The rehabilitation of library and information services and professional education in the post-Soviet republics: reflections from a development project.

Johnson, Ian M.

Abstract

This paper evolved from a project supported by the European Commission TEMPUS programme that provided technical assistance for developments in Armenia, Georgia and Uzbekistan. The project (NMPLIS) sought to underpin the modernization of library and information services by assisting the development of new Master's Degree programmes in Librarianship and Information Studies. The paper addresses a wide range of issues that were encountered during the project, including the dissemination of research information as well as the state of publishing, bookselling, libraries, and information services in those countries. It draws attention to the relatively poor international and bilateral support for library development compared with that formerly received by the developing countries, despite their economic similarities. It notes that the activities of international governmental and non-governmental agencies to offset the catastrophic effects of the disintegration of the centralized Soviet system have lacked coordination, and emphasizes the need for national governments to be encouraged to take a comprehensive, strategic approach to ensure more sustainable development of their library and information services, suggesting that this approach could be appropriate for the other post-Soviet Republics.

Citation

JOHNSON, I.M. 2014. The rehabilitation of library and information services and professional education in the post-Soviet republics: reflections from a development project. Information development [online], 30(2), pages 130-147. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666913479389

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 9, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Apr 9, 2013
• Publication Date: May 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: May 20, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: May 20, 2014
• Journal: Information development
• Print ISSN: 0266-6669
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-6469
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 130-147
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666913479389
• Keywords: Development; Libraries; Information services; Publishing; Soviet Union; Post Soviet; Commonwealth of Independent States
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/973
• Contract Date: May 20, 2014