I am happy to announce that the Italian translation of the first two parts (six chapters) of my book, International and comparative librarianship: concepts and methods for global studies (Berlin; Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2019) has been published by the Italian Library Association:

Lor, Peter Johan, Biblioteconomia internazionale e comparata : concetti e metodi per studi globali. Edizione italiana a cura di Mauro Guerrini e Maria Enrica Vadalà; con nuova prefazione dell’autore; saggio introduttivo di Maria Enrica Vadalà. Roma: Associazione italiana biblioteche, 2024.

This publication is due to the initiative of my friend Mauro Guerrini, who persuaded me that a translation was needed and who saw to it that it was done. The translation, by Maria Dallavalle and Lapo Ghiringhelli, was reviewed and edited by Mauro himself and Maria Enrica Vadalà, in close collaboration with myself. Enrica also wrote an introductory essay, “Biblioteconomia, Librarianship e Library science: due mondi a confronto nella International and comparative librarianship di Peter Johan Lor” (Biblioteconomia, Librarianship e Library science: two worlds compared in International and comparative librarianship by Peter Johan Lor). It is a scholarly and thoughtful essay well worth reading for its own sake.

The process

Because of my limited Italian, I had assumed that my reading of the draft translation would be mostly a formality, requiring a rapid skimming of the translation and maybe a close reading of some sampled text. This was not how it worked out. It was not an easy text to translate. For many of the terms there were no ready Italian translations. Four years had passed since I had written the English text. Some updating and some corrections were necessary, as well as some limited adaptations for the Italian readership. All the URLs were checked and updated. In addition it was a salutary experience for me as the author to be confronted with some passages which were difficult to translate simply because my English text was poorly written and inherently confusing. I found myself sitting with the English text in front of me and asking myself, “What was I trying to say here?” and sometimes, “Is this really necessary?”  I marked a number of needed corrections in my English working copy for the unlikely event that a second edition might be called for.  Translating turned out to be a time-consuming process, requiring a close reading of the whole text and giving rise to a great deal of enlightening email correspondence with Mauro and especially with Enrica, who is a patient and meticulous editor. I am indebted to Mauro and Enrica, not only for their contributions to this publication, but also for our stimulating collegial discussions. And in the course of these interactions, my Italian improved a bit too.

The book is available at https://www.aib.it/prodotto/biblioteconomia-internazionale-e-comparata-concetti-e-metodi-per-studi-globali/.

The publisher’s “blurb”

Here is the publisher’s “blurb” translated by Google Translate:

Peter Johan Lor’s International and comparative librarianship, which was published in 2019, filling a gap in the professional literature, offers a broad conceptual framework of the discipline and, at the same time, the first systematic historical and bibliographic review of international and comparative librarianship and methodological guidelines for the scientific investigation of the field. The Italian edition, revised by the author, presents the first two parts of the work, dedicated respectively to concepts and methodology, methods and research evaluation, expanding the references to European and Italian library science and its sources. The analysis of international relations between libraries and information services contributes to the definition of methodological tools suitable for the systematic study of affinities and differences between libraries and library realities in one or more countries, and their causes, prompting a reflection on the role and objectives of libraries and information services and on their respective contexts, to orient future activities to the needs of the communities of reference.

What about the other chapters?

At over 900 pages the original book was simply too hefty for the publisher, and we had to choose. Two parts, chapters 7 to 12, were not translated. They should have been developed and published as separate books, but my publisher would not allow it. Part III, Political economy (two chapters, 102 pages) which covers the political economy of LIS, access to knowledge and global flows of information, would IMHO have made a concise and accessible introductory text. Part IV, Influence (four chapters, 256 pages) covers international influence, diffusion of ideas, and policy transfer in LIS, colonialism, development and aid, with a number of exhibits illustrating LIS development in selected  regions and countries. To my knowledge it offers the only general, international treatment of these topics. Unfortunately the title of my book, and its massive size, does not invite potential readers who may be interested in these topics, to look there.