WORLD MARITIME UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

INTRODUCING THE WORLD MARITIME UNIVERSITY LIBRARY http://wmu.se/library

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 The World Maritime University (WMU)  http://wmu.se/about-us/who-we-are  is a United Nations organization located in Malmo, Sweden. The WMU was established by the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) by an IMO resolution in 1983. The University, considered a specialized agency of the United Nations was created to enhance the goals and objectives of the IMO and IMO member states around the world through post graduate education, research, and capacity building to ensure safe, secure, and efficient shipping on clean oceans. As English is the international language of shipping, instructional programs for the post graduate resident students are mostly in English, and an English study skills course is available for new entrants. 

 Despite English being the language of instruction the connections of the English speaking nations of the world to the organization appear relatively slight. The present academic head is a Swedish national who earned his doctorate at Louisiana State University. There is one employee of the U.S. Coast Guard on the advisory board, we noted one Indian port director among their distinguished alumni, and one Canadian academic chairman. The library senior staff however, consists of two Americans and one Russian at this writing (Dec. 2013). Yet their list of distinguished alumni from the non English speaking world include a number of national maritime agency directors and the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard. We did not notice any English speaking national governments among the major financial supporters and noticed that the City of Malmo is a major financial supporter. 

 There is to our mind, something dreadfully wrong about the relative lack of support and participation in this organization by the English speaking world. We will have much more to say about that in a follow up article on the status of maritime post graduate education in the world. It should be noted that one big power is displaying major interest in the organization. China is a major participant and has opened a second physical location for the school in China. One has to wonder how many more heads of Asian maritime agencies will receive their post graduate education in Sweden?

 Today we are limiting our discussion to the library operation http://wmu.se/library
 centered in Malmo Sweden. The primary purpose of the library is the support of the resident student body and faculty. Most of the circulating collection is restricted to circulation on campus among students and faculty. However the library does participate in inter-library loans so the collection isn't entirely confined to the campus. More over the the library has an important collection of English language technical papers available on line, and the University is constantly producing important "White Papers" on maritime subjects.  The odds are that as the WMU grows, its library will be a particular focus of extended services to the maritime world which, as its name implies, is its constituency. The most likely first focus of such an effort would be on line services. 

 Certainly the serious maritime researcher in technical, legal, and business fields should be aware of this school and library. Unfortunately the institution doesn't appear to be well known in the English speaking maritime world. A look at the post graduate degrees the institution offers provides a little insight into the nature of the collection of this library.

 SOURCE: WMU Website           

 "WMU offers only postgraduate degrees:

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
• Master of Science (M.Sc.)
• Postgraduate Diploma (PGD).

In Malmö, Sweden, we offer a program leading to a Master of Science in Maritime Affairs. Students can specialize in one of six areas:

• Shipping Management & Logistics
• Port Management
• Maritime Safety & Environmental Administration
• Marine Environmental & Ocean Management
• Maritime Law & Policy
• Maritime Education & Training

In Shanghai, China, we offer a Master of Science in International Transport & Logistics, and in Dalian, China, we offer a Master of Science in Maritime Safety & Environmental Management. The China-based programs are designed and taught by WMU professors."

   Ph.D Programs focus on the following areas:

• Maritime Environmental Management
• Maritime Administration Law, Policy, and Security
• Shipping and Port Management
• Maritime Technology and Education
• Maritime Risk and System Safety

 The library provides an interesting list of on line technical journals http://wmu.se/library  with various links making some of the journals accessible via the internet to the astute researcher. The library also provides several document purchase and document purchase assistance services. While the services of the library beyond on campus students, faculty, and visiting researchers is severely limited at the moment every serious maritime researcher should know about this library.  The WMU library's collection is important, unique, and global in perspective. Given the origin of the WMU and continuing status as a United Nations organization only an increase in funding is standing in the way of additional outreach services. We certainly urge the English speaking maritime nations to contribute, both as governments through their various maritime agencies, and through maritime corporate gifting. We recently noted the contribution of the WMO to the improvements in the Nigerian Maritime Academy and the contributions of that academy to the development of a much needed trained Nigerian maritime work force. The maritime world needs this organization we urge our readers to particularly support the library. To learn how individuals or corporations may contribute to the University or Library click on the link below:

http://wmu.se/development