2010 Pakistan Library Association (PLA) Appreciation Award for Academic Achievement 2010 HEC Best University Teacher Award 2013 Asian Library Leader's Award
Ameen is the chief editor for the Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries.[4] She is also a teacher, author, researcher, and lecturer in the field of library and information science as well as a pre-doc (2000–2001) and post-doc (2009–2010) international Fulbright Scholar.[1]
Education
Ameen attended the University of the Punjab, and in 1985, after receiving a diploma in library science, began working as a librarian in the Department of Philosophy.[1] In 1986, she earned a Master's degree in library science.[5] In 1993, she traveled to the Netherlands and attended a 3-month diploma course on library management at Hague University,[1][5] then worked as a lecturer at University of the Punjab from 1993 to 2004. She furthered her education, and attended the University of Texas at Austin in 2000 as a Fulbright pre-doctoral scholar, and four years later was working as an assistant professor at the University of the Punjab. In 2005, she was awarded a PhD in library and information science from the University of the Punjab. Her thesis was titled, Philosophy and Framework of Collection Management and Its Application in University Libraries in Pakistan: An Appraisal.[6]
In 2015, Ameen chaired the Centennial International Conference on Information Management and Libraries in Lahore, noting the progress of her Department from its earliest beginnings as a certificate course that had grown into a full PhD program over the course of a century.[10] It was in 1915 that Asa Don Dickinson, an American author and the first Chief Librarian for Brooklyn College, took a year-long sabbatical and traveled to India to teach at University of the Punjab (Lahore). He lectured on what was considered modern library methods at that time.[11] In 1916, he wrote the book Panjab Library Primer for the students he taught at Punjab University,[12] and is credited for establishing what became known as the Department of Information Management for which Ameen was first appointed chairperson in 2009.[13][14] In May 2015, she was appointed for a third consecutive 3-year term as department chair[15] that completed in May 2018.[1]
Research
As of 2021[update], Ameen had 200+ publications.[16] She has served as Secretary of the IFLA Discussion on Library & Information Science Education in Developing Countries.[17][18] Additionally, she is a member of the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Knowledge and Communication Management,[19]Library Management,[20] and editor-in-chief of the Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries (formerly Pakistan Journal of Library and Information Science)[21] from 2005 to 2009.[17][22][23]
In a 2013 study of examining why impact scores for Pakistani authors in the LIS field were generally low, Sajjad Ullah Jan and Mumtaz A. Anwar found that Ameen had an h-index of 5, but her ranking was the third highest total published papers of the 11 published library and information science faculty in Pakistan (out of a total of 53 faculty members, most unpublished). That said, 37.7% of the citations were self-citations, more than other published Pakistani LIS authors, but even after removing self-citations, Ameen maintained third position.[24] By 2016, Ameen's h-index had risen to 12.[25]
Other
Ameen convened and supervised a committee to redesign Punjab University's official website. Made available in English and Urdu, the website was recognised for its accessibility by vice chancellor Mujahid Kamran, during a launching ceremony held in February 2016.[26]
Personal life
Ameen is the mother of Ali Zafar, a Pakistani actor and singer.[27] In a 2010 interview with Abdul Samad Ansari, Ameen explained that she entered into an arranged marriage with her husband, Mohammad Zafarullah.[28]
Honours and awards
In 2010, Ameen received the Pakistan Library Association (PLA) Appreciation Award for Academic Achievement.[29] That same year, she also received a Best University Teacher Award from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan[23][30] but the award carried added significance for Ameen as she was "the first-ever library information science professor to earn the honour."[31] In 2013, Ameen received the Asian Library Leader's Award for Professional Excellence from the Satija Research Foundation for Library and Information Science, India.[32] On 23rd March, 2024 she has been awarded with highest national award Hila-e-Imtiaz by Government of Pakistan.
Selected works
Ameen has published in many forms, including books, journals, and conference papers.[16] Following are a few of her published works:
Ameen, Kanwal (2009). Philosophy and Framework of Collection Management: Its Application in University Libraries of Pakistan. Saarbrücken. p. 232. ISBN978-3639203066.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Ameen, Kanwal. (2020). "Graduate researchers' perceptions and expectations: An exploratory study about reference and information services." Reference Services Review, 48(2), 227-242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/RSR-02-2019-0009
Arshad, Alia; Ameen, Kanwal (2011). User's Perception's and Expectations of Quality Library Services: A survey of University of the Punjab's libraries. Saarbrücken: VDM Publishing. p. 112. ISBN978-3639319880.
Ameen, Kanwal (ed.). Emerging Paradigm in Librarianship: A Call for Innovation (Proceedings of PLA Golden Jubilee International Conference). Lahore: Pakistan Library Association Punjab Branch. p. 176.
Ameen, Kanwal; Warraich, Nosheen (eds.). Looking Back, Moving Forward (Proceedings of International Conference on Information Management and Libraries (ICIML) Lahore, Pakistan, November 10-13, 2015). Lahore: Department of Information Management, University of the Punjab. p. 650.
Ameen, Kanwal; Batool, Hina; Naveed, Asif (2018). "Difficulties Novice LIS Researchers Face While Formulating a Research Topic". Information Development. 35 (4): 592–600. doi:10.1177/0266666918774875. S2CID65060598.
Ahsan Ullah; Ameen, Kanwal (2018). "Account of Methodologies and Methods Applied in LIS Research: A Systematic Review". Library and Information Science Research. 40 (1): 53–60. doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2018.03.002.
Soroya, Saira; Ameen, Kanwal (2018). "What Do They Want? Millennials And Role of Libraries in Pakistan". The Journal of Academic Libraries. 44 (2): 248–255. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2018.01.003.
Rafiq, Muhammad; Ameen, Kanwal; Jabeen, Munazza (2018). "Barriers to Digitization in University Libraries of Pakistan: A Developing Country Perspective". The Electronic Library. 36 (3): 457–470. doi:10.1108/EL-01-2017-0012.
^Denice Adkins, Kanwal Ameen. "Dr. Kanwal Ameen" (live webcast). University of Missouri-Columbia: University of Missouri-Columbia. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
^"Name Change of the Department"(PDF). Department of Information Management at a Glance: February 2014 – December 2014. 15. Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries. 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
^"Professor Kanwal Ameen Gets 3rd Term As Chair"(PDF). Department of Information Management at a Glance: January 2015—December 2015. 16. Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries. 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
^ abChilana, Rajwant Singh, ed. (2008). "Contributors Profile". Challenges for South Asian Resources and Information Services: Essays in Honour of Dr. Ravindra N. Sharma. Concept Publishing Company. p. 462. ISBN978-8180695278.
^"Editorial Board". Pakistan Journal of Information Management and Libraries. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^Sharma, Ravindra N., ed. (2012). "About the Contributors". Libraries in the Early 21st Century: An International Perspective. Vol. 2. Walter de Gruyter. p. 543. ISBN978-3110292855.
^Ansari, Abdul Samad (March 2010). "An Interview with Prof. Dr. Kanwal Ameen". Pakistan Library & Information Science Journal. 41 (1). Library Promotion Bureau: 45. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.