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Library education in Tunisia and Jordan: A comparative study
Int. Libr. Rev. (1986) 18, 5-14
Library Education in Tunisia and Jordan: A Comparative Study A. B O U A Z Z A A N D R. N I M E R *
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this article is to examine the state of the development of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia and to pinpoint the problems affecting this development in order to verify if library education in countries with similar cultures and type of economy evolves similarly and faces the same problems. The general assumption made is that a library does not exist in a vacuum; it is affected by the cultural, economic, social and educational backgrounds. Library education is not static in concept and continuous evaluation is the way to its improvement. The comparative method is one of the greatly useful ways in regard to understanding where we stand today. In this context, this article attempts to trace the major steps in the development of library education in the two countries under study. In addition, it attempts to analyze the main problems handicapping library education in these two countries. This article covers only the conclusions of the study, that is to say, the first phases of the comparative study containing description, interpretation and juxtaposition only were used to draw the conclusions presented here. Before dealing with the outcomes of the study, it would be useful to provide a brief introduction to the two countries. GENERAL
BACKGROUND
A. Jordan in Brief Jordan is a young developing country located in the heart of the Middle East. It was a British mandate until 1946 when it became an independent kingdom. The total area of J o r d a n is about 90 000 km 2. Geographically the country consists of three main parts, a mountainous region in the west, a flat plateau in the east, and the J o r d a n Valley.1 * School of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA. 1Jordan. In Lands and Peoples. Vol. 2. Gorlier Incorporated, 1981. pp. 105-1 I0. 0020-7837/86/010005 + 10 $03.00/0 9 1986 Academic Press Inc. (London) Limited
6
A. B O U A Z Z A
A N D R. N I M E R
The population of J o r d a n is estimated at three million. Nearly all the population are Arabs. The population is entirely concentrated in A m m a n which is the Capital, the North-west, and the J o r d a n Valley. More than 90% of the people are Muslems. Arabic is the official language of the country. Jordan's resources are limited, and the economy is based on farming, light industry and tourism. Although deposits of several minerals are known to exist, only phosphate is mined. Since J o r d a n is not economically self-sufficient, financial and technical assistance come from both Arabic and Western countries. J o r d a n i a n children are required to attend school for nine years at least. There are more than 2500 primary, intermediate, and secondary schools in the country. In addition, there are about 35 colleges and three universities. It should be noted that out of every three people in Jordan, one is a student.
B. Tunisia in Brief Tunisia, slightly bigger than Georgia, has a population of seven million. The country gained its independence in 1956. Tunisia, a Republic of North Africa, is bounded on the east and north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the west and southwest by Algeria, and on the southeast by Libya. It has a mediterranean climate which is irregular from year to year, and its major characteristics are a rainy season from November to March and very dry weather for the rest of the year. With a superficy of 164 150 km 2, Tunisia is mainly an agricultural country. Like other Arab countries such as Egypt, Syria, Morocco and J o r d a n , 60% of the population still depends directly on agriculture for living. About onethird of the national income comes from this sector. Industry and tourism are the second and third sources of income respectively. Tunisia has been engaged in an extensive effort to establish its industry base. The major industries include food processing, construction industry, simple metal products, chemical industries, petroleum refining and textile manufacturing. Every year Tunisia receives one million tourists. Hence, a large number of hostels were built chiefly on the coastal part of the country. Tunisia, a country of an ancient culture, has been the seat of many civilizations since earliest time. As a result, the Tunisian people are slightly a mixture of Berbers, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantans, Arabs, Turks, Italians and Jews. The official language is Arabic. French, used as a second language, is widely spoken, while English is taught as a third language. Education is free to all Tunisians from pre-education to college, and
LIBRARY
EDUCATION
IN TUNISIA
AND JORDAN
7
about 90% of the people under fourteen attend school. To cover the lack of professionals, the government encourages people to attend schools and provides different kinds of incentives. In 1974 statistics on primary education indicated an enrotment of 900 000 pupils in 2255 primary schools. There were 24 102 classes and 20 961 teachers, of whom 7914 were monolingual in Arabic. 1 As for secondary education, in 1974, there were 200 000 students in 5467 classes and 7695 teachers. Concerning higher education, the University of Tunis which was founded in 1960, incorporates all existing higher education institutions. Most of the colleges, institutes, and training centers of the University of Tunis are in the Capital, although the university has professional schools in different other cities, such as Gabes, Sousse, Monastir and Sfax. In 1977, the number of students registered in the University was 23 137. 2
Methodology The general observations of the main features characterizing the development of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia would lead one to raise certain questions regarding the similarities characterizing its development and the problems handicapping its amelioration. The major question is how would one explain the similarities in the development of library education in the two countries? Secondly, how could one interpret the similarities of the problems being faced by library education in the two countries? To answer these research questions, one would have to rely on a comparative research method comprising the following primary phases: description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and conclusions. For the first phase, the major steps in the history of library education in the two countries were described separately. The data were then analyzed and interpreted in terms of each country's own historical, economic, social and cultural backgrounds. As one might indicate, not all aspects of these backgrounds are relevant to explain the issues and trends being described and highlighted; and one should focus on areas of special significance to the study with regard to the relevant variables, for instance, only matters such as history, culture, education and economy would have been considered for their relevance to the topic of this article. The third phase, the relevant features evolved from the description and interpretation phases would have put side-by-side in a way that would have shown instantly the similarities and differences between the 1 Abdelaziz Abid. (1981). Libraries in Tunisia. Encyclopediaof Library and Information Science,Vol. 31, p. 209. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1981. 2Ibid. p. 210.
8
A. B O U A Z Z A AND R. N I M E R
two systems. As a result, the following hypothesis has emerged to provide some answers to the research questions just mentioned before: Library education evolves in a similar pattern and faces identical problems in countries with similar cultures and economy despite geographical location. This hypothesis will be discussed under the heading "development of education for librarianship in J o r d a n and Tunisia", and "problems affecting library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia." However, to verify such a hypothesis, one needs two countries which have similar cultures and types of e c o n o m y . J o r d a n and Tunisia seem to satisfy these conditions. The brief presentation of the two countries makes quite clear that the two societies believe in the same religion (Islam) and speak the same language (Arabic). In addition, their people still depend mainly on agriculture for living (same type of economy). I.
DEVELOPMENT
OF
EDUCATION
JORDAN
AND
FOR
LIBRARIANSHIP
IN
TUNISIA
The development of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia started almost at the same period. In Jordan, the first courses in librarianship were given by a U N E S C O expert in 1958.1 The contribution made by U N E S C O was intended to help the training of specialists in librarianship. Prior to that period, U N E S C O accorded a scholarship to a member of the ministry of education in J o r d a n to study librarianship in a foreign country for two years. This opportunity enabled that librarian to establish, successfully, a division for school libraries at the Ministry of Education when he returned in 1958. U n d e r his administration, library training was carried out in 1958, when he conducted the first short training course for school librarians. In Tunisia, on the other hand, library education started in 1964 with the creation of the Institute Ali Bach H a m b a . 2 This was made possible by the help of the G e r m a n Foundation Friedrich Neuman. The Institute organized six training sessions of six months each for documentalists; these were conducted during the period 1966-71. The classes were taught by an international team (from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and West Germany), under the auspices of the Federation for International Documentation (FID). The courses were open to trainees from French-speaking countries. Scholarships were financed partly by U N E S C O , partly by Friedrich Neuman, and partly by the countries involved. 1 UNESCO aid to libraries in Arabic-speaking countries. UNESCO Bull. Libr. Vol. 14, No. 3 (May, 1960), p. 76. 2 Abdelaziz Abid, op. cit., p. 213.
LIBRARY EDUCATION
IN T U N I S I A AND J O R D A N
9
It is quite clear that library education was non-existent before 1958 in Jordan and 1964 in Tunisia. This situation could be explained by the non-existence of qualified professional personnel to provide training in librarianship. The two countries were under the influence of western powers (Great Britain and France). To start library education in these countries, the assistance of U N E S C O and some western countries was necessary. As a result, the start of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia was quite similar. As a corollary, the role of the few qualified librarians in J o r d a n and Tunisia in the beginning was very limited. In Jordan, M o h m o u d Et-Akhras who studied Library Science in Great Britain gave only one short training course for school librarians in 1958 while the U N E S C O expert gave three short courses in the same period. 1 In Tunisia, the role of the native documentalists was limited to assisting the foreign experts during the course work. 2 Another similarity within the development of education for librarianship in J o r d a n and Tunisia is the short courses. During the establishment of education for librarianship, the short courses were the most frequent. This could be due to the lack of trained librarians in the two countries at that time. Thus, to allow the training of a large number of native librarians, short courses appeared to be more suitable. During that period the quality of training was less important than the quantity. It is better to have librarians who are not highly qualified than to have no librarians. Due to the factors mentioned above, the first courses in librarianship which were given in J o r d a n in 1958 were over short periods of time. Furthermore, the J o r d a n Library Association decided as early as 1964 to organize short courses in librarianship and invited foreign professionals to participate in them. In Tunisia, on the other hand, the six training sessions for documentalists which were conducted during the period 1966-71 lasted for six months. Course work was organized in six cycles of one month each. In Jordan, these short courses were interrupted in 1966 when a paraprofessional program lasting for two years was introduced at A m m a n Teacher's Training Institute. In Tunisia, the short courses were replaced by longer courses in 1969 when the Institute Ali Bach H a m b a was given a new orientation, and the responsibility for training documentalists was transferred to the Ecole Nationate d'Administration (ENA).3 One thing should be mentioned at this point, in J o r d a n the introduction of library education in higher education institutions was 1Suleiman Mustapha (198I). Development of Library Education in Jordan, pp. 67 68. Master Thesis. Loughborough University. 2 Abdelaziz Abid, op. cit., p. 213. 3Abdelbaky Daly (1984). L'enseignement des techniques documentaires en Tunisie entre les besoins et les moyens. Revue Maghrebine de documentation, no. 2 (March), 83.
10
A. B O U A Z Z A
A N D R. N I M E R
not possible before 1966 because of (a) the lack of qualified lecturers and (b) the fact that these institutions were not developed enough to adopt such new fields of librarianship. In Tunisia, the introduction of library education in higher educational institutions was possible from the beginning (1964) because UNESCO designed Ali Bach Hamba Institute to be a regional institution serving not only Tunisia but also other French-speaking African countries. An educational institution having such regional responsibilities should be integrated in higher educational institutions from the beginning. The support of a very high qualified international teaching team helped this integration. It should also be noted that because of the lack of catalogers in the Jordanian and Tunisian libraries, technical courses such as cataloging and classification have been emphasized from the beginning. Actually, without losing much importance these technical courses are taught at the same time with more integrated curricula. As a result of the increasing awareness of the importance of a general background for the profession of a librarian, non-technical courses such as History of Arabic and Islamic libraries, Research Methodology, Foreign languages (mainly English), History of Civilization, Psychology and Communication, Law and Economics are taught. In the last decade there has been an increasing number of library schools in the two countries. In Jordan, departments of library science are available at the University of Jordan and more than eight community colleges. In Tunisia, since 1981, library science has been taught either at the Institut de presse et des sciences de l'information or at the Institut Superieur de Documentation. This phenomenon could be attributed to the increasing of the national needs for librarians. Since the capacity &training of one Institution is very limited, it might have been seen that the problem could be solved by the introduction of library education at different higher educational institutions. However, with the similarities of the development of library education in Jordan and Tunisia, it should be noted that the difference of the role played by each of the Jordan Library Association (JLA) and the Association Tunisienne des Documentalistes, Biblioth~caires et Archivistes (Tunisian Association of Documentalists, Librarians and Archivists) (ATD). Whereas JLA played an important role in the development of library education in Jordan by organizing 45 short courses during the period 1964-76, the ATD did not play a significant role at this level. This could be due to the positive impact of British librarianship on Jordanian Librarianship and to the negative impact of French librarianship on Tunisian Librarianship. This may be attributed to the fact that library associations are more active in AngloSaxon countries than in other countries.
LIBRARY EDUCATION
II. P R O B L E M S
AFFECTING
IN T U N I S I A
LIBRARY
AND J O R D A N
EDUCATION
11
IN J O R D A N
AND T U N I S I A
While library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia benefits from the same positive factors such as the Arabic and Islamic culture, the ALECSO (Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization) activities, the U N E S C O contribution, the influence of IFLA, FID, W H O and ICA, the contribution of foreign librarians, library studies abroad and the establishment of libraries and the expansion of education, 1 it also faces similar problems. One of the major problems facing library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia is that the profession of librarianship is not recognized by the society in the two countries. M a n y people in the two countries do not know what a librarian can do; they still think of him as someone who looks after a store of books (book-keeper).2 There is not only a lack of public awareness about the importance of librarians and library services in supporting the social, educational and economic progress of the country, but also there is a lack of appreciation and understanding by the authorities. 3 The authorities do not realize what a librarian is. More than this, the librarian in m a n y cases (in Jordan) has to sign a contract and to provide a financial guarantee to the government department (in which he works) against possible loss of library materials for which he is considered personally responsible. 4 This trend and other reasons such as the salary scale of librarians and their status, and the low prestige of the profession compared with other professions are among the major difficulties faced by library education in the two countries. Another Achilles' heel of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia is the lack of full-time qualified lecturers. It should be noted that the majority of lecturers in library science in J o r d a n and Tunisia are parttimers. This does not help to improve library education in the two countries when we take into consideration the suggestion of the American Library Association (ALA) stipulating that: the instructional p r o g r a m must be the responsibility of a corp of full-time faculty
1Abdullah Sharif (1980). Education for Librarianship in the Arab Countries: Present Practices, Problems andPossible Solutions, pp. 67-77. Tripoli: University of A1 Fatah. 2 Suleiman Mustapha, op. cir., p. 198. 3Abdullah Sharif, op. cit., p. 76. 4 Rihbi Nimer (1984). The Development of Libraries andLibrary Education in Jordan, p. 48. University ofPittsburgh.
12
A. B O U A Z Z A
AND
R. N I M E R
sufficient in n u m b e r to p r o v i d e s t a b i l i t y a n d c o n t i n u i t y o f i n s t r u c t i o n , to c a r r y t h e m a j o r p o r t i o n o f t h e t e a c h i n g l o a d a n d to r e p r e s e n t a v a r i e t y o f c o m p e t e n c i e s . 1
In addition, some part-time lecturers in the two countries lack such good professional experience and they have little knowledge of practical realities of librarianship in general and in J o r d a n and Tunisia in particular. As far as these writers know the curricula of different programs in librarianship in J o r d a n and Tunisia, it should be noted that sometimes the curricula are not well defined in terms of objectives and contents. In addition, the curricula of m a n y programs are in fact traditional, out of date and do not conform to the modern approach to library service. As a result, much emphasis is put on technical courses (classification and cataloging) while communication, behavioral studies, user studies a n d management of libraries are neglected. However, it seems that the Tunisian professionals are more aware of the integration of such courses in the curricula in order to improve library education in the country. As a consequence, seminars in psychology and communication and library management are given in the two library schools in Tunisia? '3 A n o t h e r important problem influencing the improvement of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia is the lack of professional literature in Arabic and French. It should be noted that few books in librarianship have been published in the two countries. In addition, there are only two professional reviews in librarianship published in J o r d a n and Tunisia. In Jordan, the J o r d a n Library Association publishes Rissalat AI Maktaba. Whereas, in Tunisia, the Institut Sup6rieur de Documentation publishes Revue Maghrebine de Documentation. The books and journals in the field of library science published in the Arab countries such as Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq are often inadequate in quality, out-of-date, and unrelated to the specific needs of libraries in other Arab countries. Basic library tools such as cataloging rules, classification schemes and lists ofsubject headings are rarely available in Arabic. Even French materials which are used in Tunisia seem to be outof-date (compared with American and British materials) and unrelated to the specific needs of the country. In fact, the lack of teaching materials handicaps the quality of library education in the two countries. Traditional teaching methods constitute another barrier to the improvement of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia. Indeed, the 1 A L A Committee on Accreditation ( 1951) Standardsfor Accreditation Adopted by the Council qfALA, p. 2. 13July. z Ali Mansour (1984). L'Institut superieur de documentation ou Essai Analytique sur le cycle court. Revue Maghrebine de documentation, No. 2 (March), 161 194. a Programme de Maitrise cn D. B. A., Ann6e Universitaire 1982-83. Institut de Presse et des sciences de l'information.
LIBRARY
EDUCATION
IN T U N I S I A
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main teaching method used in library education in the two countries is the lecture supplemented by discussions and readings. Students are usually allowed to interrupt the lecturer to ask questions, to discuss a point or to answer questions. Other teaching methods such as seminars, tutorials, field work, case method, role playing etc. are rarely used. Audiovisual instruction materials are seldom used because they are not usually available, and when they are available, the lecturers rarely use them because they are not trained in their use. Because there are few textbooks available, students mostly depend on lecturers. When a textbook is available for some lecturers it is everything and should be used by the students as the Koran.
SUMMARY
AND
CONCLUSION
The comparative discussion of some aspects of the development of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia and of some problems negatively affecting its improvement seems to confirm the hypothesis formulated at the beginning which is related to the similarity of the development of library education and the problems affecting it in countries with similar cultures and type of economy. Concerning the development of library education in the two countries, the comparative approach showed that due to the lack of native professional librarians, the start of library education necessitated foreign assistance ( U N E S C O and some western countries). This start was also characterized by the conduct of short courses in order to allow the training of a large number of native librarians. Finally, library education integrated higher education institutions when these institutions matured and became likely to accept and accommodate untraditional disciplines such as Library and Information Science. It seems that the economic factors have determined the development of library education in the two countries. Because J o r d a n and Tunisia are developing countries, foreign assistance was necessary for the start of library education in the two countries. Due also to an unfavorable cultural and social environment (the two societies do not recognize librarianship as a profession), the integration of library education in higher educational institutions took time to materialize. Regarding the problems negatively affecting library education in the two countries, the comparative approach made quite clear that these problems are almost the same. Thus, the lack of recognition affecting library education in the two countries could be interpreted by the transitional situation characterizing the two societies. The date of gaining independence in the two countries is recent. Hence, the
14
A. B O U A Z Z A
AND
R.
NIMER
governments of the two countries try to decrease the rate of illiteracy. As a consequence, priority has been given to scholarization and not to libraries. In doing so, these governments forgot that these cultural institutions are such a useful tool in combating illiteracy and in providing continuing education. Tradition is also another factor playing against the recognition oflibrarianship as profession. Librarians have been considered for a long time as book-keepers and it is not easy to change this image. The second barrier to the development of library education in the two countries, the lack of qualified lecturers, is the result of the first problem. If librarianship is not recognized as a profession, it is normal that few qualified professionals continue to work in the field. The number of qualified lecturers is also few because few librarians had the opportunity to benefit from a real professional training. This in turn is due to the lack of recognition of the profession of librarians and the limited financial resources of the two countries. The third problem, traditional curricula, is the consequence of the lack of qualified lecturers and library resources. Since the number of qualified lecturers in library education is insignificant in the two countries, one cannot expect up-to-date curricula. Without qualified professionals library literature cannot be developed. Finally, because of the weight of the tradition, teaching methods used in library education are still traditional. Hence, tradition is the main barrier to the introduction of new teaching methods in library education. Another aspect of the problem is the limited financial resources in the two countries. This makes the acquisition of new materials such as audiovisual instructional materials difficult. As a result, this does not help the changing of teaching methods. In the light of the foregoing analysis, one can conclude that cultural and economic factors affect the development of education for librarianship in J o r d a n and Tunisia. Generalizing from this, it seems that library education in countries with similar cultures and type of economy evolves in a similar manner and faces, with some differences, identical problems. Considering that J o r d a n and Tunisia are two countries belonging to the same region (Arab world), we can conclude with Krzy 1 that "regarding the nature of our profession, although librarianship is a world profession, its practice is always influenced by local determinants for example, the area's history, culture, economy etc." However, we need to study more cases and to take into account some intervening variables in order to make the generalization of the results of this study more reliable. 1 Richard Krzy (1983). World Librarianship: A Comparative Study, p. 180. New York: Marcel Dekker.
Library Education in Tunisia and Jordan: A Comparative Study A. B O U A Z Z A A N D R. N I M E R *
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this article is to examine the state of the development of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia and to pinpoint the problems affecting this development in order to verify if library education in countries with similar cultures and type of economy evolves similarly and faces the same problems. The general assumption made is that a library does not exist in a vacuum; it is affected by the cultural, economic, social and educational backgrounds. Library education is not static in concept and continuous evaluation is the way to its improvement. The comparative method is one of the greatly useful ways in regard to understanding where we stand today. In this context, this article attempts to trace the major steps in the development of library education in the two countries under study. In addition, it attempts to analyze the main problems handicapping library education in these two countries. This article covers only the conclusions of the study, that is to say, the first phases of the comparative study containing description, interpretation and juxtaposition only were used to draw the conclusions presented here. Before dealing with the outcomes of the study, it would be useful to provide a brief introduction to the two countries. GENERAL
BACKGROUND
A. Jordan in Brief Jordan is a young developing country located in the heart of the Middle East. It was a British mandate until 1946 when it became an independent kingdom. The total area of J o r d a n is about 90 000 km 2. Geographically the country consists of three main parts, a mountainous region in the west, a flat plateau in the east, and the J o r d a n Valley.1 * School of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA. 1Jordan. In Lands and Peoples. Vol. 2. Gorlier Incorporated, 1981. pp. 105-1 I0. 0020-7837/86/010005 + 10 $03.00/0 9 1986 Academic Press Inc. (London) Limited
6
A. B O U A Z Z A
A N D R. N I M E R
The population of J o r d a n is estimated at three million. Nearly all the population are Arabs. The population is entirely concentrated in A m m a n which is the Capital, the North-west, and the J o r d a n Valley. More than 90% of the people are Muslems. Arabic is the official language of the country. Jordan's resources are limited, and the economy is based on farming, light industry and tourism. Although deposits of several minerals are known to exist, only phosphate is mined. Since J o r d a n is not economically self-sufficient, financial and technical assistance come from both Arabic and Western countries. J o r d a n i a n children are required to attend school for nine years at least. There are more than 2500 primary, intermediate, and secondary schools in the country. In addition, there are about 35 colleges and three universities. It should be noted that out of every three people in Jordan, one is a student.
B. Tunisia in Brief Tunisia, slightly bigger than Georgia, has a population of seven million. The country gained its independence in 1956. Tunisia, a Republic of North Africa, is bounded on the east and north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the west and southwest by Algeria, and on the southeast by Libya. It has a mediterranean climate which is irregular from year to year, and its major characteristics are a rainy season from November to March and very dry weather for the rest of the year. With a superficy of 164 150 km 2, Tunisia is mainly an agricultural country. Like other Arab countries such as Egypt, Syria, Morocco and J o r d a n , 60% of the population still depends directly on agriculture for living. About onethird of the national income comes from this sector. Industry and tourism are the second and third sources of income respectively. Tunisia has been engaged in an extensive effort to establish its industry base. The major industries include food processing, construction industry, simple metal products, chemical industries, petroleum refining and textile manufacturing. Every year Tunisia receives one million tourists. Hence, a large number of hostels were built chiefly on the coastal part of the country. Tunisia, a country of an ancient culture, has been the seat of many civilizations since earliest time. As a result, the Tunisian people are slightly a mixture of Berbers, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantans, Arabs, Turks, Italians and Jews. The official language is Arabic. French, used as a second language, is widely spoken, while English is taught as a third language. Education is free to all Tunisians from pre-education to college, and
LIBRARY
EDUCATION
IN TUNISIA
AND JORDAN
7
about 90% of the people under fourteen attend school. To cover the lack of professionals, the government encourages people to attend schools and provides different kinds of incentives. In 1974 statistics on primary education indicated an enrotment of 900 000 pupils in 2255 primary schools. There were 24 102 classes and 20 961 teachers, of whom 7914 were monolingual in Arabic. 1 As for secondary education, in 1974, there were 200 000 students in 5467 classes and 7695 teachers. Concerning higher education, the University of Tunis which was founded in 1960, incorporates all existing higher education institutions. Most of the colleges, institutes, and training centers of the University of Tunis are in the Capital, although the university has professional schools in different other cities, such as Gabes, Sousse, Monastir and Sfax. In 1977, the number of students registered in the University was 23 137. 2
Methodology The general observations of the main features characterizing the development of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia would lead one to raise certain questions regarding the similarities characterizing its development and the problems handicapping its amelioration. The major question is how would one explain the similarities in the development of library education in the two countries? Secondly, how could one interpret the similarities of the problems being faced by library education in the two countries? To answer these research questions, one would have to rely on a comparative research method comprising the following primary phases: description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and conclusions. For the first phase, the major steps in the history of library education in the two countries were described separately. The data were then analyzed and interpreted in terms of each country's own historical, economic, social and cultural backgrounds. As one might indicate, not all aspects of these backgrounds are relevant to explain the issues and trends being described and highlighted; and one should focus on areas of special significance to the study with regard to the relevant variables, for instance, only matters such as history, culture, education and economy would have been considered for their relevance to the topic of this article. The third phase, the relevant features evolved from the description and interpretation phases would have put side-by-side in a way that would have shown instantly the similarities and differences between the 1 Abdelaziz Abid. (1981). Libraries in Tunisia. Encyclopediaof Library and Information Science,Vol. 31, p. 209. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1981. 2Ibid. p. 210.
8
A. B O U A Z Z A AND R. N I M E R
two systems. As a result, the following hypothesis has emerged to provide some answers to the research questions just mentioned before: Library education evolves in a similar pattern and faces identical problems in countries with similar cultures and economy despite geographical location. This hypothesis will be discussed under the heading "development of education for librarianship in J o r d a n and Tunisia", and "problems affecting library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia." However, to verify such a hypothesis, one needs two countries which have similar cultures and types of e c o n o m y . J o r d a n and Tunisia seem to satisfy these conditions. The brief presentation of the two countries makes quite clear that the two societies believe in the same religion (Islam) and speak the same language (Arabic). In addition, their people still depend mainly on agriculture for living (same type of economy). I.
DEVELOPMENT
OF
EDUCATION
JORDAN
AND
FOR
LIBRARIANSHIP
IN
TUNISIA
The development of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia started almost at the same period. In Jordan, the first courses in librarianship were given by a U N E S C O expert in 1958.1 The contribution made by U N E S C O was intended to help the training of specialists in librarianship. Prior to that period, U N E S C O accorded a scholarship to a member of the ministry of education in J o r d a n to study librarianship in a foreign country for two years. This opportunity enabled that librarian to establish, successfully, a division for school libraries at the Ministry of Education when he returned in 1958. U n d e r his administration, library training was carried out in 1958, when he conducted the first short training course for school librarians. In Tunisia, on the other hand, library education started in 1964 with the creation of the Institute Ali Bach H a m b a . 2 This was made possible by the help of the G e r m a n Foundation Friedrich Neuman. The Institute organized six training sessions of six months each for documentalists; these were conducted during the period 1966-71. The classes were taught by an international team (from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and West Germany), under the auspices of the Federation for International Documentation (FID). The courses were open to trainees from French-speaking countries. Scholarships were financed partly by U N E S C O , partly by Friedrich Neuman, and partly by the countries involved. 1 UNESCO aid to libraries in Arabic-speaking countries. UNESCO Bull. Libr. Vol. 14, No. 3 (May, 1960), p. 76. 2 Abdelaziz Abid, op. cit., p. 213.
LIBRARY EDUCATION
IN T U N I S I A AND J O R D A N
9
It is quite clear that library education was non-existent before 1958 in Jordan and 1964 in Tunisia. This situation could be explained by the non-existence of qualified professional personnel to provide training in librarianship. The two countries were under the influence of western powers (Great Britain and France). To start library education in these countries, the assistance of U N E S C O and some western countries was necessary. As a result, the start of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia was quite similar. As a corollary, the role of the few qualified librarians in J o r d a n and Tunisia in the beginning was very limited. In Jordan, M o h m o u d Et-Akhras who studied Library Science in Great Britain gave only one short training course for school librarians in 1958 while the U N E S C O expert gave three short courses in the same period. 1 In Tunisia, the role of the native documentalists was limited to assisting the foreign experts during the course work. 2 Another similarity within the development of education for librarianship in J o r d a n and Tunisia is the short courses. During the establishment of education for librarianship, the short courses were the most frequent. This could be due to the lack of trained librarians in the two countries at that time. Thus, to allow the training of a large number of native librarians, short courses appeared to be more suitable. During that period the quality of training was less important than the quantity. It is better to have librarians who are not highly qualified than to have no librarians. Due to the factors mentioned above, the first courses in librarianship which were given in J o r d a n in 1958 were over short periods of time. Furthermore, the J o r d a n Library Association decided as early as 1964 to organize short courses in librarianship and invited foreign professionals to participate in them. In Tunisia, on the other hand, the six training sessions for documentalists which were conducted during the period 1966-71 lasted for six months. Course work was organized in six cycles of one month each. In Jordan, these short courses were interrupted in 1966 when a paraprofessional program lasting for two years was introduced at A m m a n Teacher's Training Institute. In Tunisia, the short courses were replaced by longer courses in 1969 when the Institute Ali Bach H a m b a was given a new orientation, and the responsibility for training documentalists was transferred to the Ecole Nationate d'Administration (ENA).3 One thing should be mentioned at this point, in J o r d a n the introduction of library education in higher education institutions was 1Suleiman Mustapha (198I). Development of Library Education in Jordan, pp. 67 68. Master Thesis. Loughborough University. 2 Abdelaziz Abid, op. cit., p. 213. 3Abdelbaky Daly (1984). L'enseignement des techniques documentaires en Tunisie entre les besoins et les moyens. Revue Maghrebine de documentation, no. 2 (March), 83.
10
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A N D R. N I M E R
not possible before 1966 because of (a) the lack of qualified lecturers and (b) the fact that these institutions were not developed enough to adopt such new fields of librarianship. In Tunisia, the introduction of library education in higher educational institutions was possible from the beginning (1964) because UNESCO designed Ali Bach Hamba Institute to be a regional institution serving not only Tunisia but also other French-speaking African countries. An educational institution having such regional responsibilities should be integrated in higher educational institutions from the beginning. The support of a very high qualified international teaching team helped this integration. It should also be noted that because of the lack of catalogers in the Jordanian and Tunisian libraries, technical courses such as cataloging and classification have been emphasized from the beginning. Actually, without losing much importance these technical courses are taught at the same time with more integrated curricula. As a result of the increasing awareness of the importance of a general background for the profession of a librarian, non-technical courses such as History of Arabic and Islamic libraries, Research Methodology, Foreign languages (mainly English), History of Civilization, Psychology and Communication, Law and Economics are taught. In the last decade there has been an increasing number of library schools in the two countries. In Jordan, departments of library science are available at the University of Jordan and more than eight community colleges. In Tunisia, since 1981, library science has been taught either at the Institut de presse et des sciences de l'information or at the Institut Superieur de Documentation. This phenomenon could be attributed to the increasing of the national needs for librarians. Since the capacity &training of one Institution is very limited, it might have been seen that the problem could be solved by the introduction of library education at different higher educational institutions. However, with the similarities of the development of library education in Jordan and Tunisia, it should be noted that the difference of the role played by each of the Jordan Library Association (JLA) and the Association Tunisienne des Documentalistes, Biblioth~caires et Archivistes (Tunisian Association of Documentalists, Librarians and Archivists) (ATD). Whereas JLA played an important role in the development of library education in Jordan by organizing 45 short courses during the period 1964-76, the ATD did not play a significant role at this level. This could be due to the positive impact of British librarianship on Jordanian Librarianship and to the negative impact of French librarianship on Tunisian Librarianship. This may be attributed to the fact that library associations are more active in AngloSaxon countries than in other countries.
LIBRARY EDUCATION
II. P R O B L E M S
AFFECTING
IN T U N I S I A
LIBRARY
AND J O R D A N
EDUCATION
11
IN J O R D A N
AND T U N I S I A
While library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia benefits from the same positive factors such as the Arabic and Islamic culture, the ALECSO (Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization) activities, the U N E S C O contribution, the influence of IFLA, FID, W H O and ICA, the contribution of foreign librarians, library studies abroad and the establishment of libraries and the expansion of education, 1 it also faces similar problems. One of the major problems facing library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia is that the profession of librarianship is not recognized by the society in the two countries. M a n y people in the two countries do not know what a librarian can do; they still think of him as someone who looks after a store of books (book-keeper).2 There is not only a lack of public awareness about the importance of librarians and library services in supporting the social, educational and economic progress of the country, but also there is a lack of appreciation and understanding by the authorities. 3 The authorities do not realize what a librarian is. More than this, the librarian in m a n y cases (in Jordan) has to sign a contract and to provide a financial guarantee to the government department (in which he works) against possible loss of library materials for which he is considered personally responsible. 4 This trend and other reasons such as the salary scale of librarians and their status, and the low prestige of the profession compared with other professions are among the major difficulties faced by library education in the two countries. Another Achilles' heel of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia is the lack of full-time qualified lecturers. It should be noted that the majority of lecturers in library science in J o r d a n and Tunisia are parttimers. This does not help to improve library education in the two countries when we take into consideration the suggestion of the American Library Association (ALA) stipulating that: the instructional p r o g r a m must be the responsibility of a corp of full-time faculty
1Abdullah Sharif (1980). Education for Librarianship in the Arab Countries: Present Practices, Problems andPossible Solutions, pp. 67-77. Tripoli: University of A1 Fatah. 2 Suleiman Mustapha, op. cir., p. 198. 3Abdullah Sharif, op. cit., p. 76. 4 Rihbi Nimer (1984). The Development of Libraries andLibrary Education in Jordan, p. 48. University ofPittsburgh.
12
A. B O U A Z Z A
AND
R. N I M E R
sufficient in n u m b e r to p r o v i d e s t a b i l i t y a n d c o n t i n u i t y o f i n s t r u c t i o n , to c a r r y t h e m a j o r p o r t i o n o f t h e t e a c h i n g l o a d a n d to r e p r e s e n t a v a r i e t y o f c o m p e t e n c i e s . 1
In addition, some part-time lecturers in the two countries lack such good professional experience and they have little knowledge of practical realities of librarianship in general and in J o r d a n and Tunisia in particular. As far as these writers know the curricula of different programs in librarianship in J o r d a n and Tunisia, it should be noted that sometimes the curricula are not well defined in terms of objectives and contents. In addition, the curricula of m a n y programs are in fact traditional, out of date and do not conform to the modern approach to library service. As a result, much emphasis is put on technical courses (classification and cataloging) while communication, behavioral studies, user studies a n d management of libraries are neglected. However, it seems that the Tunisian professionals are more aware of the integration of such courses in the curricula in order to improve library education in the country. As a consequence, seminars in psychology and communication and library management are given in the two library schools in Tunisia? '3 A n o t h e r important problem influencing the improvement of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia is the lack of professional literature in Arabic and French. It should be noted that few books in librarianship have been published in the two countries. In addition, there are only two professional reviews in librarianship published in J o r d a n and Tunisia. In Jordan, the J o r d a n Library Association publishes Rissalat AI Maktaba. Whereas, in Tunisia, the Institut Sup6rieur de Documentation publishes Revue Maghrebine de Documentation. The books and journals in the field of library science published in the Arab countries such as Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq are often inadequate in quality, out-of-date, and unrelated to the specific needs of libraries in other Arab countries. Basic library tools such as cataloging rules, classification schemes and lists ofsubject headings are rarely available in Arabic. Even French materials which are used in Tunisia seem to be outof-date (compared with American and British materials) and unrelated to the specific needs of the country. In fact, the lack of teaching materials handicaps the quality of library education in the two countries. Traditional teaching methods constitute another barrier to the improvement of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia. Indeed, the 1 A L A Committee on Accreditation ( 1951) Standardsfor Accreditation Adopted by the Council qfALA, p. 2. 13July. z Ali Mansour (1984). L'Institut superieur de documentation ou Essai Analytique sur le cycle court. Revue Maghrebine de documentation, No. 2 (March), 161 194. a Programme de Maitrise cn D. B. A., Ann6e Universitaire 1982-83. Institut de Presse et des sciences de l'information.
LIBRARY
EDUCATION
IN T U N I S I A
AND J O R D A N
13
main teaching method used in library education in the two countries is the lecture supplemented by discussions and readings. Students are usually allowed to interrupt the lecturer to ask questions, to discuss a point or to answer questions. Other teaching methods such as seminars, tutorials, field work, case method, role playing etc. are rarely used. Audiovisual instruction materials are seldom used because they are not usually available, and when they are available, the lecturers rarely use them because they are not trained in their use. Because there are few textbooks available, students mostly depend on lecturers. When a textbook is available for some lecturers it is everything and should be used by the students as the Koran.
SUMMARY
AND
CONCLUSION
The comparative discussion of some aspects of the development of library education in J o r d a n and Tunisia and of some problems negatively affecting its improvement seems to confirm the hypothesis formulated at the beginning which is related to the similarity of the development of library education and the problems affecting it in countries with similar cultures and type of economy. Concerning the development of library education in the two countries, the comparative approach showed that due to the lack of native professional librarians, the start of library education necessitated foreign assistance ( U N E S C O and some western countries). This start was also characterized by the conduct of short courses in order to allow the training of a large number of native librarians. Finally, library education integrated higher education institutions when these institutions matured and became likely to accept and accommodate untraditional disciplines such as Library and Information Science. It seems that the economic factors have determined the development of library education in the two countries. Because J o r d a n and Tunisia are developing countries, foreign assistance was necessary for the start of library education in the two countries. Due also to an unfavorable cultural and social environment (the two societies do not recognize librarianship as a profession), the integration of library education in higher educational institutions took time to materialize. Regarding the problems negatively affecting library education in the two countries, the comparative approach made quite clear that these problems are almost the same. Thus, the lack of recognition affecting library education in the two countries could be interpreted by the transitional situation characterizing the two societies. The date of gaining independence in the two countries is recent. Hence, the
14
A. B O U A Z Z A
AND
R.
NIMER
governments of the two countries try to decrease the rate of illiteracy. As a consequence, priority has been given to scholarization and not to libraries. In doing so, these governments forgot that these cultural institutions are such a useful tool in combating illiteracy and in providing continuing education. Tradition is also another factor playing against the recognition oflibrarianship as profession. Librarians have been considered for a long time as book-keepers and it is not easy to change this image. The second barrier to the development of library education in the two countries, the lack of qualified lecturers, is the result of the first problem. If librarianship is not recognized as a profession, it is normal that few qualified professionals continue to work in the field. The number of qualified lecturers is also few because few librarians had the opportunity to benefit from a real professional training. This in turn is due to the lack of recognition of the profession of librarians and the limited financial resources of the two countries. The third problem, traditional curricula, is the consequence of the lack of qualified lecturers and library resources. Since the number of qualified lecturers in library education is insignificant in the two countries, one cannot expect up-to-date curricula. Without qualified professionals library literature cannot be developed. Finally, because of the weight of the tradition, teaching methods used in library education are still traditional. Hence, tradition is the main barrier to the introduction of new teaching methods in library education. Another aspect of the problem is the limited financial resources in the two countries. This makes the acquisition of new materials such as audiovisual instructional materials difficult. As a result, this does not help the changing of teaching methods. In the light of the foregoing analysis, one can conclude that cultural and economic factors affect the development of education for librarianship in J o r d a n and Tunisia. Generalizing from this, it seems that library education in countries with similar cultures and type of economy evolves in a similar manner and faces, with some differences, identical problems. Considering that J o r d a n and Tunisia are two countries belonging to the same region (Arab world), we can conclude with Krzy 1 that "regarding the nature of our profession, although librarianship is a world profession, its practice is always influenced by local determinants for example, the area's history, culture, economy etc." However, we need to study more cases and to take into account some intervening variables in order to make the generalization of the results of this study more reliable. 1 Richard Krzy (1983). World Librarianship: A Comparative Study, p. 180. New York: Marcel Dekker.