Information Literacy of Librarians and the Cultural Soft Power Construction of Libraries in Colleges and Universities in China

Liu, Runzhi; Hui-zhai, Wang; Luo, Xiaomei

doi:10.12783/dtssehs/icesd2017/11670

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As historians of 'systems of information' in Library and Information Science, Black and Schiller (2014: 651) affirm a relationship between geopolitics and information that encompasses soft power. Liu et al (2017) also signify the importance of 'information' to soft power at the organisational level. Liu et al (2017: 855) maintain that 'information literacy' contributes 'not only to service quality but also to the cultural soft power of [university] libraries' in China, with significance for Chinese culture and national strategy.…”

Section: Soft Power and Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature addressing libraries and soft power, either explicitly or implicitly, predominantly comprises historical analyses presented as case studies from a humanities perspective with qualitative research methods (Barnhisel, 2010;Harris and Thaler, 2020;Maack, 2001;Witt, 2014a;Yi and Thompson, 2015). Harris and Thaler (2020) and Liu et al (2017) have provided the only two published studies that explicitly recognise 'libraries' and 'soft power' in their titles, and direct attention towards libraries rather than other GLAM institutions. The other substantial publications are grey literature -primarily policy and responses from the IFLA and Australian Library and Information Association (2018).…”

Section: Critical Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The library as soft-power actor: A review

Bell

Kennan

2021

IFLA Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This narrative review pursues an understanding of the relationship of libraries to the concepts of soft power and public and cultural diplomacy. The cross-disciplinary nature of the study required that the search approach include literature from both the International Relations and Library and Information Science disciplines. The analysed literature reveals three key gaps. First, research explicitly addressing the topic of ‘libraries and soft power’ is scarce. Second, the little Library and Information Science literature that addresses libraries and soft power rarely considers contemporary discourse. Third, the literature often has an implicit liberal institutionalist perspective, overlooking negative or hegemonic aspects of soft power. Given that soft power is considered increasingly relevant for representing national interests, understanding libraries’ roles and impact in international relations is significant and warrants further research.

show abstract

Section: Soft Power and Languagementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Critical Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The library as soft-power actor: A review

Bell

Kennan

2021

IFLA Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Research Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research exploring other library types could also highlight other means of soft power attraction in libraries, with less emphasis on cultural diplomacy. Academic libraries are one such area given higher education's positioning as a means of soft power influence and attraction (Li, 2018;Liu et al, 2017;Lo, 2011). This is seen in the internationalisation of higher education (Bislev, 2017;Lo and Pan, 2021;Tyler and Van Leuven, 2020), library partnerships and exchanges (ALIA, 2018, pp.…”

Section: Understanding Soft Power Discoursementioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding soft power discourse in the National Library of Australia

Bell

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeThis paper presents research that sought to understand how the National Library of Australia engages with soft power in its Annual Report 2019–20. Driving the analysis was the research question: How is soft power discourse reproduced and enacted in the National Library of Australia's Annual Report 2019–20? The research recognises the significance of Australia's soft power, cultural diplomacy, and regional relationships to national interest in the context of a library's contributions to these areas.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a qualitative discourse analysis, with constructivist and interpretivist perspectives. A critical discourse analysis was undertaken that applied a discourse-historical approach.FindingsThe findings suggest that the National Library of Australia primarily engages with soft power discourse through the construction and preservation of an Australian national identity. National identity is framed as key to the Library's collection development, with Australian knowledge prioritised.Originality/valueThis study extends on research addressing the roles of galleries, archives, and museums in cultural diplomacy, but rarely examines soft power and libraries explicitly or in a contemporary context. It contributes to broader understandings of libraries in international relations and the role they can play in soft power attraction and cultural diplomacy.

show abstract

Information Literacy of Librarians and the Cultural Soft Power Construction of Libraries in Colleges and Universities in China

Cited by 2 publications

References 1 publication

The library as soft-power actor: A review

The library as soft-power actor: A review

Understanding soft power discourse in the National Library of Australia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About