College and Research Libraries Foreign Students, Libraries, and Culture ·1 Mary Alice Ball and Molly Mahony The number of foreign students in the library is increasing, and, with it, librarians' commit- ment to improve service to this portion of the academic community. This paper discusses two approaches to place the foreign student and the academic library in a cultural context: biblio- graphic instruction and staff development. ow often do you cringe when a foreign student approaches the reference desk, anticipating at best an awkward, at worst a failed attempt at communication? If your college or university is typical, the number of foreign students enrolled has increased steadily in the past decade. As the cost of a college education in the United States has risen beyond the means of many Ameri- can families, students who, a decade ago, would have attended four-year colleges are opting for community colleges, techni- cal schools, or the armed forces. Academic administrators are compensating for this decline by recruiting new students from overseas. There are a number of reasons foreign students are attractive candidates for admission: often they pay full tuition; they tend to be among the brightest their countries have to offer; and their later suc- cess in their home countries enhances the image of the university. Universities have had programs and in- ternational centers for foreign students for many years, and libraries may even have offered special classes for them, but only recently has competition for these stu- dents increased among institutions. 2 Li- braries have been considered by many to be the center of the university. If this is the case, they have a responsibility to help the university recruit new students by assess- ing services currently offered to foreign students, redesigning them or creating new ones. Even if it is not the case, librari- ans should take advantage of an excellent opportunity to expand services to an often neglected segment of the university com- munity. Much has been written about biblio- · graphic instruction for foreign students. Some have written of specific teaching strategies, and others have concentrated on cultural or communication problems. 3 Terry Ann Mood has suggested staff de- velopment programs as a way to increase sensitivity to the problems encountered by foreign students, and thus, to improve service to them. 4 This article describes ef- forts on the part of the undergraduate li- brary at the University of Michigan to re- spond to these ideas in concrete ways. Classes designed for foreign students have been taught for the past three years, and the first staff development workshop Mary Alice Ball and Molly Mahony were both Research Library Residents at the University of Michigan Un- dergraduate Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 . Ms. Ball is now at NOTIS, Northwestern University Li- brary, Evanston Illinois 60201 . Molly Mahony is at the Library, Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire 03431. 160 ,. Foreign Students, Libraries, and Culture 161 was held in summer 1985. Certainly not all academic institutions have the resources of the University of Michigan, but this should not keep them from experimenting with some or all of our programs and adapting them to suit local conditions. LIBRARIES REFLECT CULTURE Sally G. Wayman stresses the impor- tance of recognizing the differences be- tween overseas libraries and those in the United States and how different expecta- tions can affect a student's use of the li- brary. 5 A glance at the International Hand- book of Contemporary Developments in Librarianship shows exactly how resources can vary from one country to another. 6 In Saudi Arabia, university libraries have two identical facilities with duplicate col- ' lections, one for men and the other for women. 7 Books in most Third World countries are valuable resources and their use is discouraged so they will not be dam- - aged. Most foreign libraries have closed stacks, and material is paged by clerks. In all too many countries the librarian is not considered a professional and when a li- brary administrator is designated he is al- most without exception a male professor. Public service is a uniquely Western con- cept with which most foreign students are unfamiliar. Most students come to the United States fully understanding that they must adapt to our institutions, and they are eager to do so. Western universities are distin- guished by their emphasis on indepen- dent research; students who do not ac- quire this skill can never fully profit from an education in the United States. It is our responsibility then to define the library setting for these students, to let them know what services are available, and to teach them how to use the basic research tools. BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CLIENTELE Identifying students for these special- ized bibliographic instruction classes may or may not be difficult, depending on the institution. Often foreign students con- gregate at an international center, English-language school, or the office of the foreign student advisor. The campus newspaper and bulletin boards can be used to advertise the program. Professors themselves may contact the library about orientation sessions for their students. In the fall of 1985, the University of Michigan Undergraduate Library was invited by the International Center to participate in ori- entation sessions for visiting scholars from the People's Republic of China. In the United States only for limited periods, these professors are an often ignored part of the foreign community on campus. It may be difficult for foreign students to overcome linguistic and social insecurities and approach a stranger at the reference desk. The bibliographic instruction ses- sion provides the librarian with an oppor- tunity to become a friendly face in this land of unfamiliar ones. If we show for- eign students that we do not expect per- fect English from them and that we value the considerable effort they are making by studying in the United States, they will re- spond by opening up and trusting us to help them. Sometimes the results may be more than we expected, as students re- turn at a later date to request help organiz- ing or researching a term paper. In our ex- perience, students who heard of us through friends have arrived with a re- quest to edit a dissertation proposal or demonstrate the use of a microcomputer. Once a librarian is recognized as a person who is able and willing to help, foreign students will not hesitate to ask for assis- tance. A positive or negative experience · with one librarian may influence a stu- dent's perception of an entire staff. How does a librarian begin to build this relationship? Often by doing little more than beginning a class by asking students' names and home countries, writing down and memorizing those names, and using them during and after class, the first steps are taken. Foreign students will want to ad- dress you appropriately, but may be con- fused by American informality. To avoid any misunderstanding let them know what you want to be called. You may also want to tell them how you became interested in working with foreign students. When developing goals and objectives 162 College & Research Libraries for the bibliographic instruction class, the librarian should consider what is impor- tant besides teaching cultural knowledge or practical research skills. One objective of most public service librarians is to build a positive relationship with the students. This may be difficult to do in a fifty- or sixty-minute class period, but is necessary if we expect them to come back in the fu- ture for help. Usually class size should be kept to ten to fifteen students so the librar- ian can respond to individual needs. By being flexible when teaching and allowing enough time for the lesson, most objec- tives can be achieved. Teaching aids are especially important when dealing with foreign students be- cause they will not be able to absorb a spo- ken lesson as well as native speakers of English. They will probably read English much better than they speak it or compre- hend it aurally, so using the blackboard or handouts to emphasize important points is recommended. Handouts that duplicate the lesson shown on overhead transpar- encies can be used by students to take notes and can be reviewed by them later, reinforcing the classroom lecture. Often we fall into the trap of assuming a basic level of knowledge. We should be particularly wary of assuming a basic level of knowledge. Average college students are confused by words like citation and bib- liographic. How much more baffling for a foreign student! It is useful to develop a glossary of library terminology the stu- dents can refer to during class. Foreign students also need to be in- formed of the services available in the li- brary and exactly what they comprise. Services such as reserves, interlibrary loan, database searching, and term paper consultation should be explained briefly. They may not exist in the students' home countries and without prior experience it will be easy for them to overlook these in- tegral parts of American college libraries. TEACHING RESEARCH METHODS In many overseas universities, re- sources are so limited that it is almost im- possible to do independent research, be- March 1987 cause the necessary books and journals are not available. The teacher, not the li- .~ brary, is the repository of knowledge, and critical analysis is a function of the teacher, not the student. It is the student's respon- sibility to listen to and absorb the lecture without questioning its validity. Coming from such a highly structured environment, students may not know where or how to begin a research project. A general discussion of the relative merits of books and journals will help students learn to assess the types of material most appropriate for their work. Foreign stu- dents may find encyclopedia or other ref- erence sources especially valuable be- cause they present important vocabulary and information with clarity and concise- ness. The core of any bibliographic instruction class for foreign students should be an ex- planation of the card catalog and periodi- cal indexes, with subsequent practice in how to use them. It is necessary to explain ... the classification system in concrete terms, perhaps even supplying call num- bers for the students to arrange. The link between the call number and the physical item must be made clear. Detailed transparencies of catalog cards with their components clearly indicated are another essential tool easily forgotten by librarians. With so much written on a card, students need help interpreting im- portant information. Students are often unaware of the vari- ety of periodical indexes available. This is particularly true of foreign students, so it is important to show and not just tell them about some of the available indexes. Just as it is useful to discuss the differences be- tween books and journals, it is also valu- able to distinguish between scholarly jour- nals and popular magazines. Foreign students may have difficulty understand- ing what a citation is and how to interpret it. Assigning a class exercise using a peri- odical index will help to identify students in need of further help. The librarian must explain the scope of an index and then show students how to find out which peri- odicals are available in their library and where they are located, otherwise, stu- Foreign Students, Libraries, and Culture 163 dents may assume the library holds all ti- tles indexed. It is unrealistic to expect any student to retain all of what is covered in a class, es- pecially students dealing with a foreign language. Ultimately, we want students to know where the card catalog and in- dexes are located so they can come back and work on their own. We want them to know where they can find help when they need it. Every class is followed by a short tour of the library so the students can make the connection between what they learned in class and the actual library. When time permits, the tour includes looking up a journal title in the periodical file and going to the stacks to locate it. The teachers who have requested biblio- graphic instruction for foreign students often coordinate the class with a term pa- per assignment. This has proved to be a useful extension of the class, since after- wards, the team of teacher and librarian can continue to assist students as they be- gin their research, pointing out indexes or other sources that will help them. Teaching foreign students is a time- consuming job and one that requires a special sensitivity on the part of the librar- ian. Bibliographic instruction works well for those students whose teachers bring them to the library, but what about those international students who walk into the library on their own? Where, and how, do they begin? Are library personnel aware of the problems that foreign students must overcome? INCREASING STAFF SENSITIVITY There are many library staff who have neither the opportunity, the inclination, nor the position to teach foreign students; yet these same people may encounter more international students than the typi- cal reference/instruction librarian. Terry Ann Mood discusses the importance of staff development, and suggests "provid- ing reading lists of the foreign student ex- perience in United States libraries to full time staff; a lecture series by foreign stu- dents at staff meetings; encouraging staff attendance at foreign student meetings; and offerin~ the library as a site for their meetings.'' At the University of Michigan Libraries we chose to provide a more for- mal staff development program, due to the impact of a very large foreign student population. DESIGNING A STAFF DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP A needs assessment was conducted to determine if other public service supervi- sors in the system felt that such a work- shop was necessary, and if so, which members in their units would be inter- ested in attending. An overwhelmingly positive response was received, and a four-hour workshop was planned. The goals were for the participants to ''learn to differentiate between cultural and indi- vidual behavior patterns; heighten their sensitivity to problems facing foreign stu- dents; and learn to communicate more ef- fectivel1 with the foreign student popula- tion." The workshop was limited to twenty-five participants to facilitate dis- cussion and small-group exercises. Partic- ipants were primarily from public service units (e.g., engineering library, graduate library circulation, and reference), and rank ranged from clerical to professional. A videotape prepared by the University of Arizona Libraries was used to help sen- sitize workshop participants immediately to the importance of understanding the experiences of foreign students. 10 The vi- deotape is composed of three different segments: interlibrary loan procedures, bibliographic instruction techniques, and cross-cultural communications at the ref- erence desk. After watching the interli- brary loan segment, which is primarily in Spanish, participants took a written quiz (also provided by the University of Ar- izona Libraries) on the correct procedures for interlibrary loan. This method suc- ceeded in demonstrating to staff the plight of foreign students using American li- braries and the difficulty of following in- structions in another language. For exam- ple, even those with a working knowledge of Spanish were unable to understand completely the directions given on how to complete forms. A general discussion of 164 College & Research Libraries the varied communication problems of in- ternational students was followed by an exercise in stereotyping. STEREOTYPES AND CULTURAL TRAITS Stereotypes can be a dangerous concept on which to build an exercise, but this part of the workshop turned out to be a useful lesson in cultural awareness. Stereotype has been defined by J. W. Vander Zan den as ''a category that singles out an individ- ual as sharing assumed characteristics on the basis of this group membership. " 11 Walter Lippman believes that people react to the stereotype of the object and not to the object itsel£. 12 One objective of the workshop was for participants to realize that although everyone is a member of some culture, he or she is also an individ- ual with a unique personality and prob- lems. Some patrons may be difficult as in- dividuals for which their cultural group is not to blame. The University of Michigan has more than 2,000 foreign students. The largest cultural groups are from East Asia, India, the Middle East, and Sm.lthern Europe. 13 The class was divided into small groups to represent each of the above cultures. In addition, a group representing the United States was included. Using a modified version of a question- naire designed by Dixon C. Johnson, a list of cultural and linguistic attributes was created prior to the workshop. 14 Copies of the list were distributed, and the groups stereotyped their cultures. Many of the participants were initially uncomfortable in being asked to stereotype, but once negative feelings were confronted, the group was able to deal with them in an open manner. The results were tabulated on the board, and a final column was added, labeled ''effective techniques for communicating." Many of the partici- pants had lived in foreign countries, were born overseas, or were related to for- eigners, and so discussion was lively. For example, the East Asian group selected the adjectives quiet, strong accent, re- strained, stiff, formal, passive, and respectful as stereotypical attributes. Polite, kind, for- mal, serious, studious, friendly, courteous, March 1987 and shows appreciation were used to de- scribe them culturally. Communication strategies suggested for dealing with East Asian students were to speak slowly, avoid idioms, and use written handouts. Also, staff were encouraged to phrase questions in the least confusing manner, avoiding sentences like "You didn't use the card catalog, did you?'' Some students will respond to this positively, but actually mean, "Yes, I didn't." Different cultures have different con- cepts of personal space. North Americans feel comfortable with a conversational dis- tance of about five feet; Arabs, two feet. 15 As a result, it is common for North Ameri- can women to feel that Arabs are more in- terested in them as women than as profes- sionals. This is not the case. Arabs communicate nonverbally through touch and eye contact much more than western- ers. This can be disconcerting when ali- brarian is helping someone from the Mid- dle East. Keep in mind that they are not leering and do not shy away from estab- lishing eye contact while you respond to the reference query as usual. 16 A librarian may want to treat an extreme situation as an opportunity to educate, calmly explain- ing that most Americans are uncomfort- able by extended eye contact or touching. The stereotype exercise proved valu- able, leading participants to analyze be- havior and distinguish cultural from indi- vidual patterns. The ability to assess objectively a cross-cultural situation will help these staff members in future interac- tions with foreign students. Neither the leaders nor the participanfs were experts in this area, but benefited from exchang- ing successful techniques and strategies. The session also included discussion of high- and low-context cultures and li- braries as a product of culture. A high- context culture, such as that of the Middle East or China, has these characteristics: greater distinction between insiders and outsiders; polychronic time (many .things happening at once); greater interdepen- dency among people; and subtlety in dis- cussion. United States culture, which is low context, is more open to outsiders, uses linear time, and promotes self- sufficiency. Learning is a process of imita- Foreign Students, Libraries, and Culture 165 tion and rote memorization in high- context cultures, whereas low-context cultures emphasize questioning and chal- lenging authority .17 Another exercise was conducted to demonstrate how libraries reflect their cul- tural contexts. Attributes common to U.S. libraries, both public and academic, were compared with qualities common to li- braries overseas. Curiously, people were slow to name characteristics of the li- braries that they utilize on a daily basis. However, once begun, it became clear that as Americans we have high expectations of our libraries: free access, open stacks, borrowing privileges, computer access, interlibrary loan, professional help, and a place to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. STUDENTS USING LIBRARIES Institutions, regulations, and communi- cation patterns reflect the particular cul- ture in which they are developed. Ameri- can students take it for granted that they may browse, look for their own books, and have instant access to a variety of re- sources. Foreign students often do not make these same assumptions. They may have used the library merely as a study hall, never asking for professional help. A foreign student in the United States not only has to learn a new language but also must learn an entirely new set of rules if he or she is to function properly in society. Every culture has its own subtleties and distinctions that often cannot be trans- lated but must be learned through experi- ence. Weston La Barre has pointed out that one must understand the context to interpret everyday customs correctly. 18 Understanding this concept is a major step toward accepting those different from ourselves. To close the workshop we viewed the ''Cross-Cultural Communication'' seg- ment of the Arizona videotape. Discus- sion focused on scenes in which students, one foreign and one North American, ask to borrow a reference book overnight. Though the script was the same, nonver- bal communication was very different in the two cases and was more powerful than the verbal exchange. The videotape prompted an exchange of ideas on how to handle similar situations productively. Participants' evaluations showed the workshop was successful in broadening their understanding of the foreign stu- dent's perspective. This is only one of a number of approaches that could be used to help library staff interact better with for- eign students. A workshop with foreign students describing their experiences firsthand would also help to raise con- sciousness. Mood suggests that by desig- nating a special liaison for foreign stu- dents the library would demonstrate its willingness to respond to their needs. 19 A program of awareness training, even if not an entire workshop, on handling the problems of foreigners in the library, could be designed for public service staff. SUMMARY Bibliographic instruction and staff de- velopment programs designed for foreign students not only sensitize personnel but also encourage cross-cultural understand- ing at a grass-roots level. As these stu- dents become a more visible part of the ac- ademic community, the library and its parent institution should take the initia- tive to meet their needs. Each library must assess its own situation; considering how many foreign students are on campus; what their impact may be on the library; what type of interaction takes place pres- ently; and what future institutional and individual goals and objectives for work- ing with international students are. Once these questions have been answered, one only needs the energy, enthusiasm, and desire to achieve the goals. REFERENCES 1. Scott J aschik, II Seeking to Compete in World Economy, States Back International Education, 11 Chronicle of Higher Education, December 4, 1985, p.1, 18-19. 2. Ibid. 166 College & Research Libraries March 1987 3. Sally G. Wayman, "The International Student in the Academic Library," Journal of Academic Li- brarianship 9:336-41 (Jan. 1984). 4. Terry Ann Mood, "Foreign Students and the Academic Library," RQ 22:175-80 (Winter 1982). ~ 5. Wayman, p.338-39. 6. International Handbook of Contemporary Developments in Librarianship, ed. Miles M. Jackson (West- port, Conn.: Greenwood, 1981). 7. Ibid., p.127. 8. Mood, p.178. 9. Mary Alice Ball and Molly Mahony, Staff Development Workshop Proposal (University of Michigan, March 25, 1985). 10. Susan Johnston, L. W. Greenfield, and Karen Williams, Prestamos Entre Bibliotecas (Univ. of Ar- ,-. izona: Video Productions, Media & Industrial Services, c.1983). 11. J. W. VanderZanden, American Minority Relations: The Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Groups (New York: Ronald, 1966). 12. Nelson R. Cauthen, I. E. Robinson, and H. H. Kraus, "Stereotypes: A Review of the Literature," Journal of Social Psychology 84:104 (June 1971). 13. 1984 Foreign Student Statistics, Report prepared by University of Michigan International Center (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Nov. 1984). 14. Dixon C. Johnson, "Ourselves and Others: Comparative Stereotypes," International Educational ~ and Cultural Exchange 9:24-28 (Fall/Winter 1973-74). 15. Edward T. Hall, "Learning the Arab's Silent Language," Psychology Today 13:48 (Aug. 1979). 16. Ibid., p.48. 17. Edward T. Hall, Beyond Culture (Garden City, N.J.: Anchor Bks ., c.1976). 18. Ibid., p.113. 19. Mood, p.179. .. 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