Postwar Politics and Postcolonial Approaches: Rebuilding a Library and Information Science Program for Kosovo

Abstract:This article lays out the mechanics of a complex partnership between large, research-oriented, U.S.-based universities and the National Library of Kosovo, the nation’s largest public library that is also charged with establishing nationwide library policies. The goal of this partnership is to create two interconnected but distinct programs: the nation’s first bachelor’s program in library studies at the University of Pristina and a National Library Training Program intended to train current professionals and provide continuing education opportunities. This partnership case highlights the complex positionality of the library as a public institution, both as an educational entity with responsibilities to disseminate information and teach literacies, but also as an institution that is political in position, as a cultural producer and modeler of social discourse. The project highlights the inherent dangers involved when U.S.-based institutions enter foreign lands to develop library infrastructure from potentially univocal standpoints. The article then proposes critical and postcolonial theoretical approaches as a way to interrogate the power imbalances that might arise from library partnerships of this type. The hope is that this case highlights the problematic nature of partnerships between academic institutions and public library spaces, whether they be international or domestic in nature.