[Sigiii-l] Plaza (x3)

[Nadia Caidi]

A few more position statements courtesy of three students:

POSITION STATEMENT #1:

I find globalization’s move toward the privatization of 
information access worrisome.  “An institution that allows the 
individual to access information at no cost [is] viewed as a 
threat to
profits
The library’s role in keeping information 
in the public sphere is
marginalized” (Koltusky, 2001, 
http://slis.ualberta.ca/cap01/laura/ithome.htm.)  
Globalization ensures that masses of information are 
available internationally.  Screening this mass for quality, 
appropriateness, and applicability to user needs is daunting; 
librarianship’s field is forever expanding and changing.  What 
makes the field stimulating also makes for huge challenge.  
Thorough standards for information sources and better 
funding for resources are thus important.  We must battle 
marginalization, and publicize the importance of non-profit 
access.
  Information is a knowledge-enabler, but globalization 
is making it a purchasable good.  This playground of the rich 
makes for an unacceptable “computer-generated caste system” 
(Koltusky, 2001, 
http://www.slis.ualberta.ca/cap01/laura/ithome.htm).  To hold 
this in check, librarianship’s value-free stance must go.  
Technology is not a neutral medium. Libraries must work hard 
to protect free access to high-quality information.  
Through e-mail and Internet access, physical distances 
are closing, but these communication infrastructures translate 
into more mediums through which we can be bombarded as 
consumers.  Internet advertising is a good example of this.  If 
reliable funding were available, such pervasive tactics could 
be used less.   
Widespread information access does not only affect the 
professional arena.  The ideology and technology of 
globalization also means that our personal information, such 
as banking transactions, purchasing records, even our 
addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail messages, can be 
obtained by those who have the power and intent to abuse the 
technological medium.  For the sake of personal freedom, 
privacy must be addressed. 
There are many risks involved with globalization, and 
it is only economic advantage that allows me to experience the 
advantages of a diverse array of information that I benefit 
from as an informed citizen.  

References
*   Kotulsky, 2001.  Information Technology and 
    Globalization.  Retrieved September 25, 2002 from: 
    http://www.slis.ualberta.ca/cap01/laura/ithome.htm.  


POSITION STATEMENT #2:

The globalization of information society becomes 
possible with the electronic superhighway, which builds a 
worldwide network that breaks down the boundaries between 
the countries and removes the cultural barriers between people 
from different cultures. This has dramatically affected not only 
the information professionals’ life in the information science, 
but the people’s personal life all over the world. 
Primarily, information professionals have to 
continuously learn more computer skills to catch up with the 
rapid changes in the digital world in order to provide effective 
services. For example, the UT Cat has been converted from 
DRA into Sirsi, so all librarians, staff, and members in the 
community have to learn the new system in order to do better 
service to the community. As future information professionals, 
in my opinion, we have to cope with these changes by 
updating our own technological skills. Meanwhile we should 
be aware of the multicultural issues in the multicultural 
environment like libraries of U of T, where the multi-media, 
multi-lingual and multi-cultural phenomenon plays a major 
role. It is recommended that information professionals master 
other languages rather than English. In recent years, user-
centered studies have been raised some hot issues. Truly, it is 
hard for information professionals to understand their users 
from other cultures or countries without knowing their 
languages in order to communicate with them effectively 
when language barriers occur. Therefore, the information 
society or institutions rather offer some foreign languages or 
culture courses besides the information technology curriculum 
either for professional training or continue education.
It is obvious that the global digital environment 
provides easy tools to make global communication easier. 
However, at the same time, it raises problems, such as cultural 
and language barriers in the communication or sharing the 
human resources from one culture or country to another. This 
also impacts on personal life. For instance, if the information 
professionals, as mentioned above, are required to learn 
foreign language to serve in the multicultural community, this 
would be a great burden to them. And it makes their career 
even harder than before. It might be a solution for some 
libraries in the multi-cultural community to set up multi-
cultural service, such as multi-cultural consultant desk to meet 
the special needs of the ethnic groups. This might be one of 
the best ways to reduce the burdens of the individual’s. 
In such a situation, constant training has become a 
crucial issue that provides opportunities for people to learn 
new technological skills and different cultures. It is my 
understanding that the information community should take the 
responsibility as an educator, and individuals have to take the 
advantage of the training to make themselves be able to cope 
with the changes, thus work will be easier for those 
information science professionals. Training is really  “one 
stone” that could catch “two birds”. 


POSITION STATEMENT #3:

I have always been fascinated by how globalization is 
affecting not just the act of communicating but also the nature 
of communicating. Take, for instance, the ever-increasing 
amount of information exchange around the world, across 
both national and geographical boundaries. I think that, in our 
rush to adopt new and farther-reaching technologies, 
sometimes we forget that these technologies are just the tools, 
and that the goal is to communicate with the people behind the 
technology. 
A simplistic observation, perhaps, but social context 
and convention do influence how content is received and 
interpreted, even (or maybe especially) in professional 
settings. From the lack of nuance in a formal e-mail, to the 
pressures of a real-time overseas video conference, to the 
awkwardness of an operator-assisted relay call for the hearing 
impaired, we encounter opportunities for culturally based 
miscommunication every day. And while it is impossible and 
unproductive to anticipate and accommodate some sort of 
etiquette for every such eventuality, each encounter of this sort 
does tend to underscore the difficulty of communicating 
effectively across cultural lines.
	I’ve noticed this phenomenon not only in the examples 
above, but also on a personal level, as similar advances change 
how I communicate with friends and family. For instance, I 
am (now) more likely to “chat” online and exchange 
digitalized images than I am to make a costly long-distance 
telephone call or to mail an expensive and fragile package of 
photos, but the experience is no less ‘personal’. I have even 
noticed that a friend in Adelaide, Australia will respond 
differently to the use of “smilies” than another friend from 
Osaka, Japan, because each has a different idea of civil 
discourse based on life experience and acculturation.  Out of 
courtesy, I ‘interpret’ such messages (both literal and implied) 
according to what I know about each correspondent, and 
respond in kind.
	It can be difficult, but I believe we need to balance the 
effects of globalization on both professional and personal 
levels, by exploring the possibilities of expanding 
communications without sacrificing or devaluing interpersonal 
relations. In my opinion, information professionals need to be 
aware of more than just the new and exciting technologies on 
the market; we need to understand and respect the differences 
that can keep people apart as well as the commonalities that 
bring people together. 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nadia Caidi
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Information Studies
University of Toronto
140 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G6
Canada
Tel: (416) 978 4664
Fax: (416) 971 1399
Email: caidi at fis.utoronto.ca