International Librarianship- a reconnaissance

to date. Associate of the Library Association. The study of international librarianship has been neglected. A definition of the term is offered, and the main functional areas of international librarianship identified, together with characteristics of activity in the field, as a first step towards their possible application in a model of international librarianship. The comparative method is seen as an essential tool of international librarianship. Significant developments taking place in international organizations and programmes, including Unesco, UNISIST, IFLA and UBC, are considered, and an attempt is made to indicate some implications for the future of inter-national librarianship of possible changes in world socicty. INTRODUCTORY The definition and development of comparative librarianship has attracted a good deal of attention in the professional literature in recent months, but the wider field of international librarianship seems to be largely taken for granted, and appears to be thought undeserving of similarly intensive examination, despite the continuing growth in volume and extent of international professional activity