technoogy reated courses in the curricuum must improve to yied tangibe resuts. The ibrary schoos shoud give specia attention to the quaity of their facuty members, which is inferior in terms of quaifications and pubications, research work, and professiona commitments. More importanty, there is no cuture of research, which is needed to prope the profession into the future. Financia Management Pakistani ibraries have been faced with severe financia constraints. Since the ate 1970s, the intensity of the probem has been more seriousy fet, particuary in the absence of some formua for funding. In fact, government funding to ibraries is getting tighter because of the poor nationa economy. Ever-rising infation and growing materia costs have further imited ibraries purchasing power. Obviousy, growth and deveopment of ibraries suffered, which has manifested itsef in cuts to acquisition budgets and faiure to adopt newer technoogy. Pakistan ibraries need to adopt a two-way strategy. First, they need to find aternative sources of funding. Second, they need to manage the avaiabe funds foowing sound principes of financia management. Inadequate efforts have been made in both regards, due to poor training at the ibrary schoos. There is a drastic need for modernizing the content of ibrary management courses, preferaby taught in cooperation with business schoos, as the existing facuty members at the ibrary schoos ack expertise. Owing to the financia crises faced by ibraries, there is a need to expore new sources of funding and conserve the avaiabe resources with judicious spending. For exampe, additiona revenues coud be generated by introducing vaue-added services: fee-based onine searching, e-mai, computer print-out, and database access a offer commercia potentia. Other fee-based services that deserve mention are microreproductions, photocopying, transation service, interibrary ending, bibiography compiation, computer-assisted bibiographic searching, discarded book saes, ibrary pubication saes, and borrowing privieges for nonaffiiated persons. The free-versus-fee controversy is being debated. Both parties have strong points in their favor. Some ibraries are aready charging for such services as photocopying and interibrary oan, on the grounds that even ibraries in the United Kingdom and the United States charge for certain services. Coffman and Josephine estimated in 1991 that there were two hundred to three hundred ibraries in the United States and Canada charging some kind of fee-based information services. 8 Likewise, a survey of 170 university ibraries in the United Kingdom, conducted by Cinton in 1999, reveaed that out of 120 ibraries, 76 (70 percent) charge for interibrary oan service. 9 Proponents of fee-based services use these as exampes of precedence for that fisca mode. Managing Library Automation Approximatey fifteen years have eapsed since ibrary automation began in Pakistan, but the country is sti in its infancy in this sector. Ony a sma number of specia ibraries, mosty ocated in capita cities, have ventured into automation, and ony seected operations. The concept of a ibrary network and networking is sti a dream. Pakistan s eve of automation can not yet be compared with ibraries in many deveoping countries, et aone countries of Europe and North America. The question now arises, why the desired progress has not been made? There are, in fact, severa constraints, in particuar the absence of systematic panning for automation; constraints encountered in software and hardware seection; nonexistence of standards; financia imitations and uncertainties; and, most important, ack of wiing and competent human resources. 10 The ast probem deserves somewhat detaied discussion. In addition to the other deficiencies noted in ibrary education, the existing curricuum teaches traditiona ibrarianship skis of buiding, organizing, and managing a print coection. Information science and information technoogy content has been underrepresented in these courses. This has resuted in a scarcity of new ibrarians who can pan, design, program, and impement various technica projects. The vast majority of present-generation ibrarians ikewise ack adequate vision about computers and their potentia in 174 Library Administration & Management

4 ibrary and information work. Efforts made to redress the situation have had itte impact. Four successive curricua revisions under HEC s auspices faied to find support from ibrary schoos with regard to incorporation of information science courses into the curricuum. Why? Of the many reasons, three are of particuar importance: ack of training; ack of aboratories equipped with adequate information technoogy equipment; and non-existence of facuty with requisite quaification in information technoogy. The probems thus must be addressed at the infrastructure eve. Maximizing the use of newer technoogies by the ibraries of Pakistan is its greatest need. Such an undertaking wi require the combined efforts on the part of government agencies, the nationa and regiona ibrary associations, the Nationa Library of Pakistan (NLP), ibrary schoos, and funding agencies. In this regard, specia attention needs to be paid to: formuation of an information poicy; creation of popuar awareness with regard to technoogy in ibrary operations; training and deveopment of staff; organization of user education programs for students and teachers; and emphasis on comprehensive panning by individua ibraries to automate the ibrary operations. Coection Management Acquisitions offer the widest spectrum of probems because 90 percent of pubications required to support instruction and research must be imported. The country acks adequate infrastructure to support the deveopment of indigenous pubishing activities. Pakistan s iteracy rate in 1998 was 49 percent; it was estimated to have reached 55 percent in The book trade is poory deveoped, and the voume of pubishing is sma, ranging between 860 and 1,525 tites per year. 11 The country is argey dependent on book imports from the United States and the United Kingdom for advanced texts and science and technoogy journas. With the exception of textbooks up to grade tweve, a instructiona materias are acquired by ibraries from the United States and United Kingdom, and, to a esser degree, from India in recent years. The acquisitions environment is thus impeded by a weak nationa infrastructure. Notabe among the probems encountered by ibraries in this regard are: nonexistence of coection deveopment poicies; no set patterns for book seection; absence of book seection aids (incuding access to Web sites); absence of norms for fund aocation to ibraries; variations regarding methods foowed for book procurement; uncertain import poicy, import restrictions, and trade embargoes; fuctuating rate of Pakistani rupee; hurdes at customs cearance; and a dearth of competent acquisition staff. 12 It is widey beieved in professiona circes that most of these probems coud be minimized through formuation of a universa coection deveopment poicy by the arge ibraries, particuary the academic ones. Such a poicy coud be deveoped in universities with the support and advice of the ibrary committee and academic staff association. However, even with coordination, ibrarian practitioners must pay an active roe in this regard. In recent years, the avaiabiity of scientific iterature (particuary in eectronic formats) has further added to the chaenges by coection managers. New questions are being posed; for instance, What percentage of an acquisition budget needs to be appropriated for the materia in eectronic format versus print? Coection managers aso have had to dea with decreasing purchasing power due to shrinking budgets and rising infation. The probems become more intense in the absence of a resource-sharing cuture in the country. Another aspect of the probem is that the majority of users sti maintain a strong oyaty to print books. To maintain a baance between hybrid print and digita resources is indeed a constant probem for the acquisitions managers. The traditiona resources are graduay being repaced by newer technoogy and eectronic products, but the process is very sow in the absence of needed finances. Poicy-making institutions, aware of this need, supported the estabishment of a nationa digita ibrary of journas under HEC s auspices in Some university ibraries now are providing Internet access to graduate students, research students, and facuty members on subsidized rates. The Internet services need to be introduced on a wider scae, however, even if the users must be charged a modest fee. Resource Sharing Compounding these difficuties is the fact that resource sharing is amost nonexistent in Pakistan. In the 1980s, awareness to this effect found expression in the professiona writings and finay ed to the estabishment of a few cooperative projects in the cosing years of the decade. Among these were the Lahore Business and Economic Libraries Network (LABELNET), Pakistan Pariamentary Libraries Project (PPLP), and Management of Agricuture Research and Technoogy (MART) ibrary-strengthening project. But the end resut of a three projects has been a source of disappointment for a concerned. Typicay, in deveoping countries such as Pakistan, the nonprovision of funding is the most important obstace of a resource-sharing program. 21, no. 4 Fa

5 But in reaity, there had never been a critica financia probem in the case of these projects. The equay contributing factors that have prevented progress are: absence of proper panning; ack of competent human resources; imited appication of computer technoogy by ibraries; nonavaiabiity of standards for technica processing, cataoging, and cassification; nonexistence of bibiographic apparatus; and absence of eadership. 13 For the success of any future program of ibrary cooperation in the country, the author suggests an active roe for NLP and PLA. These are the ony organizations that can produce standards and cooperative toos, such as a union cataog and union ist of serias. 14 Managing Physica Faciities Amost a of the ibrary buidings constructed since independence suffer from functiona deficiencies that have been systematicay repeated. For exampe, the architectura emphasis on monumentaity has created ibraries with high ceiings and rotundas embeishing the reading has, but nonprovision of vertica expansion and an absence of judicious use of natura ight and fresh air. Inconveniences such as unsatisfactory avatory faciities, absence of ifts, and unusabe basements are other byproducts. Some of the major reasons underying these deficiencies are a tendency to ignore the ibrarian in the overa panning and designing of physica faciities; a ack of cooperation and coordination between the architect, ibrarian, and ibrary buiding committee; a faiure to anticipate the future growth of the ibrary; and buidings designed by architects with no experience of this kind of work. 15 At present, a of the major ibraries are in need of new buidings or extensions. Each proposa in this regard shoud be vetted by a specia committee to be set up by HEC. The proposed committee woud be comprised of an architect, preferaby with experience in this kind of work, and the country s senior ibrarians. Aso, there is a need to deveop standards and principes for designing ibrary buidings, fittings, and furniture. Concusion The ibraries and information centers in Pakistan need to resove deficiencies in order to anticipate, identify, and meet current information needs described in this survey. But this is not going to be easy. The present information managers have specia responsibiity in this regard. They need to take eadership and change their thinking to estabish a new focus on creating and using inteectua assets. But a number of questions coud be raised. Are they wiing for a meaningfu change in traditiona manageria practices? Are they even capabe of doing so? I guess NO. But why? In fact, they ack the necessary combination of skis that aows them to acquire, manage, share, and use information and knowedge. Library schoos have faen far short of what is needed to provide necessary eadership. The absence of highy quaified, research-oriented facuty deserves specia mention. It is a shame that there are ony four Ph.D. teachers in the country s eight ibrary schoos. Whereas it is now mandatory to have a Ph.D. for the post of an associate professor or to be appointed as a chairperson of a teaching department (pus eight research papers in journas of internationa repute), at the moment ony two LIS departments are headed by a professor or associate professor of ibrary science, whie six others are supervised by another dean. Under such circumstances, what one can expect of the future of LIS education in this country? Honesty speaking, the existing facuty members are not in a position, either academicay and professionay, to hande the future chaenges. There is an urgent need for some drastic remedia measures on HEC s part of to save this discipine from tota devastation. This author woud suggest a two-point strategy to face this probem. First, at east two facuty members for each LIS department need to be sent to the United Kingdom or the United States for higher education in information management and reated fieds eading to a Ph.D. degree. New graduates with strong backgrounds in information technoogy shoud be preferred in the seection of prospective candidates. Secondy, the existing facuty members shoud be given a timeframe within which to compete their Ph.D. in Pakistan. They shoud be provided a the faciities in this regard that woud enabe them to succeed. Faiing that, they shoud be terminated. What coud be done immediatey to redress the present situation? What shoud be the objectives of ong-range panning? In fact, there is a need for an organizationa change on the part of arge and medium-sized ibraries. But the execution of a meaningfu organizationa change needs to pass through a process of unfreezing, change, and refreezing. The unfreezing, which invoves panning for change and setting goas, coud be most uncomfortabe for the majority of empoyees. So a tough attitude on the part of management is essentia, and a efforts shoud be directed to identifying those who can get the job done. Foowing the process of unfreezing comes the change phase, which cas for a positive approach. Here, the ibraries need to impement the new procedures, pans, technoogies, and services. But does Pakistan have ibrary eaders who are up to the task? In the absence of competent persons, the services of business and technica managers from other sectors are recommended, but a such appointments shoud be on a tenure basis. 176 Library Administration & Management

6 Pakistani ibraries are in a crisis. These ideas may not be iked by some ibrarians, but this is a must for the surviva of the ibrary profession in the country. References and Notes 1. This information is derived from numerous sources, incuding the various editions of Pakistan Year Book and Economic Survey of Pakistan (accessed May 31, 2006). 2. Asa Don Dickinson, Memoirs (unpubished). 3. Asa Don Dickinson, Punjab Library Primer (Lahore: Univ. of the Punjab, 1916). 4. A box ibrary is a sma coection of books in the oca anguage reating to oca needs that are distributed to the viages; Anis Khurshid, Library Resources in Pakistan: Probems and Achievements, Third Word Libraries 1, no? (1990): For a detaied picture of university ibraries and their future prospects, see D. J. Foskett, Fina Report on Visit to Pakistan, Juy 1980 and Workshop on University Librarians (unpubished, Sept. 1980); Syed Jaauddin Haider, Coping with Change: Issues Facing University Libraries in Pakistan, Journa of Academic Librarianship 30, no. 3 (May 2004): ; Pakistan Ministry of Education, Nationa Education, Education Poicy, (Isamabad: The Ministry, 1998): Syed Jaauddin Haider, Educating Future Librarians: A Library Educator s Perspective, Education for Information 16, no. 1 (1998): Khaid Mahmood, Competencies Needed for Future Academic Librarians in Pakistan, Education for Information 20, no. 1 (2002): S. Coffman and H. Josephine, Doing It for Money, Library Journa 116, no. 17 (1991): 32 6; quoted in Khaid Mahmood, Aternate Funding Mode for Libraries in Pakistan (Ph.D. dissertation, University of the Punjab, 2004): P. Cinton, The Economics of Libraries, in Encycopedia of Library and Information Science, vo. 37, (New York: Marce Dekker, 1984). 10. Syed Jaauddin Haider, Not Financia Issues Aone: Moving toward Better Resources Sharing in Pakistan, The Bottom Line 16, no. 2 (2003): Akhter Hanif, Trends of Book Production in Pakistan: Probems and Prospects, Pakistan Library Buetin 20, no. 2/3 (1989): Syed Jaauddin Haider, Acquisition and Coection Deveopment in Pakistan, Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory 20, no. 2 (1996): Ibid. 14. Haider, Coping with Change. 15. Ibid. 21, no. 4 Fa