Cross-cultural communication: implications for effective information services in academic libraries

Abstract

International students and scholars on campuses in the United States constitute a complex, diverse, and rapidly growing population that must be served effectively by academic libraries. This article examines cultural differences with a focus on communication processes and styles, and recommends ways to accommodate cross-cultural differences in information services. The article includes a survey of relevant literature and draws on the results of a series of focus groups conducted at Harvard University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Portland State University, and one of the annual conferences of the American Library Association