Comparative Literacy: The Approach to Library Research from an International Perspective

The exchange program with the LCAS in Beijing is but one of three initiatives taken by Seton Hall librarians to share information about perceptions and practices involving information literacy abroad. The other two involve: 1. a collaboration with the Bochum University Library at the University of Bochum Germany, in which we explored pedagogies employed during information literacy instruction sessions, and 2. an exploration of the behavioral differences between American and Danish students while doing academic research, based on use of the SWIM (Streaming Webbased Information Modules) tutorial. The purpose of this essay is to report on our collaborations with librarians in other parts of the world. It is hoped that the knowledge learned and shared during our international partnerships in a variety of venues can contribute to an understanding of how information literacy training and learning vary, based on cultural differences between Western and Eastern (or European and American) academic institutions