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| Asian Library Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Asian Library Association |
| Abbreviation | ALA (note: not to be confused with other abbreviations) |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Type | Professional association |
| Region served | Asia-Pacific |
| Headquarters | Singapore |
| Languages | English, Chinese, Japanese |
| Website | (not provided) |
Asian Library Association is a regional professional association for libraries, librarians, information professionals, and archival institutions across Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Founded in the 1990s, it seeks to advance library development through networking, standards, training, and advocacy. The Association operates in multiple languages and engages with national libraries, university libraries, public libraries, and international organizations to influence policy, practice, and scholarship in the region.
The Association emerged from dialogues among leaders of the National Library Board (Singapore), National Diet Library (Japan), National Library of China, National Library of Korea, and regional university consortia such as the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning and the University Grants Commission (India). Early formative meetings included participants from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and the Asian Development Bank, inspired by initiatives like the Seoul Declaration and the Bangkok Agenda for Libraries. Founders drew on comparative models from the Library of Congress, the British Library, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France while responding to regional priorities articulated at forums convened by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO. Over successive decades the Association expanded membership to include institutions from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia (Asian part), Australia, and New Zealand. Major milestones included memoranda with the International Council on Archives and cooperative projects modeled on the Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education programs.
The Association’s mission foregrounds capacity-building for professionals from institutions such as the National Central Library (Taiwan), the Bodleian Library, and prominent university libraries including University of Tokyo Library and Peking University Library. Objectives emphasize professional development, preservation of cultural heritage exemplified by collaborations with the Tibet Heritage Fund and the Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum, promotion of open access aligned with initiatives like the Budapest Open Access Initiative, and the harmonization of cataloging influenced by standards such as Resource Description and Access and Dublin Core. The Association also seeks to advocate for funding mechanisms referenced by bodies like the Asian Development Bank and to encourage digitization partnerships with institutions exemplified by the Digital Library of India and the National Diet Library Digital Collections.
Membership comprises national libraries, academic libraries, special libraries, library associations such as the Indian Library Association, the Library Association of Singapore, and consortia like the China Academic Library and Information System. Governance follows a council model with elected representatives from regional zones similar to structures used by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and the Confederation of Open Access Repositories. Leadership roles have been held by directors drawn from the National Library Board (Singapore), the National Library of New Zealand, the Royal Library of Thailand, and senior librarians affiliated with the University of the Philippines Diliman and National Taiwan University. Financial oversight involves partnerships with funding agencies including the Ford Foundation, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and bilateral donors such as USAID.
Programs include continuing professional education in areas championed by organizations such as the Association of Research Libraries and the CENDI network, regional digitization projects modelled after the World Digital Library, preservation workshops inspired by the International Council on Monuments and Sites training, and advocacy campaigns referencing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Activities span training exchanges with the British Council, fellowship schemes patterned on the Fulbright Program, and technical assistance collaborations with the Asia-Pacific Network for Free/Open Source Software. The Association also runs multilingual portals for metadata sharing and provides consultancy services for national projects such as those undertaken by the National Library of India and the National Library of Australia.
Annual and biennial conferences rotate among host cities including Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, and Tokyo, often co-located with meetings of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions regional offices and joint symposia with the Association for Information Science and Technology. Conference proceedings have featured speakers from institutions like the Harvard Library, the Princeton University Library, and the Max Planck Society, and have produced policy papers later cited in compilations by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. The Association publishes journals, newsletters, and technical reports analogous to titles produced by the Journal of Documentation and the International Journal of Librarianship, and issues guidelines on cataloging, digital preservation, and access modeled on outputs from the National Information Standards Organization.
The Association maintains formal links with intergovernmental bodies such as UNESCO, regional bodies like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations cultural committees, and academic networks including the Association of Commonwealth Universities. It collaborates with cultural institutions such as the Asian Art Museum (San Francisco), the Victoria and Albert Museum, and national heritage agencies including Archaeological Survey of India for joint exhibitions and preservation initiatives. Technology partnerships have been forged with organizations like OCLC, Google Books in negotiated archival projects, and open-source communities linked to Duraspace. Funding and project collaboration have involved the European Union research programs and foundations such as the Wellcome Trust.
Impact claims include measurable improvements in interlibrary loan networks akin to systems at the OCLC WorldCat, increased digitization outputs compared to early initiatives like the Digital Library of China, and influence on national policies referenced in white papers from the Ministry of Culture (Japan) and the Ministry of Education (India). Critics argue the Association at times privileges major urban institutions—echoing critiques leveled at the Global Libraries program—and may replicate Western standards without adequate adaptation for indigenous knowledge systems represented by groups like the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Debates continue over language equity, resource distribution, and the balance between digitization and community-based preservation championed by organizations such as the Tsunami Cultural Recovery Project.
Category:Library associations Category:Organizations established in the 1990s Category:Libraries in Asia