Khurshid, Part 4
International librarianship
Only a handful of Pakistani librarians have left any impact on international librarianship and Anis Khurshid stands out the tallest among them. According to Asheim, “There are many facets of Anis Khurshid that have earned him world–wide admiration and respect.” [3] He acknowledges the part Khurshid played in breaking down the cultural barriers that so frequently intervene among and between countries. His publications have appeared in leading professional journals and documents, most of which are read beyond the country in which they are published, and thus reach an international audience.
Jackson acknowledges the vital contribution of Khurshid to the International Library Information Center (ILIC) at the University of Pittsburgh where he served as librarian from 1966 to 1969. The Center was created to serve two functions: (1) to act as a clearinghouse of data on library development, documentation, and book production and distribution with regard to both United States and overseas resources, and (2) to serve as a training and research center in the field of international librarianship.
Khurshid worked hard to build and organize the library collection. He developed a practical classification scheme that allowed grouping of materials under countries and geographical regions, and under each country or region by 16 broad subjects, such as library legislation, publishing and communication, university libraries, public libraries, and library education. His years at ILIC gave him a heightened and expanded sense of international librarianship, its problems, methods, and potential [4]. He also established the Islamic Library Information Centre (ISLIC) in the LIS Department at KU with a view to collect information on libraries, book trade, and education, and to promote research on libraries and librarianship in the Muslim world. He was the founding director of the Centre and brought out two important publications [5] during his tenure.
Through his contributions in international librarianship, he developed personal friendships with many eminent librarians in every part of the world. This is evident from the contributions to three festschrift published in his honor in Pakistan. They include Lester Asheim, Allen Kent, David Kaser, Nasser Sharify, William V. Jackson, Carroll C. Moreland, John Feather, Mohammed M. Aman, Harry C. Campbell, D.J. Foskett, K.C. Harrison, P. Havard–Williams, Dorothy S. Obi, Savina Roxas, Inese Smith, Hedwig Anuar, P.N. Kaula, Poori Soltani, Katni Kamsono Kambat, Jasim M. Jirjees, Nonglak Minaikit, and Nirmala R. Amarasuriya. He also had professional contacts with S.R. Ranganathan, Martha Boaz and other distinguished librarians.