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

Now they are

organizations

where

Information is

center of focus

COPERNICAN SYSTEM OF LIS EDUCATION

LIBRARIES HAVE CHANGED

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.

LIBRARIES HAVE CHANGED TO REMAIN

RELEVANT

TODAY’S LIBRARIES—A MIX OF

TRADITIONAL AND CUTTING EDGE

LIS EDUCATION HAS ALSO

HAD TO CHANGE IN RESPONSE

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

Děkuji

Thank you

QUESTIONS ??????