Introduction

Now more than ever, the way we find, access, and contribute to information is globally interconnected. On an individual level, most people use the internet daily, for everything from entertainment to work activities and everything in between. This phenomenon extends beyond individuals; businesses, universities, and organizations of all types operate across borders, connecting with international partners, suppliers and clients. As information professionals, it’s imperative to understand and navigate this global information landscape to its full potential, while considering the ramifications for those without equitable access to technology and information resources.

Global Information Landscape

The ramifications from the rise of the Internet is comparable to that of Gutenberg’s Press; these shifts in media production irrevocably changed the knowledge landscape by connecting individuals through access to new information and communities (Shirky, 2010). This connection process has only ramped up since the start of the World Wide Web back in the late 1980’s and after the economic crash of the COVID-19 Pandemic there’s no denying how globally interconnected our lives are (Connaway, 2025). The speed of these changes requires LIS professionals to think critically about how global information systems are structured and their impact on access and equity.

In an interconnected world, national boundaries no longer serve as dividing lines for information exchange. Individual and collective actions and decisions affect may others in a global way; political shifts, economic disruptions, protests, and misinformation can all have far-reaching consequences on information systems(Connaway, 2025). This interconnection presents challenges and opportunities.

Connection & Collaboration

In this connected environment our idea of community has expanded. Traditionally defined by geographic proximity, communities now include online spaces such as apps, websites, and forms where information is shared and connections are formed. For LIS organizations this expands their reach by allowing these global connections with partners who share similar missions. Additionally, the technological landscape also changes some connection points within their local communities.

A key area where global collaboration is evident for LIS organizations is in the promotion and adoption of open access and data sharing. Open access initiatives aim to democratize access to academic research and other informational resources by eliminating paywalls and allowing broader audiences to benefit from publicly funded work. Individual organizations can provide services related to research publication and storage such as institutional repositories. Additionally, librarians can support these initiatives through advocating on behalf of open access journals to both their organizations and the researchers they serve.

Another example of global collaboration is the widespread adoption of metadata standards like MARC, Dublin Core, and EAD, which in turn facilitates the discovery of information and materials. General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G)) and International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) are examples of metadata standards used and created by the international community. By employing international standards, professionals ensure information interoperability. Similarly, international organizations like IFLA, ICA, and ISO work to promote global best practices in LIS and information management.

Diverse Perspectives

Knowledge systems are not neutral; according to Ameeen et al. (2020), global knowledge systems are often shaped by Western ideals, which uphold inherent power structures. This power and representational imbalance marginalizes non-Western perspectives and ways of understanding. This imbalance is particularly evident in information organization, preservation, and access. For example, the long standing call to drop the Dewy Decimal system as it’s cultural bias does not represent the diversity of global knowledge.

LIS organizations must strive to be more inclusive by considering the perspectives of other cultures, in doing so they can better serve a wider selection of their patrons. One way to do this is through building cultural intelligence which allows professionals to work effectively in culturally diverse situations. As Villagran (2022) points out, cultural intelligence is particularly important for academic libraries that engage with a wide variety of student demographics and subjects that span global knowledge; particularly in public-facing roles, librarians can use these skills to better serve students from various cultural backgrounds by acknowledging their unique experiences. Furthermore, institutions can help build cultural intelligence through “experiences, trainings, and personal development.” (Villagran, 2022; p. 220)

Evidence

INFO 285: Literature Review Research Methods – Research Manuscript

The first piece of evidence that shows my engagement with the global community is the manuscript “International Perspectives and Challenges of Research Data Management Services in Academic Libraries” (compL&O_researchManuscript.pdf); this literature review was originally written for INFO 285, then revised for publication in the Student Research Journal (SRJ). Early in the process my research partner and I choose to look at only publications from international sources (i.e. not from the U.S.). In our initial searches we found a significant amount of information from the U.S. perspective and thought that by adding these sources to our literature review our finding would be, thus significantly biased towards this perspective.

The final manuscript has multiple revisions by both parties to insure cohesion of analysis and a unified voice, making it difficult to see our distinct contributions. For my part, during the initial search I worked on completing searches in Academic Search Complete, Gale OneFile Information Science, and Science Direct. Once we found our 30 sources we both read all 30 to come up with our codification system. We then split the list into two so that each of us had 15 articles to analyze, then switched to check that we agreed with each other’s categorizations. The initial sections for writing were split as well; I wrote the first draft for the sections: Introduction (p. 1), Research Strategy (pp. 3-5),  Human Interaction (and its subcategories)(pp. 8-11), Technology (and its subcategories)(pp. 11-13), and Conclusion(pp. 17-18). 

This manuscript seeks to emphasize a global perspective while recognizing the how dominate U.S. voices have been in the academic sphere. By only using research from the boarder global community and in particular up lifting often underutilized voices we sought to listen and reflect the findings of the international community.

INFO 220: Visual Resources Curation & Arts Librarianship: Digital Image Collection Evaluation

The next piece of evidence that showcases my understanding of Competency O is a report for INFO 220, Visual Resources Curation and Arts Librarianship, reviewing the collection of Japanese Animated Film Classics from the National Film Center (NFC) in Tokyo, Japan (compN&O_digiEval.pdf). This assignment asked students to evaluate and reflect on an online image collection by using usability guidelines for an online image database created by Chang, Bliss, & Altemu.

By selecting a Japanese collection I was able to look at how an institution in another country handles public facing digital collections and UI. While direct comparison wasn’t made with a U.S. or Western based institution, the guidelines were created by with a Western perspective. This ended up showing some basis’s that don’t reflect a global mindset. For example the guidelines expect the CMS to sort the collection in an alphabetical way, but the primary language of material titles is traditional Japanese (such as Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji) where by alphabetical sorting makes no sense. In juxtaposition the sight and collection created by the NFC is fully translated into English via a button, which is well above and beyond what most U.S. collections would provide. Additionally, I was able to explore a little bit of Japanese copyright law as the collection is protected under it. Again, the NFC goes well above and beyond by providing fully translated explanation on their site policy page.

All in all, this project allowed me to look at how digital collections, UI, searchablity, and copyright might be handled differently for collections outside of the U.S.

ASIS&T Involvement: Annual Meeting Calgary Fall 2024 & SIG III – International Research Collaboration Event

The last piece of evidence that shows my involvement with the global community is my involvement in the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) professional organization; in particular participation in two events the Annual Meeting that was held in October 2024 in Calgary, Canada and an online International Research Collaboration held by the Special Interest Group – International Information Issues (SIG-III) (compO_SIGIII-Event.pdf & ASIS&T_annualMeeting.mp4). At the Annual Meeting, I went to as many lectures as I could; the topics ranged from … In particular the student reception and coffee breaks provided opportunities to meet new people, many of which live in other countries. Of course there were a significant number of Canadians there, as the meeting was held in Canada, but I talked with individuals from New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, South Africa, the UK, India, and Germany that I know of.

From the ASIS&T (2024) membership page:

The other event I’ll touch on briefly was the International Research Collaboration Event. This was a discussion / social event put on by SIG – III were we all introduced ourselves and talked about our research interests and current research. At the time, I didn’t have anything significant I was working on as I still hadn’t found my confidence with research, but it was great getting to meet a host of new individuals all very active in different areas of information science research. It was interesting to hear about the different projects and hear about strategies that people employ when working with other researchers in different countries and time zones.

Conclusion

New information professionals, have a responsibility to understand and further the efforts of global knowledge equity by adopting global standards such as FAIR and Open Access knowledge and data; consider issues within a global context; and cultivating cultural intelligence. In order to further my understanding in these areas it’s imperative that engage with international standards and research which may be accessed through organizations such as IFLA, ICA, ASIS&T and ISO. I understand that my role as an LIS professional starts with my local community but ultimately extends beyond it.

References

Ameen, K., Chu, C.M., Lilley, S., Ndumu, A., & Raju J. (2020). Multiple ways of knowing: Global perspectives on academic libraries re-imagining systems of knowledge. College & Research Libraries News, 81(9), 426-433. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.81.9.426

Association of Information Science and Technology (2024, July). Why join? https://www.asist.org/membership/why-join/

Connaway, L. S. (2025). We are not alone: Libraries making a stronger impact in a global community. In S. Hirsh (ed.), Library 2035: Imagining the next generation of libraries (1st ed., pp. 63-68). Rowman & Littlefield.

Shirky, C. (2010). Cognitive surplus: Creativity and generosity in a connected age. The Penguin
Press.

Villagran, M. A. L. (2022). Cultural intelligence in academic libraries. In C. Lee, B. Lym, & T. Bryant (Eds.) Implementing excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusions: A handbook for academic libraries (pp. 205-227). Association of College & Research Libraries.