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transcript
PREPARING THE
INFORMATION
PROFESSIONALS OF
TOMORROW
DR . B A R B A R A B . M OR A N ,
LOUI S RO U N D W I L S O N D I S T I N G U I S H E D P RO F E S S O R
S C H OOL OF I N FORM ATI ON AN D L I B RARY S C I E N C E
UN I V E R S I T Y OF N OR T H C A ROL I N A AT C H A P E L H I L L
The
Evolution
from
Library
schools
to i-
Schools
and
Beyond
INFODAYS 2014
Prague
5 November 2014
The organizations that employ LIS professionals have been transformed.
As a result, the educational institutions that prepare them have changed also.
They have needed to transition from “library” schools to
“information” schools
THE LIS SKILLS NEEDED TODAY ARE
DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF THE PAST
They promote an
interdisciplinary approach
to understanding the
opportunities and
challenges of information
management-
Focus on the intersection
of information, people,
and technology.
In addition to LIS some
also offer programs in:
information architecture
knowledge management,
user experience design,
and usability;
preservation and
conservation;
human-computer
interaction and computer
science
telecommunications
data engineering
TODAY‘S INFORMATION SCHOOLS PREPARE
STUDENTS FOR DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS
How can we best prepare our graduates to work in tomorrow’s libraries?
The question is made harder because none of us can predict what the library of the future will be.
THE FOCUS TODAY WILL ON THE PREPARATION
OF STUDENTS WHO PLAN TO WORK IN LIBRARIES
Libraries are not the
center of the
information world any
longer.
They have many
competitors.
THE NEW INFORMATION UNIVERSE
Most LIS
schools have
evolved from
institutions
where the
library was
center of focus
PTOLEMAIC SYSTEM OF LIS EDUCATION
Libraries have undergone a rapid
change beginning in the 1960s
and the change get more rapid
each year.
The idea that the library
is a storehouse of
books and materials is
a relic of the past.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE LIBRARY
TODAY’S USERS HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS
ABOUT THE LIBRARY AND ITS SERVICES
Digital natives have grown up in a digital world.
They (and we) want ubiquitous information:
Information available where we want it and when
we want it. It has become the norm for people to
carry mobile phones, laptop computers, and
tablets almost everywhere they go.
CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR LIS SCHOOLS
AND THE PROFESSION ARE:
How to prepare a new generation of
professionals who are comfortable:
working in a increasingly digital
environment
capable of managing digital
information throughout its life cycle
ready to provide the user services
and the user education needed
Professionals who will remain open to new learning and flexibility in an ever-changing work environment
Professionals Committed To Life-long Learning and Coping with Ambiguity
AND MOST IMPORTANT
They still need to know the traditional
skills of the profession:
Collection Development and
Management
Cataloging/Classification
Reference
Management
THE SKILLS SET OF LIBRARIANS HAS
EXPANDED
LIBRARIANS ALSO NEED
KNOWLEDGE OF: Databases
Metadata
Licensing
Copyright
Electronic publishing
Scholarly communication
Open access
Economics of information
Digital libraries and digital preservation
Evaluation/ Assessment of materials and services
Plus many other topics
LIS EDUCATORS ARE
RESPONDING BY:Updating the curriculum
Adding new courses
Hiring new faculty with new skills
Bringing in adjuncts with needed
expertise
Acquiring needed technology
Constantly fine-tuning to keep
abreast of changes in the profession
Higher education in the 21st century is a global enterprise and so is library and information (LIS) education
MY FOCUS TODAY WILL BE ON LIS
CURRICULUM IN THE UNITED STATES
But there are still national differences in approaches to LIS education
An important one to remember in this context: In the United States, since the 1950s, LIS education has been at the master’s degree level
School of Information and
Library Science at UNC-
Chapel Hill
Four Programs:
Undergraduate, MSLS,
MSIS, PhD
The MSLS Program is a
48-unit, 2 year program.
Approximately 30 full
time faculty
60 undergraduates,
300 master’s students,
45 PhD students
Almost all students are
fulltime
PRIMARY FOCUS ON ONE PROGRAM IN THE
UNITED STATES
INLS 500, Human Information Interactions (3 credits)
INLS 501, Information Resources and Services (3 credits)
INLS 513, Resource Selection and Evaluation (3 credits
INLS 520, Organization of Information (3 credits)
INLS 581, Overview of Research Methods (3 credits)
INLS 585, Management for Information Professionals (3 credits)
INLS 781, Proposal Preparation and Presentation (1.5 credits)
INLS 992, Master's Paper (3 credits)
In addition
All incoming MSLS students must have demonstrated competency for basic computer applications.
Students then add on advanced courses in these core areas of librarianship plus an appropriate “environment” course
MSLS STUDENTS HAVE 8 REQUIRED
COURSES
BUT IN ADDITION TO THE TRADITIONAL
COURSES WE TEACH ON A REGULAR BASIS:
INLS 523: Database Systems I
INLS 525: Electronic Records Management
INLS 541: Information Visualization
INLS 560: Programming for Information Professionals
INLS 566: Information Security
INLS 572: Web Development I
INLS 582: Systems Analysis
INLS 718: User Interface Design
INLS 720: Metadata Architectures and Applications
INLS 725: Electronic Health Records
INLS 740: Digital Libraries: Principles and Applications
INLS 752: Digital Preservation and Access
INLS 782: Information Systems Effectiveness
PLUS SPECIAL TOPICS COURSES
EACH SEMESTER
INLS 490-046, Data Management
INLS 490-159, Audio-Visual Archives Management
INLS 490-161, Building a Personal Digital Library
INLS 490-172, Personal Information Management
INLS 490-187, Issues in Cloud Computing
INLS 490-189, Social Media and Society
INLS 690-186, Web Information Organization
INLS 690-163, Introduction to Big Data and No SQL
INLS 890-186, Making the Humanities Digital
INLS 890-190 , Experimental Information Retrieval
Special Topics Courses Allow us to Experiment and Try Out New Courses Before Adding Them to the Curriculum
IN ADDITION :
Field experiences and internships-
experience is important
Master’s paper (equivalent to thesis)
Student involvement with research
projects
Student organizations,
SCALA, ASIST, AMLISS
CHALLENGES FOR LIS PROGRAMS
Short Programs and expanding number of skills sets needed
Attracting the “right” students
Place of LIS among other information
specializations
Responsibility for
continuing education
For online programs
especially, socialization
of students into the profession
No one can predict
today what we should
be teaching to
prepare the librarians
of tomorrow
What will the library
of tomorrow look
like?
What services will it
be providing?
BIGGEST CHALLENGE –IT IS IMPOSSIBLE
TO KNOW THE FUTURE
No one predicted today’s
library 25 years ago.
This is no evolutionary change but a disruptive one as we move from a world where information was contained within walls in finite containers such as books and filing cabinets to one where information is virtual and omnipresent.
Profound changes in the information world demand equally profound changes in the education of the professionals who will spend their careers working in this new world.
DISRUPTIVE CHANGE
Law
Medicine
Engineering
Nursing
Business
It is clear that the changes in the environment in which all professional schools operate necessitate a reexamination of the old patterns of education that have become outdated in the modern world where the nature of higher education, libraries, and information resources are affected by globalization, new technologies, multiculturalism, and both financial and environmental constraints
LIS IS NOT ALONE IN HAVING TO RETHINK
ITS PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
Need to focus our attention
on the following:
Students
Faculty
Curriculum
Delivery
Professional values
Quality Assurance
WHAT SHOULD LIS PROGRAMS BE DOING TO
PREPARE TO EDUCATE FUTURE
PROFESSIONALS?
More questions than answers at present
What are the characteristics of successful information professionals?
Beyond obvious characteristics such as intelligence, creativity, and desire to serve others, should we recruit young people who have high tolerance for ambiguity? For risk taking?Analytical problem solving talent? Intuitive or empathetic interaction styles? Outgoing personalities?
How do we recruit the best and brightest students and sustain life-long learning relationships with those students?
STUDENTS
How can we balance information theories with
information practice?
Should we identify core ideas and techniques that
must be included in every student’s program or
individualize curricula to learners?
How comprehensive should a curriculum be?
How do we evaluate student learning outcomes and
career impact?
How should LIS programs deal with the task of
integrating knowledge and practice in a way that will
prepare their graduates for the challenges of the
rapidly changing information environment of the
future?
CURRICULUM
What kinds of faculty should we recruit and
promote?
Generalists or specialists?
Exclusively from information programs or from many
fields?
How important is professional experience for faculty?
What are the appropriate balance between research
and teaching?
How do we evaluate research success and impact?
How do we assess teaching effectiveness?
FACULTY
What is the right balance of individualized and
group learning?
What is the right balance of face to face and
online learning?
How can we balance coursework and practical
experience?
DELIVERY
Collaboration
Intellectual freedom
Self-directed learning
Stewardship
Intellectual Freedom
Privacy
Service
Universal access
WHAT CORE VALUES DO WE WANT TO
PRESERVE?
ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN
THE FUTURE
Public Good
Who will advocate for
the right of free
access to information
if libraries and
librarians do not
champion the
principle?
or Commodity
Growing interest in quality control in all aspects of society. Professional education also is being asked to provide assurance of quality in its programs.
The methods employed vary greatly from country to country. However, as the globalization of higher education intensifies there is an acknowledged need for quality assurance that transcends national boundaries both to provide international recognition of the academic and professional qualifications of graduates and to help those graduates seeking positions in the global job market.
HOW DO WE ASSESS OUR SCHOOLS?
OUR FACULTY? STUDENT OUTCOMES
Globally, quality assurance efforts go by many names including accreditation, audits, quality evaluations, benchmarking and others.
One well-known method is accreditation
Found in the United States and Canada (ALA),
the United Kingdom (CILIP) and Australia (ALIA)
Quality Assurance done by a professional
organization with input from practitioners and
and educators.
CONFUSING NOMENCLATURE
Does not assess LIS education exclusively but focuses on the higher education institution as a whole.
Governmental quality assurance usually does not provide a method for input by the specific profession or an opportunity for it to shape the process and methods used
Often leads to problem with recognition and reciprocity
THE MOST COMMON QA METHOD IS
GOVERNMENTAL MONITORING
There is not just one method that could be
successfully used to assess quality.
Accreditation has advantages because it is free
of governmental control and is viewed as an
effective and trustworthy method that can be
adapted to fit the needs of individual countries or
regions.
IFLA, other LIS professional organizations and
LIS educators and practitioners should continue
to focus on quality control to provide a more
unified approach to recognizing quality in LIS
education.
LIS EDUCATORS NEED TO COOPERATE ON
QUALITY ASSURANCE
We are moving in uncharted
water—none of us knows what the
library of the future will require in
terms of the information
professionals who will work there.
Perhaps libraries as buildings will
cease to exist and the role of
librarians as bridges between
users and information will exist in
a virtual space.
But the educators of today must
make every effort to prepare the
students of today for the
information future of tomorrow.
THERE ARE MANY CHALLENGES AHEAD