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Collaboration Between Academic Libraries in Australia and Iraq to Address the Information Gap in Iraq

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Collaboration Between Academic Libraries in Australia and Iraq to Address the Information Gap in Iraq School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry Faculty of Humanities Collaboration between Academic Libraries in Australia and Iraq to Address the Information Gap in Iraq Maysoon Fouad Saleem Saleem This thesis is presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Curtin University October 2020 DECLARATION To the best ofmy knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any otherperson except where due acknowledgment has been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted forthe award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Nor does it contain within any defamatory material against an individual (living or deceased) or organisation (past or present). S.1 gnature .................................................. Date: ... 14-10-2020 ................................................... 3 ABSTRACT Recent wars in Iraq have caused a loss of scholars and library collections resulting in significant information gaps, including the destruction of library collections of global importance. This thesis investigates the extent of collaboration between academic libraries in Australia, Iraq and some other countries, in particular those that share similar characteristics such as Indonesia, Iran, and Africa, with the aim of suggesting opportunities for greater cooperation between them, particularly between Iraq and Australia, in order to help close Iraq’s information gap and restore the quality of the country’s higher education sector. An initial review of the literature identifies three key areas—namely, the nature and extent of the “information gap” in Iraq, the use of scholarly communication and the way these relate to collaboration within and between academic libraries. These key issues direct the methodological and analytical approaches used in the study. The methodology involved collecting data through interviews with academic library practitioners in both Australia and Iraq and with researchers from developing nations. Three universities and their associated libraries in Iraq and two universities in Australia were involved. Data collection in Australia was through digital audio recording. The Iraqi subjects were interviewed via an online tool, using a secondary device for recording the interviews. Interviews conducted in Arabic were translated into English, and all interviews were transcribed and managed using NVivo qualitative analysis software. Thematic analysis was then undertaken to develop a comprehensive understanding of the emerging themes. The results were used to develop a theoretical structure for the facilitation of scholarly communications between Iraqi and Australian academic libraries. A significant information gap exists in academic libraries in Iraq in terms of access to or producing knowledge, because of the missing infrastructure. The main factors here are economic, technological, political and cultural (including language barriers). As a result, academic librarians and students in Iraq and other countries make much use of free social media. Copyright and licensing rules are further obstacles to all sharing of knowledge. This study recommends the facilitation of scholarly communication between Iraqi and international academic universities and libraries by encouraging 4 participation in the open-access movement, the use of (social) networking between academic libraries and addressing language barriers. It is an appeal to all authors and publishers to make information available without financial or other barriers. Of great importance is the development of compatible library systems between Iraq and other countries. This necessitates using a common language, being Arabic or English, although it is acknowledged that English, for the time being, will be required. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a great many people who have assisted me over the years of this research. A few of them I want to mention here and thank from the bottom of my heart. My beloved husband, Saadi Al-Jassani, has tirelessly and patiently supported me in this endeavour. Associate Professor Amanda Davies and Dr Joanne Boycott at Curtin University allowed me to continue my PhD. My profound gratitude also goes to Dr Mohamed Aouda Eliwy, Chairman of the Information and Libraries Department, Faculty of Arts, University of Basrah, who agreed to participate and then made it possible for me to include librarians from Basrah in this research. Professor Talal Nadhum Azzuhairi, General Secretary of the Mustansiriyah University Library and Lecturer in the Information and Library Department, Baghdad, is considered an icon among librarians in Iraq. I thank him for volunteering his time and presenting powerful points in support of this research. I wish to thank my various supervisors at Curtin University—Dr Paul Genoni, Dr Donna Butorac, Dr Anne Aly, and Dr David Pyvis—who supported me in many aspects of my research journey. I am grateful to the many participants and interviewees in my study, without whom this effort would not have been possible. Many thanks also to my final supervisor, Dr Amma Buckley (and Dr Hollie White), for critically reviewing my work. Amma is capable of dealing with a lot of research issues. I learnt new research skills from her; she is an expert in supervision; she guides me in a positive way and never upsets me; she makes me more confident and takes my hand and stands me upright. I wish to thank the Curtin University Library, the Reed Library at the University of Western Australia, and the Medical and Dental library for providing me with the volunteers and opportunity and resources to undertake the study. My special thanks to Mr Arthur Rosenwald, who, with his humbleness and his patience to finish this project, helped me put it all together at the end. 6 DEDICATION I wish to dedicate this thesis to Mrs Aieda Mustafa Salman, General Secretary of the Central Library of the University of Baghdad, who helped me endlessly with finding and arranging interviews with the Iraqi librarians who participated in this research. I also wish to dedicate this thesis to the Iraqi government, for giving me the opportunity to complete my PhD in Australia in the specialisation of libraries and information science—and, thus, of the development of all libraries in Iraq. In addition, I wish to dedicate this thesis to the Australian government, for its cooperation in accepting Iraqi students to study at its well-known universities to develop Iraq’s specialties, as well as for the financial support and medical care it has given to me during my studies. 7 CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 14 The Field of Study ...................................................................................................... 14 Research Question and Objectives ............................................................................. 22 Research Significance ................................................................................................ 24 Presentation of the Study ........................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 2: THE IMPACT OF WAR AND INVASION ON IRAQ, 1980–2015 27 From Ancient Mesopotamia to Modern Iraq ............................................................. 27 Iraq: War, Sanctions, and Occupation, 1980–2018.................................................... 29 Iraq’s Higher Education System ................................................................................ 33 Cultural Cleansing ...................................................................................................... 36 Damage to Libraries, Library Collections, and Research Facilities ........... 47 Telecommunications in Post-Invasion Iraq ................................................ 51 Social Networking .................................................................................. 53 CHAPTER 3: PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE (LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE) ..................................................................................... 56 Information Gap ......................................................................................................... 56 Definition and Components ....................................................................... 57 History and Background ............................................................................ 60 First Phase: Knowledge Gap .................................................................. 61 Second Phase: Information Gap ............................................................. 62 Third Phase: Digital Divide ................................................................... 64 Quality and Quantity of Information ..................................................... 69 Fourth Phase: Globalisation and the Cultural Divide ............................ 71 Country Approaches ................................................................................... 76 Information Gap in Developing Countries ............................................. 76 The History of the Arab World .............................................................. 78 The Information Gap to Be Studied in This Thesis ............................... 79 Scholarly Communication .......................................................................................... 81 The Role of Academic Libraries in Scholarly Communication ................. 85 Academic Libraries in Australia and Scholarly Communication .......... 87 Academic Libraries in
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