A Cross Cultural Framework: Implications for Improving the Academic Library Experience for East Asian Students

Abstract

Academic librarians have a unique opportunity to engage with international students and meet their information needs. The purpose of this paper is to explore recent efforts within academic libraries to prepare East Asian international students to utilize library services and develop a comprehensive set of guidelines for improving cross cultural communication in academic libraries. For the purposes of this 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 often differ from those provided by American university librarians, which can result in East Asian students avoiding the reference desk entirely. Language barriers and cultural differences also make it difficult for librarians to effectively communicate with East Asian students. Librarians can successfully engage these students through the use of cross cultural communication. To date, there is no comprehensive framework related to implementing cross cultural communication within the context of academic libraries.