Her target
contacts during this exploratory period were Librarians from
business schools which offered programs at the post-graduate
levels, and which had appeared in recognized rankings,
preferably with discrete libraries serving their communities.
Those of us in the initial round of contacts were unsure of
how such a network could work where cooperation among like
schools had, by and large, been reasonably infrequent and
informal. Nevertheless we were sufficiently interested to
assist in identifying further potential contacts to form a
membership core that would meet in 2002 to further explore the
establishment of such a group and how it might
operate.
By the end of
2001, a number of libraries in Australia, Singapore, Hong
Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, India, China and New Zealand
had been formally approached, and by February 2002, a report
had been prepared for comment by the libraries that had agreed
to join. This report included a draft mission statement and
membership criteria, and it proposed that the group hold an
Annual General Meeting at one of the member institutions, with
a different member volunteering each year to act as host,
assisted by a coordinator to lead the group and act as a group
representative and spokesperson.
 First
meeting in Singapore, greetings from India
This led to the first inaugural
meeting of the APBSLG, held over 4 days in September 2002 at
the Singapore campus of INSEAD. Represented at that meeting
were the librarians from the Singapore Institute of
Management; the Melbourne Business School; Nanyang
Technological University; the National University of
Singapore; the Australian Graduate School of Management; the
Chinese University of Hong Kong; Macquarie University and of
course INSEAD. Three members of the EBSLG - from Saint Gallen
University, the HEC and the Stockholm School of Economics -
joined us to assist in our establishment, and "virtual"
representation and expressions of interest were received from
the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), the
Philippines and New Zealand.
From early into that inaugural
meeting there was enthusiasm for the concept of the APBSLG
operating as a network of professional business school
librarians. It also became clear to those present that the
network would have as one of its chief merits the formation of
strong and lasting bonds of friendship and mutual respect, as
it became overwhelmingly evident that not only our
organizational goals and concerns were very similar, but that,
despite a wonderful diversity of background and cultures, as
professional librarians we shared common passions, common
ideals, and common ways of thinking about our endeavours in
our respective libraries.
By the end of that inaugural meeting
we had determined a broad structure and membership criteria -
modelling very closely on our European and US counterparts -
and we had determined to grow the group yearly to bring in
more libraries from a greater number of countries in our
region. At the same time, we wished to control the growth of
the group to a manageable size so as to keep the organization
fairly simple and retain the informality and friendliness of
that first meeting.
Membership by invitation
only
Since that year membership has been
by invitation issued by the coordinator. Our express charter
is to represent as many countries in the region as possible,
and at the same time develop some geographic balance in member
institutions. Representation on the group belongs to a titled
position and not a named individual, and is open to the head
of the library or - where no separate business school library
exists - to the person charged with collection and services
responsibility for the business school programs.
Each year's host designs the agenda
in consultation with the group, and based around a chosen
theme and including, as regular features for the annual
meeting, individual introductory presentations by each new
member attending; a number of library visits in the host city;
discussions of library trends on the theme chosen for that
year and sponsor/vendor presentations of latest products and
services. Given the high cost of travel, a balance of meeting
location is seen as desirable so that no individual member
institution has to bear the repeated burden of extensive and
costly travel.
In 2003 the
meeting of the group was held at the AGSM in Sydney Australia,
and in 2004 back in Singapore, this time at the Singapore
Institute of Management. At both meetings new members and
countries were added to the group, and in 2005, the APBSLG,
now numbering some 18 members from 7 countries met at the
Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration at
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, for its 4th Annual
Meeting, around the theme 'Creating the customer-driven
library: delivering users' satisfaction and service
quality'.
Marketing library services from a
fresh perspective
During the 4
days of this 2005 meeting we were treated to two excellent
presentations, one a most thorough and informed lecture by Dr.
Malivan Praditteera, the Director of Rangsit University
Library on using LibQUAL and benchmarking to develop users
satisfaction, and the second, a lively and challenging
presentation by Dr. Krittinee Nuttavuthisit, senior marketing
lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, who made us consider the
marketing of our libraries and library services from a
completely fresh non-traditionally library perspective.
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APBSLG members on the
Chulalongkorn University campus.
This latter lecture was particularly
interesting as, breaking from our normal meeting format, we
shared the session with the broader community of Thai
University librarians, with the session co-hosted by the
APBSLG and the Centre of Academic Resources of Chulalongkorn
University. This was a most delightful departure from our
usual practice as we were given a rare privilege to meet and
mix with our colleagues, who, later in our schedule, welcomed
us most graciously to their centre and gave us an opportunity
to learn of their library and their operations.
Similar visits took place, firstly
to the splendid new campus of the Surat Osathanugraph Library
of Bangkok University, followed by the extraordinary community
focused free services offered by the Maruey Knowledge &
Resource Center of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, with its 7
days a week vibrant and inviting information space for young
and old, student and community members alike. Last, but by no
means least, the intriguing below-river level library at
Thammasat University, located in the midst of what must be one
of the most beautiful architectural and historical areas of
Bangkok.
Sharing details of database
trials
And throughout all this activity,
unparalleled opportunities to meet highly professional
librarians all aiming to meet the same challenges we each face
to seek new ways to offer even better services to our
constituent clients. This by far is what underpins the reasons
why each of us who are members of this young but growing group
of business librarians take such joy in attending the Annual
Meetings. Mutual projects are now developing from increased
trust and respect - the latest, a joint listing of electronic
products to which we subscribe, and a sharing of information
of database trials and experiences from which we can each
return benefits to our own libraries.
In 2006 the APBSLG will be most
fortunate to meet in China at the campus of CEIBS (China
Europe International Business School) in Shanghai, hosted by
one of our newest members to the group. The following year we
hope to be in Copenhagen for an historic first joint meeting
of the APBSLG, the EBSLG and the ABLD, from which we are
looking to form a single umbrella organization incorporating,
but not replacing, the members of the three bodies. Members of
the three groups already enjoy participation of a joint e-mail
group that focuses on developments and news pertaining to
member libraries.
The AGSM library continues to host
our web page, and further information about the APBSLG is
posted there ( here)
for general interest.
Chris Flegg is the Coordinator -
APBSLG and Chief Librarian, Melbourne Business School,
Melbourne, Australia.
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