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36A Cross Cultural Framework:Implications for Improving the Academic LibraryExperience for East Asian StudentsMelissa AaronbergBriarcliffe CollegeAbstractAcademic librarians have a unique opportunity to engage with international students and meet theirinformation needs. The purpose of this paper is to explore recent efforts within academic libraries toprepare East Asian international students to utilize library services and develop a comprehensive setof guidelines for improving cross cultural communication in academic libraries. For the purposes ofthis paper, “East Asian” refers to Chinese (from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan), Japanese,and Korean students. The services provided by academic librarians within East Asian countries oftendiffer from those provided by American university librarians, which can result in East Asian studentsavoiding the reference desk entirely. Language barriers and cultural differences also make it difficultfor librarians to effectively communicate with East Asian students. Librarians can successfully engagethese students through the use of cross cultural communication. To date, there is no comprehensiveframework related to implementing cross cultural communication within the context of academiclibraries.Article Type: Conceptual paperIntroductionApplying cross cultural communication withinacademic libraries has the potential to improvethe library experiences of both internationalstudents and librarians. Culturally sensitivelibrarians recognize the way culture andlanguage shape an individual’s behavior, whileremaining aware of the context of a situation.Situations that require the skills of culturallysensitive librarians include, but are not limited to,the reference interview and information literacylectures. An academic librarian’s ability tocommunicate effectively with individuals fromother cultures is essential to increasing studentsatisfaction with the library and fostering acollaborative work environment amongst librarystaff.Although increased cultural sensitivity amongstlibrarians can be beneficial for all internationalstudents, this paper will prioritize the needs ofEast Asian students for practical andhumanitarian purposes. From 2014-2015,students from China, Japan, and Taiwancomprised 36% of all international studentsstudying in the United States (Zong andBatalova, 2016). As the number of East Asianstudents grow on academic campuses, librarianshave a responsibility to meet their educationalneeds. Centering on the needs of East Asianstudents is also valid from a social justiceperspective. According to Ruble and Zhang,stereotypes of Chinese students range from thebenign “smart and hardworking” to the negative“not assimilated and annoying” (2013). SuchEndnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round TableVolume 8, Issue 1, 2017pp. 36-45Published by the American Library Association Retained by the AuthorsISSN: 2159-0591

Endnotes 8.1stereotypes have the potential to negativelyinfluence the academic and social experiencesof Chinese students. Culturally sensitivelibrarians can play a pivotal role in creatingspaces that encourage diversity and tolerance.The purpose of this paper is to develop aframework for improving cross culturalcommunication in academic libraries. Buildingupon the best practices and strategies outlined inthe current literature, this framework willemphasize collaboration, cultural education,practical application, and assessment. Thispaper will explore the studies related to thelibrary use of East Asian students, and howthese experiences present both challenges andopportunities. The proposed framework will focuson the following components: collaborationbetween librarians, other university departments,and students in order to foster cross culturalcommunication, a cross cultural training programfor librarians that includes a variety of formats tooptimize learning, empowering librarians topractically apply cultural sensitivity on the job,and the importance of self- and managerassessments in determining how to utilize crosscultural communication in the long term.Literature ReviewEast Asian Students and the AcademicLibraryThe current body of literature regarding theinternational student experience in Americanacademic libraries provides a valuablefoundation with which to further examine theexperiences of East Asian students. Manyauthors have taken into consideration thedifferences between East Asian and Americanuniversity libraries, and have developedsuggestions to improve library services for EastAsian students. These authors advocated forincreased collaboration between library staff andfaculty in promoting diversity. Another commonrecommendation within these studies is toprovide resources for using the library inlanguages other than English. The themespresent in the current body of literature evolvedfrom general guidelines relating to internationalstudents to a nuanced approach of theexperiences of East Asian students.Early literature regarding international studentsin academic libraries identified the linguistic andcultural barriers that impacted these students’library use. In their 1987 seminal article “Foreignstudents, libraries, and culture”, Ball andMahoney identified the unique linguistic andcultural struggles international students facewhen interacting with academic librarians. Theserange from differences in the perceivedacceptability of maintaining eye contact to beingunaware of the services reference librarians offer(Ball & Mahoney, 1987, p. 163). Ball andMahoney also identified possible misconceptionsand prejudices academic librarians may havetowards international students, and imploredacademic librarians to be cognizant of culturaldifferences. The authors also note thedifferences between American university librariesand international libraries, such as theeducational background of librarians and theaccessibility of the stacks (Ball & Mahoney,1987, p. 164). Ziming Liu similarly identified thedifficulties Asian students encountered usingopen stacks and card catalogs (1993). Althoughthe authors’ suggestions on how to implementcross cultural communication in the referenceinterview are achievable in many academiclibraries, both Ball and Mahoney and Liu did notattempt to predict any student populationchanges or technology trends that may affecthow international students interact with librariansin the future.By the twenty-first century, scholars incorporatedthe perspectives of academic librarians in theiranalyses. In “Communication in academiclibraries: An East Asian perspective,” Zhangprovides a comprehensive set of possibleservices academic librarians can offer EastAsian students. Zhang suggested that librariesgive handouts in both English and East Asianlanguages with a map of the stacks and a list ofcommon library terms with their definitions(Zhang, 2006, p. 172). Zhang emphasized theimportance of hiring librarians from multiculturalbackgrounds and liaising with faculty membersto develop programs and workshops on diversity(Zhang, 2006, p. 172). Similarly, Mu suggested37

38Endnotes 8.1liasing with International Student Services andmaking the library’s website more user friendly in“Marketing academic library resources andinformation services to international studentsfrom Asia” (Mu, 2007, p. 574). Mu’s work took aholistic approach regarding students from Asia,whereas Zhang focused exclusively on EastAsian students.Another prominent suggestion in the currentliterature involved hiring librarians who specializein East Asian culture and languages. Afterobserving the library use of Chinese engineeringstudents at the University of Oklahoma in 2012,Chen and Brown determined that “fostering andpromoting an understanding of Chinese cultureand Chinese university library systems byrecruiting culturally sensitive librarians andcontinuing education will help providecustomized library services that meet Chineseengineering graduate students' informationneeds and in turn enhance their educationalexperiences in the United States” (Chen &Brown, 2012, p. 341). According to Shao,Scherlen, Johnson, Xu, and Hu’s “Chinesestudents in American academic libraries: Asurvey of Chinese user satisfaction with U.S.library experience,” 42% of those studentssurveyed answered “no” as to whether they werehelped by a librarian who specialized in assistingstudents from China (Shao, et. al, 2013, p.30).Furthermore, 73% of students surveyedanswered “no” to questions concerning whetherthe library’s website was available in Chineseand whether the stacks contained Chineselanguage materials (Shao, et. al, 2013, p.30).Based on these findings, increasedmulticulturalism within the library’s staff willgreatly benefit the user experiences of EastAsian students.Academic Expectations and Perceptions ofthe LibraryAcademic libraries within East Asian countriesdiffer from those found in American colleges anduniversities, and this informs an East Asianstudent’s understanding of what services thelibrary offers. Confucian values are reflected inmany East Asian university curriculums in theform of “observing, rote learning, and imitating,”as opposed to learning by participation andcritical thinking within American universities(Zhang, 2006, p. 167). Although the term “SuzhiJiaoyu,” which refers to a “quality” or holisticeducation, has made its way into Chinese highereducation since the 1990s, many Chinesestudents entering American universities arefamiliar with an exam based education asopposed to an education based on criticalthinking (Shao, Scherlen, Johnson, Xu, & Hu,2013). Similarly, Japanese students oftenmisunderstand American assignment guidelinesand are unfamiliar with the expectation to usemultiple sources rather than one textbook(Ishimura, 2013, p.22). In general, East Asianstudents are also unfamiliar with the concept ofplagiarism and often do not have experienceciting sources (Mu, 2007, p. 573). Whenconsidering these observations, however, it isnecessary not to stereotype East Asian studentson an individual level, as Ruble and Zhang warn(2013).Another key difference separating East Asianacademic libraries from those in the UnitedStates is the role of the librarian. According toMu, librarians in many Asian countries do notanswer reference questions or provide individualconsultations on a specific subject (Mu, 2007, p.573). As a result, East Asian students areunaware that American academic librarians areavailable to answer reference questions (Mu,2007, p.573). Although some librarians mayprovide reference services to students in EastAsia, many students do not necessarily use thatservice as most of their work is based on examsand textbook reading (Mu, 2007, p.573).Furthermore, librarians in East Asia are notrequired to hold a Masters in Library Sciencedegree (Mu, 2007, p.577). Mu succinctly statedthat East Asian students “tend to view the libraryas a place to study and librarians asbookkeepers rather than information providers”(Mu, 2007, p.573). Open communicationbetween librarians and students is a key step inadvertising the credentials and expertise of thelibrary staff.The experiences of East Asian students inmeeting their information needs are aninvaluable resource to consider when developing