international library report implementation

Int. Libr. Rev. (1980) 12, 115-125

International Library Report Implementation J O H N F. H A R V E Y *

Many persons are currently carrying on consulting projects as a part- or full-time occupation. Hundreds of North American librarians have carried out consulting assignments in teaching, research or report preparation to guide development. Several US firms exist to provide a variety of domestic library consulting services, mostly related to building planning. Undoubtedly, many British, French, German, Soviet and other European librarians have served in this capacity in the past forty years.

A considerable literature exists in the consulting field. In addition to providing a manual on library surveying, Tauber and Stephens listed and described many domestic surveys of the 1940-70 period. 1 Line's similarly useful manual was written to help United Kingdom librarians. 2 Stieg and Brewster discussed and analysed the world of American consultants who taught and consulted abroad3 '~ Brewster listed numerous publications on American overseasmanship in general and on library overseasmanship in particular. Her book provided a comprehensive survey and listing of American library efforts. The nature of the consulting was indicated without detailed comments on the reports themselves. Certain of these reports were made available for study through the ERIC service or direct from the author or sponsoring agency, and others were listed in Library Literature and Library and Information Science Abstracts. Schell described the basic purposes of consulting, and Donovan made interesting comments on American overseas work. 5,6

* P.O. Box 11-1885, Tehran, Iran.

1 Maurice Tauber and Irlene Stephens (1967). Library Surveys, New York, Columbia University Press.

Mauriee B. Line (1967). Library Surveys, London: Olive Bingley. a L. F. Stieg (1968). American Librarians Abroad, 1946-65, Library Quarterly XXXVIII ,

315-322. 4Beverly J. Brewster (1974). Amerlchn Overseas Library Technical Assistance, 1940-1970.

Metuehen: Scarecrow Press. s Hal B. 8chell (1975). Library Consultants and Consulting. Encyclopedia of Library and

Information Science, Vol. XV. Pp. 201-224. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. David G. Donovan (1972). Library Development and the U.S. Consultant Overseas,

Library Trends XX, 506-514.

0020-7837/80/030115+ 11 $02.00/0 © 1980 Academic Press Inc. (London) Ltd.

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Wasserman ar~t Berry listed consultants who had worked in North American o r overseas. 1'2

Several hundred technical reports are prepared each year for various kinds of libraries throughout the world. Some reports have been the result of a day spent on the site and others the result of several years observation. Most of them are prepared by consultants consulting in their own countries and many within their own provinces, but an increasing number of them are cross-cultural, wherein a librarian or documentalist from a relatively developed country prepares a report for an institution in a developing country. Undoubtedly, these consultants have provided a valuable service for many institutions, and that service should be recognized beyond mere fee payment. Probably international library consulting will continue to be a useful service for many years. Consequently, the problems connected with international consulting and reports should be considered since they are both formidable and forbidding.

Survey preparation has received some attention in the past, noteably from Tauber and Stephens, Line and Donovan. While survey preparation has received attention, report recommendations and the ways of facilitating their implementation, however crucial though they are to report success, have seldom been discussed separately. Often the consultants and their national or international sponsors do not know in detail how the institution used the report. In too many cases, the consultant learns eventually that the report was not implemented to any significant degree. Many consultants have been disappointed at this lack of full implementation. There are varied reasons why an administrator who requests recommendations for change does not carry them out or carries out only a few of them or else carries them out only in revised form.

Consultants argue among themselves not only about what to recommend but how to express it, package it or adjust its timing. Certain nationals advise the consultant not to attempt to assist implementors in adapting ideas to their country. They comment that few foreigners are sufficiently knowledgeable about local institutions and cultural life to carry out the adaptation well. This author suggested that Iranian library leaders of the 1960s had taken over several western ideas without more than minor changes, and that these ideas were not adapted but were used directly. ~

1 j . Berry (ed.) (1969). Directory of Library Consultants. New York: R. R. Bowker Company. P. Wasserman (ed.) (1978). Consultants and Consulting Organizations Director),. Detroit:

Gale Research, Inc. a John F. Harvey (1971). Adapting American Library Science for Iranian Use, Tehran.

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On the other hand, the idea that a consultant has completed Iris or her tasks by submitting a written report detailing findings and change recommendations is not one which this author accepts. The area of implementation is not exclusively the responsibility of the report recipients but to some extent that of the consultant. The consultant should carry out or at least influence as many steps as he or she can to facilitate complete implementation. He or she has an obligation to facilitate implementation and to work with nationals on it. However, the steps which can be taken or influenced with confidence may be limited and are hard to prescribe in advance. While several of these steps relate to report recommendations, others relate to the circumstances surrounding the report. Both kinds of steps are covered here. Understanding of report implementation and its facilitation is crucial to the advancement of library science in developing countries.

This paper will discuss the methods by which the effectiveness of international consultants and their reports can be increased, the methods by which the report and the circumstances surrounding it may be adapted to improve the likelihood of full utilization. The caliber of the report itself is not being questioned here.

Certain terms need clear definition. International library consulting reports are designed to guide the development of a specific library or group of libraries, existing or projected? National library plans and network plans are other examples. Typically, these reports are com- missioned by a national library authority, board, ministry or university and may be solicited and supervised by an international agency, such as UNESCO or the World Health Organization. Either the national or the international agency choses a specific consultant to carry out the assignment, often with the concurrance of the co-operating agency, and the report is primarily or exclusively the work of that consultant. In the course of such technical reports, a series of specific recommendations is made to improve or develop the library situation.

By adaptation is meant adjusting report recommendations to fit closely a local situation in order to improve both report usefulness and the possibility of complete implementation, without compromising basic ideas. Tailoring or customizing recommendations to fit the features of the local situation is meant. The concept applies to all survey situations whethei or not a cross cultural element is present. Presumably cross cultural situations are more challenging for the

1John F. Harvey (1977). University of Azarabadegan Faculty of Medicine Library Report, Alexandria, World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office. And John F. Harvey (1979). Indonesian National Health Science Library, Documentation Centre and Network Plan. New Delhi: World Health Organization South East Asia Regional Office.

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consultant to handle, however, than those located in his or her own city. Implementation refers to action taken on the report by the sponsoring organization. Are all recommendations carried out in full and promptly, or the opposite? Implementation is seldom under the consultant's control but is usually supervised by the person who requested the study and/or the library director, but it can often be influenced by the consultant, or the international sponsor.

A modified Delphi research technique has been used to subject the paper's ideas to the opinions of a panel of experienced librarians, all working in Iran and all having carried out adaptations of western library science for developing country use.* Twenty-four persons were asked to participate and all of them complied, a 100% return. In all, they voted on twenty three recommendations, 552 votes in all. Five hundred and eight or 92% of their votes were positive, 36 or 6% were neutral, and 8 or 2% were negative. This vote presents a strong positive endorsement of the paper's recommendations. The neutral votes seemed to indicate the panelists' lack of concern for the item, rather than outright disagreement. Recommendations (b), (d), (f), (m) and (o) attracted more than half of the few neutral votes, and the negative votes were scattered. Several of the comments were made in the form of helpful supplementary suggestions, and they, as well as the few disagreements, led to revisions. Submission of the revised paper draft to the panel brought acceptance of all items before submission to the journal editor.

STEPS TO F A G I L I T A T E SURVEY R E P O R T IMPLEMENTATION

The following steps should be considered:

(a) Clarify the charge. The project charge should list the questions to be answered, describe the scope, the time period over which recommendations will be carried out, the type of development program needed, the report's audience, the steps likely to be taken in carrying out recommendations, and the extent to which the consultant will participate directly in implementation. If the consultant can influence the composition of the charge, often he or she should attempt to narrow and focus it, so a more manageable and thorough job can be done on a limited project. The written charge should be detailed and comprehensive so the consultant is left with no questions unanswered before starting work.

* See Acknowledgements section.


(b) A strong commitment should be made to the project by a national o~cial at a high institutional level. High level backing is important if the project is to command attention nationally and its implement - ation is to be taken seriously and funded fully. The level of a government minister is the appropriate one. In certain situations, of course, such a commitment can be obtained only after the report is submitted.

(c) The sincerity of interest in library improvement by the national administrator requesting the report can be a crucial factor. With that person's concern and enthusiasm, wonders can be accomplished. When that person lacks these attributes, however, success is much harder to achieve. And in cases wkere that person has requested a report out of idle curiosity or an eagerness to increase personal prestige with the minister, then that person's purpose and that of the consultant are at odds, and report implementat ion is likely to be ignored.

To further simplify and clarify the presentation for a diverse audience, organizing it into two unequal parts can be recommended, a shorter summary section which lists recommendations and explains the evidence and logic supporting them and a longer implementat ion section explaining the detailed steps required to carry out recommendations properly.

(d) Another factor influencing the strength of interest in implementat ion is whether the report was purchased at local expense or provided free of charge by an outside agency. This author recommends purchase. Nationals will be more eager to implement a report which they purchased than one obtained free. I t is natural to give more consideration to those things obtained through some effort or paymen t than to those things obtained with little effort.

(e) Define terms to improve chances of understanding. Clarity depends on the reader's understanding of the technical library terms used, so definitions will often be needed. The consultant will need to learn the composition of the report 's audience. I f it includes non-librarians, then explanation of the philosophy behind each recommendat ion is required, and the report must be couched in intelligent laymen's language. Although the consultant can expect greater comprehension and rapport with a qualified library audience, a lay audience may bring more power and political skill to the implementat ion task.

(f) I f possible, the consultant's mission should include both report preparation and implementation. The consultant should serve as an advisor to the national charged with implementat ion, and may, in fact,

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contract to chose that national for the local organization. Staying to see the project thru its initial implementation phases should improve the chances of opt imum report use. These agreements should be worked out before the consultant's contract is signed. Avoid time constraints on the consultant, constraints which leave little time in which to prepare a report well adapted for implementation. Sometimes the consultant is hired after the project is started, thereby depriving him or her of the opportunity to plan its early parts. Such constraints can restrict the time available to visit provincial centers, to explain concepts in detail and to spell out recommended implementation steps. Ask national leaders for report recommendations. National leaders' ideas may be better adjusted to the local situation than are those of the consultant. Many perceptive suggestions can be uncovered in this way. Extensive discussion will be required to identify them, and an entire staff group may wish to participate. These ideas can be incorporated if the consultant agrees to lend his or her prestige to them. The national attempting to carry out report provisions containing many of his or her own ideas can be expected to do so actively. To adapt the report to national planning policies is important. Many countries have well developed national government planning agencies. Any report submitted to a government office or university will be implemented through the planning and budgetary processes of that planning agency. Hence, to assist the national administrator's implementation, the report should be syn- chrouized with the planning agency's policies, timing and procedures. Otherwise, the national will need to take the report apart and redesign it for local use. In cases where a national library plan exists, as in certain socialist countries, that plan should be studied carefully and the report synchronized with it, also. In addition, local institutional planning policies may exist, integrated or not with national planning policies, and they should be reflected directly in report organization, prioritization and implementation recommendations. It must be admitted that certain planning policies are elaborate and will require considerable study and discussion before they can be applied. Only a few leaders and planning officers in each ministry know them well. Integration into the planning system is time consuming to carry out and in some situations, the national will prefer to make such adaptations locally.


(j) Adapt the report to the status of library service in that society. While library service may not seem to rank high in any country, some significant differences can be seen. The more ambitious the recommendations, in a society which severely undervalues book and library service, the less likely is full implementat ion. Part of this picture is the local institution's own status and support level. An ambitions and expensive program is unlikely to be implemented fully in a low prestige and poorly supported institution.

(k) Adapt the report to the local social, cultural, linguistic and educational setting. An impor tant criticism of many reports is their lack of adaptat ion to the local cultural situation, that they are not tailored to the particular social, linguistic and educational setting involved, nor to appropriate historical precedents. Many report recommendations differ little between institutions and societies, as if a German librarian wrote a report to guide the development of a German library, for instance, instead of the overseas library for which it was requested.

The contrasting view states that modern library science is basically the same everywhere and national adaptations are only procedural. This view assumes that recommendations are likely to be similar between countries, at least at the policy level. On the one hand, the consultant is urged to be sensitive to existing cultural and social contrasts, and on the other hand, this person is hired and characterized as a change agent steeped in modern ideas who is assisting the society in changing its libraries. Which of these views is more realistic ?

Adaptat ion must involve reflecting the country's cultural diversity, adapt ing the consultant's oral and written reports to the country's character. Such a proposition cannot be argued with, but can it be carried out in practical terms by a foreigner ? This author recommends that the consultant learn as much as possible about the national and library situations. Homework should begin before the contract is signed, with extensive social, political, educational, historical, economic and library science reading and discussion with knowledgeable persons. 1 To as great an extent as possible the consultant should a t tempt to make the cultural adaptations needed, though realizing that a lack of reliable data exists on many aspects of developing country

1 For instance, for Indonesia, AriefBudiman (1978). The student movement in Indonesia: a study of the relationship between culture and structure. Asian Survey XVII I 609-625. Javanese vs. non-Javanese; paternalism; seeming to be unambitious, accepting power only if offered; corruption.

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societies, as well as disagreement about their more elusive characteristics, and that carrying out such cultnral adaptations is often very difficult to do successfully.

(1) Adapt the report to the sophistication level of the present requesting group. Do not give non-librarians or low level librarians complex and challenging plans to implement . Modest objectives, easy to reach, recommendat ions which present nationals are capable of carrying out in the short run are urged. Write for today and not for tomorrow. Simplify and shorten the report and make it easy to read and understand. Conversely, provide sophisticated fare for sophisticated nationals; where sophistication is found, take full advantage of it.

Generally, this is good advice, if not taken too literally and the condescension implied is held in check. However, this consultant believes in giving all nationals something to reach for, something not simple and obvious. The worst sin is to underest imate one's audience. Where a conflict occurs with other recommendations, this one should yield, in this author's eyes.

(m) Ease of implementat ion may be increased if the report seeks to build on the national organization's present strengths. Probably a manager can more easily build a case for increasing efforts in an area already appreciated than for launching new programs. The logical implications of existing strengths for other areas may provide a useful approach, though reports should not be distorted.

(n) Refer to national models to facilitate understanding. I f the report audience can see good library and documentat ion models locally then it can unders tand recommendations more easily than if it is referred to overseas institutions. This idea is comprised by certain realities in developing country life, however. I f the local model serves a foreign institution with goals and contexts varying to some extent from those of other local institutions, then nationals may be reluctant to use it as a model.

(o) Write a tactful report. Of course. However, this is not necessarily simple. To be done well requires knowing local mores and etiquette, something difficult for the foreigner to learn quickly. Does this mean that the consultant should adopt the flowery phraseology of certain countries where the importance of the report 's form may equal that of its content? Should the report be "sugar coated" to hide expensive recommendations and to praise extravagantly everyone remotely connected with it? Any report couched in the westerner's blunt phraseology is likely to put the Asian or African on edge. Yet the overseas consultant


will have difficulty in adding the flowery phrases, ceremonial formalities and politenesses appropriate to the implementors, and thc national will be more or less prepared to recognize and accept the consultant's lack of local know-how. Without sacri- ricing content, writing down to the audience or forcing the consultant to write in a wholly new mode, certain preparation steps of this kind should be considered to facilitate report acceptance.

(p) Stage recommendations over a period of time. It is valuable for the national administrator to see the comprehensive project development picture, to see where the project should lead eventually. With the ten or twenty year expansion of the institution, for instance, the full range of services eventually to be provided can be shown. Such a projection enables the institution to spread out its growth, thereby reducing annual expenses and making service program development morc practical. With the entire picture, the national can easily reschedule, reprioritize or repackage the project. Without it, only short run plan development is possible. Such a report will be useful to the organization for many years.

(q) Immediate translation into the national language can be recommended, to facilitate nationals' understanding. Making the audience struggle through many hours of word by word reading is unwise. Probably, many untranslated reports are not read thoroughly. A translation project requires a budget and a skilled translator, and both should be included in the original survey specifications. The delay resulting from translation will usually be worthwhile.

(r) Sponsoring groups should build full follow up provisions into consulting agreements. Accompanying report submission, a session should be scheduled in which the consultant presents the recommendations orally for discussion, if the language situation warrants it. Both correspondence and on site visits may be included, at six month intervals, from the consultant who departed early. Clarification, amplification, and updating may be required for certain sections and drastic changes in others. While outside support dependence should be minimized, the sponsoring group should support the project with sufficient vigor to ensure its success.

(s) Wide report reading and discussion should encourage mature thought and understanding. Duplication will facilitate such consideration, fifty to one hundred copies not being excessive. This

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distribution will lead to wide report publicity and to a better implementat ion plan. The more widely it is read and discussed locally the more committed the national group will be to implement it. Every consulting situation requires the presence of a national capable qf understanding the report fully and having the authority to implement it. The consultant must urge local authorities to hire such a person, if one is not already present. Without the capable local counter- part, most reports will not be implemented satisfactorily. Personnel continuity will facilitate implementat ion. Continuity encourages project at tention by the same person over a considerable period of time. Rapid personnel turnover often means that earlier projects are forgotten, overlooked or even lost by later appointees who may instead request their own surveys. I f the person requesting the report can carry its implementat ion forward for several years, often that is an ideal situation, though such continuity may be unusual. The more centralized is implementation authority and responsibility, the more likely that it will be carried out thoroughly. Having all implementation power in one person's hands is best for this purpose. Diffuse authority discourages implementat ion. Include step by step implementation recommendations. I f you want them to implement it, some consultants say, you must tell them how, step by step, since they probably do not know; if they had known how, they would not have requested the report. In the same vein, some consultants say to provide a clear picture of priorities in each report section. The opposing view is a more conservative one. It says that the consultant should recommend many policies and some procedures but few implementat ion steps. Since implementat ion details must often be reformed and adapted to local budgetary, cultural and planning situations, they should be omitted. Stress generalities, theories and philo- sophical approaches, not specifics, still others say. " I t is your philosophy and policies that we seek. We will work out practices appropriate to our society", some nationals say. Which of these opposing views is the more realistic and helpful? This author favors the former view. To the best of his or her ability, procedures and implementat ion steps should be suggested. I f the national administrator wishes to substitute different steps, surely he or she should feel free to do so.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The following persons assisted the author in preparing this paper: Zohreh Alavi, Rokhy Alia, Manijeh Allemeh, Nouchlne Ansari, Anoush Asadlan, Allison Cotes, Valeh Dabiri, Vera Daftari, A. Haghighi, Abbas I-Iorri, Forough Koochek, Mehri Martinez, Abbas Mazaher, Javad Mullahosseini, Nurieh Musavi, Mehrad Nakhai, Fatemeh Rahadoust, Farvardin Rastin, Zahra Shadman, Ali Sinai, Shirin Taavoni, Mahin Tafazzoli, Evelyn Vartany and Farhad Vaziri.

international library report implementation

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