by Mary Lynn Rice-Lively
Today's technological innovations enable remarkable opportunities for collaboration, communication, and education. Recent instructional initiatives at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at The University of Texas at Austin demonstrate the bridging of geographical, cultural, language, and technological boundaries with two "borderless education" projects. The first project is with the Departamento de Bibliotecología y Documentación in the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) and facilitates a multi-year faculty and student exchange program. The second project with the Virtual University at the Instituto Tecnològico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico (ITESM) involves the collaborative development of six web-based classes for ITESM's online master's program in library and information studies. Both projects encourage the exchange of curricular content, technical expertise in instructional settings, and travel (actual and virtual) between the UT Community and both Monterrey and Buenos Aires. Both programs have inspired GSLIS faculty to develop and practice their Spanish language skills as well as laid the foundations for new alliances in Mexico and South America.
In 1928 the Universidad de Buenos Aires' Departamento de Bibliotecología y Documentación was created as a part of the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Today, over 670 students attend evening classes to work toward their degree in libraries and documentation. The program has four full-time and five part-time faculty. Planning for the UBA-UT program began late in 1996 with an email message to Elsa Barber (director of the library program at UBA) from Dan Hazen (Harvard University librarian and library programs consultant for the Lampadia Foundation), proposing that GSLIS UT-Austin would be a good partner with whom UBA could work to shape changes in the Argentine LIS education program. At a January 1997 meeting in Austin with representatives of UBA, UT, and both the Lampadia and Antorchas Foundations, plans began to emerge for UT and UBA faculty exchanges and UBA students to study at UT. Later, in 1997, UT professor David Gracy made two visits to Argentina to finalize the cooperative agreement. The pioneer instructor was Julie Hallmark of the GSLIS faculty who traveled to Buenos Aires in June 1998 to provide a series of lectures on special libraries and information brokers.
Since that time, six UBA faculty members have traveled to Austin for one to two week visits, during which time they attended classes, met with students and faculty, and visited area libraries and other related information service agencies. One UBA faculty member, Valeria Werner, who actually moved to Austin and has completed her MLIS, is now working toward a specialization in preservation and conservation studies. Over the last two years, six UBA adjunct faculty have traveled to Austin to exchange ideas with faculty and students on instructional and information service strategies.
Four UT-Austin faculty traveled to Buenos Aires to provide one week of instruction (five evening lectures) to UBA students and faculty.
Class lectures were conducted using a mix of English and Spanish, depending upon the spoken Spanish expertise of the instructor. During each course UBA provided interpreters who translated for the lecturer or for the students asking questions. The majority of the students have some reading but little spoken knowledge of English. Despite the language challenges, UT and UBA faculty and students were able to explore new areas of expertise, exchange stories, and build new foundations for ongoing friendships and collaboration.
During a February 2000 two-week planning visit to Austin, Elsa Barber and UT-GSLIS Dean Roberta Shaffer developed plans for additional faculty exchanges in 2000 and 2001. Among the plans are two to three more visits per year by UT-GSLIS faculty and additional visits from UBA faculty. The courses to be offered by UT faculty include the following topics: organization of knowledge, information networks, research, and archives and preservation. As a result of the exchange the UBA program has revised its curriculum to include an emphasis on archives and preservation topics; but, until Argentine faculty have been identified to lead this instructional thrust, visiting UT-Austin faculty will assist with instruction.
The exchanges between UBA and UT-GSLIS visiting professors have yielded benefits on many levels for both the Argentine and Texas visitors. All GSLIS faculty visiting Buenos Aires remarked on the level of commitment and enthusiasm of their students, the dedication and integrity of the UBA faculty, and the warm and generous hospitality of their hosts. Each faculty member returned to Austin with new understanding of the challenges to information services in Argentina, as well as to educating librarians for the future. Although no one among the GSLIS faculty admitted actually doing the tango, they all had the opportunity to work into their busy schedule of tours to select library and cultural institutions a taste of the fabulous Buenos Aires night life, where dinner often doesn't begin until 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. and is followed by visits to colorful tango performances. One striking example of the differences between UT and UBA is that the UBA campuses are scattered literally all over Buenos Aires with no one, central campus as is the case with most American universities. Additionally, because UBA students do not pay tuition, funding for programs such as the LIS program is minimal. Nonetheless, both the UBA and the UT programs are richer in their understanding of the challenges and joys of LIS education at two very different junctures of the northern and southern hemispheres. (For more about the UBA program, see http://www.filo.uba.ar/Departamentos/biblio/biblio.htm.)
In the Spring of 1999, Julie Hallmark and assistant dean, Mary Lynn Rice-Lively, who were visiting Monterrey for a consultation with Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, began conversations with representatives of the Virtual University, Instituto Tecnològico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mèxico (ITESM) to cooperate in the design of a web-based master's program in library and information science in Monterrey. ITESM is a private institution without political or religious affiliations and has 29 campuses in Mexico, a student enrollment of nearly 80,070, and a faculty of 6,201. A part of its mission is to educate students to be individuals who are committed to the social, economic, and political development of their communities and to be internationally competitive in their professional fields. ITESM is further committed to the education of library and information service professionals working at their campuses. The Virtual University (UV) of ITESM has a dual purpose: to extend the coverage of the best faculty from the system itself and other universities; and to deliver quality education to new settings. The UV offers 15 master's programs and a doctoral program in: administration, education, and engineering and technology.
The agreement between ITESM and GSLIS-UT calls for collaborative development of an ALA-accredited, web-based master's program in library and information science. This agreement covers the provision of five courses in library and information science to be developed jointly. While delivery of these courses has occurred at ITESM's Virtual University, it is hoped that the courses will have participants from UT-Austin in the future.
The courses (an average of two each semester) are delivered using a combination of the web-based instruction and four interactive video-teleconferencing sessions. Once again, Julie Hallmark pioneered the initiative by modifying her course "Introduction to Information Resources and Services" and offering it through ITESM during the fall 1999 semester. Using ITESM's well-conceived model of a team approach to web-course development, Dr. Hallmark and GSLIS information technology staff joined forces with ITESM-UV instructional and web design staff to craft a course appropriate for delivery on the Web. Dr. Filiberto Martínez, coordinator of the center for library science research at the National Autonomous University of Mèxico, worked with Dr. Hallmark and served as the lead professor and facilitator for the class in Monterrey.
As with all these courses, classes have a lead content professor in Austin and a lead professor in Monterrey who works to ensure successful transmission of the course. Readings and assignments are available on the Web in English while Hypernews discussions accessible through the Web were conducted in Spanish. The instructional model combines work teams in both cities, thus enabling strong course content that reflects the context of library and information services in Mexico and is adapted to the telecommunications infrastructure of the ITESM campuses.
The second phase of the program continued during the Spring 2000 semester with courses being developed using the same model by Dr. Sanda Erdelez (online information resources) and by Dr. Donald G. Davis (collection development). After a period of review, the course content and design for each course will be evaluated and revised for use with UT-Austin GSLIS students. Information on the ITESM Virtual University program can be viewed on the Web at http://www.itesm.mx/uv.htm.
In part to celebrate the new cooperative project, Carlos Cruz, president of the Virtual University spoke to the GSLIS graduation convocation. His address, "The Future of Education and the Role of Libraries in the Context of Current Technological Trends," considered the dynamic and potentially creative period of the 21st century and charged graduates to view themselves as talented people who can cause transformational change around the world while never losing sight of their social responsibility. Library professionals across national boundaries share this understanding. The joint projects undertaken by GSLIS have shown that technology allows not only for a greater compatibility of skills and research but also enables a more long-lasting view of global professional ethics and mission.
Although the UBA/UT program began one year before the arrival of UT President Larry Faulkner and two years before the arrival of Dean Roberta Shaffer, both the UBA and the ITESM projects intersect with one of The University of Texas' priorities to strengthen UT-Latin American initiatives. Dean Shaffer's recasting of the name and responsibility of the GSLIS Borderless Education Committee fortifies the School's continued commitment to educational initiatives that are untethered by borders, technology, culture, or language as an appropriate goal for higher education entering the new century.
Mary Lynn Rice-Lively is assistant dean and coordinator of information technology at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at The University of Texas at Austin.