Library & Information Science Education in the United States and Canada: Issues & Trends in the 21st Century (original) (raw)
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Challenges in LIS Education: A Tale of Two Countries
Background. Library and information science (LIS) education has been around for decades to train LIS professions to provide services to people of all kinds. But there are challenges to LIS education as the society advances. Objectives. To identify major challenges LIS education faces and to suggest corresponding measures for meeting them in order to better LIS education. Methods. Performed quantitative and qualitative content analyses of data collected about LIS education in China and the USA. Results. Four categories of challenges in LIS education are identified that include 1) identity and accreditation, 2) survival and thriving, 3) curriculum update and enhancement, and 4) course delivery format and content. The challenges each country encounters in LIS, as expected, are not the same although some appear similar. All the challenges are discussed and contrasted in the context of each country’s characteristics in LIS education. Some suggestions are also made regarding how to successfully meet the challenges this study has explored. Contributions. The findings of this study would help all constituencies (i.e., educators, practitioners and students) to better understand the challenges LIS education in China and the USA so that feasible measures could be developed to address them. In addition, each country can benefit from this study by learning from what its counterpart has done in LIS education with regard to barriers and challenges.
CURRICULA OF LIS PROGRAMS IN THE USA: A CONTENT ANALYSIS
2006
Close to 3,000 courses, both required and elective, listed in each curriculum of the 45 ALAaccredited LIS master's programs in the USA are analyzed qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Based on the changes observed in the core, electives and particularly courses that appear being created recently, this study finds that more and more elective courses are offered in LIS education while the number of core requirements is reduced to as few as two courses. In either case, a wider range of subject topics seem being covered nowadays than in the pre-Internet era. On the other hand, approximately 10 percent of all the LIS courses sound new in that they are designed to deal with emerging subjects and latest developments in the field besides reflecting the growing interdisciplinary nature of LIS. This research also shows that catalysts for LIS curricular transformations do not come from technology alone, but also originate from the cultural and societal dimensions. In other words, a holistic approach should be taken for enhancing LIS curricular contents to prepare information professionals for leadership in the time to come.
Challenges in LIS Education in China and the United States
Journal of Education for Library and Information Science
For decades, library and information science (LIS) education has been producing LIS professionals to serve people in all walks of life. But there are challenges to LIS education as society advances. This study performed quantitative and qualitative content analyses of data collected about LIS education in China and the United States. Four categories of challenges in LIS education are identified: (1) identity and accreditation, (2) survival and thriving, (3) curriculum update and enhancement, and (4) course delivery format and content. The challenges that each country encounters in LIS, as expected, are not the same, although some appear similar. All the challenges are discussed and contrasted in the context of each country's traditions and practices in LIS education. Some suggestions are also made regarding how to successfully meet the challenges this study has explored. The findings of this study can help all constituencies (i.e., educators, practitioners, and students) to better understand the challenges of LIS education in China and the United States so that feasible measures can be developed to meet them. In addition, each country can benefit from this study by learning from what its counterpart has done in LIS education with regard to barriers and challenges.
LIS EDUCATION IN THE DIGITAL ERA
This paper presented the development of LIS education in India and influence of technology in LIS education. Information explosion due to the modern technology change the designation of librarian to information scientist who is capable for retrieve right information to right user at right time. The user community only that brings the professional sustainability of a librarian must recognize this change from a traditional librarian to information scientist. This occurs only through the good education in handling or managing the technology. So the curriculum of LIS education must be IT oriented but it is different from other IT professional.
2009
This paper examines the course offerings in digital library (DL) education, guided by the following specific research question: "What do the Library and Information Science (LIS)-accredited programmes inform us about education in digital libraries?" The paper provides an analysis of DL education which is included in the curriculum of 13 accredited and highly-rated library schools. Findings indicate that a significant DL content is present in the curriculum; and the inclusion is categorised into (a) an independent or full digital library course, (b) an integrated digital library course with other LIS topics, and (c) courses with close relation to DL processes. The title "Digital Libraries" appears to be the most popular title in the USA LIS schools sampled, and range from theory and practice, to project-based courses. The four UK LIS schools sampled do not have an explicit focus on DL topics. The curriculum areas for DL education suggested by Spinks and Cool (1999) are taken into account in analysing the content of the DL courses offered by the library schools. The paper also provides insights into the current state of DL education in Malaysia, and reports the findings of a small-scale survey, which has informed the LIS programme on how the DL course should be conducted. Findings from this paper may assist DL educators to develop DL modules and courses, standing on a solid foundation as well as following a standard curriculum design model of analysis, design/development, and evaluation practised by the renowned LIS schools worldwide.
Reinforcing LIS education: international cooperation for educating the new professionals
2011
International cooperation can help reinforce the education of new information professionals. Results of the IFLA Section Education and Training (SET) are analysed together with those drawn from professional literature, for planning the international frame of university education for Library and Information Science, together with the current tendencies of change and with the indications which emerged for a curriculum for digital library.
Reinvigorating Library and Information Science (LIS) Curriculum in a fast changing society
This paper discussed the need for reinvigorating Library and Information Science (LIS) curriculum in a fast changing society. Reinvigorating LIS curriculum is not only a necessity but mandatory if the prospective LIS graduates would be employers of labour rather than job seekers in a continuously fast changing society of the 21 st century. To train LIS students in entrepreneurship requires the development of a comprehensive but dynamic curriculum that responds to changing needs in the field. The implementation of this curriculum will enable beneficiaries to be self-employed by carrying out such entrepreneurial activities like abstracting, indexing, publishing, database development and management, collection management, knowledge management, organization of knowledge, current awareness services, staff recruitment and development, conduct of researches, bibliographic and metadata searching, journals and book business, material conservation and preservation, generation of ideas, etcetera.
Przegląd Biblioteczny/Library Review , 2014
This article examines the U.S model of library and information science (LIS) education in light of the changes brought about by information and communication technology. The accepted model of professional preparation in the United States has emphasized graduate education on a Master’s level from LIS programs accredited by the American Library Association (ALA). The authors trace the historical development of this approach and provide an overview of the ALA accreditation process. Furthermore, they examine the strategies of LIS programs in adjusting to the changing information environment, present the debate about the iSchool movement, and discuss the evolution of the core curriculum. In addition, the article explores the relationship between LIS education and the field of practice and presents a practitioner’s perspective on educating library professionals. The authors conclude that the model of advanced professional preparation for librarianship is still relevant in the digital environment, but it requires greater flexibility and close cooperation with the field of practice.