Library education in Japan, Republic of Korea and Taiwan : a comparative study

This study has compared the education for professional librarians in Japan, Korea and Taiwan, which have shared similar cultural backgrounds while developing each its own distinct national culture and character. It was intended to draw out similarities and differences in the educational systems with interpretations in the light of the social and cultural backgrounds. The hypotheses the research tries to verify are as follows: i) Japan, Korea and Taiwan have shared a similar cultural background and have adopted the same American educational system for librarians, so there will be similarities in library education in the three countries; ii) if differences exist, they will reveal the national characteristics including the priorities given to national development, economic development and educational standards in each country; iii) if the three countries share similarities in library education, they will also have similar trends, problems and future prospects resulting from the similarities The hypotheses have been verified as being true through the comparisons of such variables as the objectives of library education, teaching staff, students, curriculum, special requirements for the course, textbooks, research, facilities, relationships with outside libraries and incorporation of information science. The social needs in library services, the trends, problems and future of library education felt by library educators along with the employment of library school graduates have also been compared. Based on the findings and their interpretation eight suggestions for better library education in the region are recommended.