 Dalton, “The analysis of libraries, library systems, some aspects of librarianship or library problems in two or more national, cultural or social environment in terms of socio-political, economic, cultural, ideological and historical context. This analysis is for the purpose of understanding the underlying and differences and for determining explanations of the differences with the ultimate aim of trying to arrive at valid generalizations and principles.”
Types of Comparative Librarianship:
According to Dorothy G.Colloing, there are three types of CL, viz:
a) Area studies
b) Cross-national or cross-cultural studies and
c) Case studies
Their descriptions are furnished below:
a) Area studies: These types of studies provide a descriptive survey and critical analysis of library development in a given country or region in the context of relevant determinant background factors.
These try to―
- Evolve general patters of the library system.
- Evolve services and operations in a particular region or country.
- Cause and effect for each library problems and
- Suggest solutions to the problems.
- K.C. Harrison’s Libraries in Scandinavia (1962)
- W.V.Jackson’s Aspects of Librarianship in Latin America 
- E.J.A. Evans, “A Typical Library Service 
b) Cross-National or Cross-cultural studies:
These are of―
- A type of library examined in a number of countries such as university libraries.
- A technical library problem as dealt with within two or more countries (or different situations/cultures in the same country), such as classification, automation, or book selection.
These are trying to―
- Compare the library systems; services and operations in two or more regions, or countries;
- Study technical problems as dealt in two or more regions, or countries, and
- Suggest what could be adopted to advantage.
- H.C. Campbell, “Metropolitan Public Library Planning throughout the world 
- J.P. Danton, “Book selection and collection: A comparison of German & American University Libraries 
c) Case Studies: Such studies provide analysis in depth of a type of library or key factor in library development, such as library education in a publication country. These are the intensive study of a particular library problem or development in one country also form an important category of literature in the field of Comparative Librarianship.
- Lowell Martin, “Library response to urban change: a study of Chicago Public Library 
- Leon Carnovsky’s “Report of the National Library Committee 
Dealing with or comparing two or more countries.
Relation to or involving two or more countries.
Goals/aims of Comparative Librarianship:
It works to fulfill the following goals―
Benefits of Comparative Librarianship:
There are many benefits of CL.
The most common are given below the following figure;
Factors of Comparative Librarianship:
It is a study of two or more libraries in terms of their development, practice, and relative merits and documents of the various practices; and general aspects of librarianship. Library development in terms of historical, geographical, social, cultural, political, economic, and other factors.
It has two factors, viz:
–Comparison of library situations and
–Comparison of librarianship and library development in general in different geographical situations.
The comparison of library situations covers―
- Operations and
- Merits & demerits.
It is one sense of comparative librarianship at the international level. It is also another sense of aims in international understanding and co-operation in librarianship.
In other words, international librarianship also has two aspects, viz:
–Comparison of library practices and
–Evolving means of library co-operation and understanding at the international level.
The comparison of library practices covers:
- Operations and
- Merits & Demerits
Difference between Comparative & International Librarianship:
Though comparative and international librarianship works as the same purposes but these have some differences which are being;
- To sum-up, comparative studies need not be indifferent countries (though most