The Development Features of the Higher Education System in Library and Information Education in Asian Countries

The aim of the study is to determine the current state and trends in the development of models of higher library and information education in Asian countries, establishing opportunities for borrowing their best educational practices in Ukraine. The article identifies Asian countries-leaders in the modernisation of national systems of higher library and information education, including both developed countries (Japan) and rapidly developing countries (China, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, and the Philippines). The research methodology is based on the use of heuristic possibilities of socio-cultural and systematic approaches, source studies and comparative methods, and content analysis of bachelor’s and master’s educational programmes in library science. The scientific novelty of the research consists in proving the common and different in the systems of higher library and information education of the leading Asian countries, introducing into scientific circulation the results of the content and structure analysis of library science educational programmes of the best universities in the leading Asian countries. It is noted that these educational institutions have successfully implemented all the basic principles of the Bologna Process into educational practice, thus contributing to the quality improvement of the library specialists’ training and their competitiveness on the global labour market. The author of the article draws conclusions regarding the main principles underlying the modernisation of library science educational programmes and establishes the socio-cultural, economic, geographical, and political factors that led to the diversity of training models for information specialists at different levels. The special features of degree training of bachelors, masters, and doctors of philosophy in the “Library and Information Sciences” specialty in leading Asian universities are determined; the profiles and content of their educational programmes are characterised. The organisational and cognitive features of the library and information personnel training of various educational levels are established; the key competencies acquired by students during their mastering are characterised. Emphasis is placed on promising achievements and innovations of the best training models of library and information specialists in Asian countries, which should be implemented within the framework of a single integrated specialty 029 “Information, Library and Archival Science”.