Phyllis Holman Weisbard speaks on libraries in India
By Katie Gilbert
Library Communications
Women's studies librarian Phyllis Holman Weisbard's trip to India began in the simplest form possible: with an e-mail. After receiving an inquiry from a librarian in Mumbai (Bombay) inquiring whether she would be available to be a speaker for a women's conference, Weisbard gave a tentative yes. With heads up from Ed Van Gemert and Ken Frazier, she began the process that resulted in a journey throughout the Asian subcontinent that lasted almost three weeks, from May 13 to June 3.
The U.S. State Department paid for Weisbard's trip, and she jetted from
one blisteringly hot city to another, speaking to a variety of groups
on a plethora of topics relating to women's issues, libraries and the
Internet. She lectured at the "Empowering Women Through Information
and Knowledge: From Oral Traditions to ICT" conference at the United
World 
College
in Pune, outside of Mumbai. Weisbard gave about two talks per week day,
amounting to approximately 20 presentations throughout the trip in which
she discussed her publications, electronic resources, evaluation of Web
sites, cataloging issues and feminist "in-your-face" publications.
Weisbard used power point and Internet access whenever available and she
happily reported she had no technical problems throughout her trip. She
visited major cities such as Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), New
Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai (Madras), where she appeared on a television
interview show.
Weisbard discussed women’s studies resources throughout India, speaking to a women's college in New Delhi and meeting with the publishers of Stree Books, a feminist press based in Kolkata that focuses on women's and social issues and publishes in Bengali and English. Weisbard also found that most libraries, such as the one in New Delhi, had tiny women's studies collections, mostly consisting of books, since the libraries cannot afford journal subscriptions. It was only when she visited science or technical institutes that she saw collections (including databases) comparable to offerings in the United States. In visiting libraries, she encountered libraries with books behind (often locked) glass cases, libraries allowing no circulation and collections with books in poor condition. A library in DakshinaChitra, an “Old World Wisconsin” type heritage center for South India, however, had a good anthropology collection.
Although the lecture circuit kept Weisbard on her toes, she found time to explore and learn about India's culture. She visited smaller havens such as Pondicherry, Mahabalipuram and DakshinaChitra, exploring libraries, temples and synagogues--India has a Jewish population of approximately 5,000. To combat the heat, which sometimes soared beyond 110 degrees, Weisbard sought air conditioning whenever possible, finding it only in hotels, American libraries and in top administrators' offices.
Weisbard experienced some culture shock in India, although communication
was not a problem--most signs were posted in English as well as the native
dialect and India publishes several English-language newspapers. Private
vehicles are a rarity--most people travel by bus, bicycle, taxi or auto
rickshaw. Weisbard also witnessed the abject poverty from which most of
India's population suffers, especially in Kolkata, where the city cannot
keep up with its 15 million inhabitants. Throughout her visit, she drank
bottled water and refrained from eating raw vegetables in order to dodge
the unhealthy water supply. She found most of the people to be very friendly
and curious and discovered that humor crossed cultures, oceans and languages.