Digital Preservation Education in iSchools

This poster investigates digital preservation education in the iSchool caucus. The project identifies core concepts addressed in digital preservation coursework in iSchools and identifies possible areas for curriculum development. Digital preservation education at the graduate level is critical. To ensure long-term access and use of digital materials, information professionals must have a working knowledge of digital curation, which emphasizes a lifecycle approach to digital preservation [1]. Unfortunately, the topic of digital preservation education is not prominent in literature about digital curation. Only a handful of case studies and recommendations have been published regarding digital preservation education within information science, library science, and computer science graduate programs. Instead, much of the work on digital preservation education is contained in more general studies on educating digital librarians or electronic records managers. To understand how to better design curricula that engages central issues of digital curation at the graduate level, an investigation of the current state of digital preservation education is warranted. Coursework devoted solely to digital preservation is essential for graduate students in information-centric disciplines. The necessity for devoted coursework is due to the complex and multifaceted nature of the topic. Unfortunately, a 2006 study found that very few library or information science schools offered courses specifically on the topic of digital preservation. Furthermore, an extremely small percentage of students in library or information science programs had exposure to the critical aspects of digital preservation during their coursework [2]. Digital preservation education can and should be studied in iSchools. The core mission of the iSchool movement is to connect people, information, and technology [3]. Digital curation supports this mission by enabling the continued maintenance of digital information resources throughout their lifecycle, allowing them to be rendered and re-used in the long-term. It is an interdisciplinary process that hinges on expertise from many different fields, including computer science, information and library science, informatics, management, and education. Furthermore, iSchools are a natural home for digital library education [4] and there are significant overlaps between digital library education and digital curation education [5]. It follows that iSchools are an excellent venue for research on the topic of digital preservation education. This project examines digital preservation courses in iSchools over the past five years (2005-2009). Course descriptions and syllabi are examined in order to develop a definition of current practices in digital preservation education. Based on this definition, areas for future developments in digital preservation curricula are identified. Course catalogs from the 26 iSchools have been analyzed to determine whether or not schools offer classes specifically on the topic of digital preservation. Of the 26 iSchools, 9 schools offer degrees in information science and in library science, 6 award degrees in information science but not in library science, and 5 award degrees in library science and not information science. The remaining 6 schools offer a variety of degrees, including computer science, information management, and information technology. These categories will be useful in determining what types of iSchools, if any, are leaders in digital preservation education. All of the schools that have been examined to date offer course catalogs and course descriptions on the open web. Many of the course syllabi are also available online. The course must contain the phrase ???Digital Preservation??? in its title or course description in order to be included. One-shot sessions and classes that deal with a subset of digital preservation, such as classes on digital libraries, are not considered. Course themes and assignments are compared to the DigCCurr Matrix of Digital Curation Knowledge and Competencies. This six-dimensional matrix from the University of North Carolina DigCCurr project defines and organizes materials to be covered in digital curation coursework [6]. This analysis will identify current strengths and potential areas for further development in digital preservation education. The study will also address the question of where current digital preservation course materials fit within the larger scope of digital curation knowledge and competencies

DEVELOPING LIBRARY PROGRAMS TO YOUTH AND CHILDREN AWARENESS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A library is always an interesting place to visit. Many things can be done in the library. With the rapid development of information technology, the roles of a librarian have now expanded — from library education to IT instruction, from browsing along the shelves to digital access tutorial. The roles will continue expanding along with the development of IT. Along with the development of science and technology, libraries need to ensure that people — especially children and youth — are aware of the development. Therefore, libraries should have programs in making children and youth get knowledge. The programs may vary from inviting experts in science and technology; exhibiting new invention and technological products; science and technology contests in the library, etc. it should be noted as well that librarians need to show or remind people of the inventions in science and technology in the past. Keywords: children, library, computer, IT

A Review of Problems and Challenges of Library Professionals in Developing Countries including Pakistan

Introduction “A librarian is a person who looks after the storage and retrieval of information. In a workplace, the librarian is usually a professional who is trained and educated to deal with information in a wide variety of formats and settings” (WordiQ, 2010). Librarian helps users to navigate into the voyage of internet and evaluate information efficiently. Librarian offers a helping hand for users to find out the required piece of information and to use it for personal and professional purposes (BLS, 2011). Due to the advent of Internet, World Wide Web and proliferation of online catalogue, the role of librarian has been changed. Now he is more efficient and has new roles as intermediary, facilitator, end-user trainer/educator, web organizer & designer, researcher, interface designer, knowledge manager/professional and sifter of information resources (Rao & Babu, 2001). Librarian should be knowledgeable in a variety of information sources and follow the new trends and advancements in computers, media and publishing (Careeroverview, 2011). Research Objectives 1. To review the problems faced by librarians in new digital era. 2. To identify the major challenges for librarians to work smoothly in cyber environment. 3. To furnish recommendations to overcome the problems and to tackle the challenges. Methodology The study is based on comprehensive review of related literature & informal semi-structured interviews which were conducted by the second author during some international conferences, with library professionals & scholars from developing countries i.e., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Malaysia, Nepal, and Pakistan with the purpose to explore their perceptions, opinions and observation regarding the problems & challenges confronted by the librarians due to changing information landscape. Available material on the Internet was also explored. Studies Conducted to Investigate the Problems/Challenges Confronted by Librarians in Developing Countries in Changing Information Landscape New tools of information technology have absolutely changed the role & responsibilities of librarians. A number of studies have been conducted to explore the problems faced by librarians. Given section reviews the studies conducted at International level in general and particularly in developing countries to investigate the problems confronted by the librarians. Ademodi & Adepoju (2009) investigated the computer skill among librarians in academic libraries on Ondo and Ekiti State in Nigeria. It was found the shortage of computers and computer skills among professionals. The study recommended that more attention and funds should be provided for training and procurement of ICT infrastructure in Nigerian University libraries. For computerization purpose, library administration should solicit funds and assistant from foreign agencies and foundations who are interested for the cause. Adomi & Anie (2006) in their research on computer literacy skills of professionals in Nigerarian University libraries concluded that most of the professionals do not posses high level of computer skill and their use of computer and technology is still maturing. They recommended that library management and leaders should organize and offer in-house computer training programmes for librarians and enough computers should be provided in this regard. Trushina (2004) discussed the issues related to the internet as well as the correlation of professional codes and their implementation in library practice. He stated that libraries depend on ethical principles more than any other institution because library services are essentially human-oriented. He stressed that librarians must follow the intellectual freedom principle and they have a moral responsibility to the patrons. Hashim & Mokhtar (n.d) studied the trends and issues in preparing new era librarians and information professionals. They reported that the following trends are essential for new era librarians’ i. e. a vision towards information and knowledge rich society, globalization of information, integrated and widespread ICT applications, growth of electronic/internet resources, role of digital/electronic/virtual library, access role replace custodial role, strategic alliances, partnership and collaborations, librarians need new management knowledge and skills, specialized knowledge & skills in library and information management, trend to develop digital contents to facilitate access. It was concluded that new era librarian will become a guardian of digital information and digital librarians with newly acquired skills can play a meaningful and leading role in the networked information society of the millennium. Sreenivasulu (2000) studied the role of a digital librarian in the management of digital information systems. He stressed that the multimedia nature of the next generation of digital libraries requires the digital librarians (DL) to be essentially a type of specialist librarian who has to manage and organize the digital library, handle the specialized tasks of massive digitization, storage, access, digital knowledge mining, digital reference services, electronic information services, search co-ordination, and manage the archive and its access. He should be well-versed in markup languages, cataloguing, metadata, multimedia indexing and database technology, user interface design, programming, and Web technology. Johnson (2007) viewed library and information science education in developing countries. He concluded that LIS programs in developing countries continue to suffer from lack of financial support by governments. Wallis (2005) found that information literacy is vital skill set for citizens of information societies. They suggested that the librarian must support learning at all levels. They are needed to pass skill set of technological and media literacies to citizens at all levels of society for economic, social and personal empowerment. Rahman, Khatun & Islam (2008) reviewed the library education in Bangladesh. The study found that majority of institutions in Bangladesh do not have well-equipped computer labs or sufficient numbers of computers for students. A sufficient number of classification and cataloguing tools (DDC, LC, Sears list of subject headings for practical were not present. Many institutions either have no library or inadequate collection of textbooks. Professional’s status was also found very low, low pay scale and limited opportunities for promotion. In Sri Lanka, Wijayaratne (n.d) probed the challenges encountered by the librarians of developing world in providing library services to support open and distance learning. It was concluded that the attitude of the government towards libraries in Sri Lanka has been changed during the last few years and the government has made several approaches to develop the libraries particularly University libraries. Government also identified the capacity of distance education to accommodate the huge number of A/L completers who cannot gain admission to learn. It was found very important for the OUSL to boost the process of achieving its development goals to upgrade the quality and maintain the standards of distance education in Sri Lanka. In Nepal, Siwakoti (2008) found that there was no government agency to control, monitor and evaluate the school libraries activities. There was lack of awareness programs, budgetary constraints, inadequate space, inadequate library materials, lack of trained and skilled manpower and lack of appropriate government policy and lack of information literacy. In Malaysia Lee, Brown, Mekis & Singh (2003) investigated that there was lack of full-time teacher librarians and selected teachers are asked to take charge of the school resource center as one of their administrative duties. There was no uniform current syllabus for the training of teacher librarians. The biggest problem which was found is that in Malaysian teacher librarians are facing professional isolation. In Iran Gavgani, Shokraneh & Shiramin (2011) concluded that librarians do not have traditional skills and sufficient background knowledge to meet the changing needs of their customers. They need to be empowered by new skills and information before going to empower their patrons. So there must not be a gap between librarian’s professional/technological knowledge and their societies informational need that to be answered by librarians. Need for changing the syllabus of medical library and information science education in Iran was also felt. In India Jestin & Parameswari (2002) explored the challenges for library professionals in the new millennium. It found that library professionals in India were subjected to various challenges. The introduction of computers and new technology was a challenge to all librarians. It was conclude that librarians should be ready to participate in the process of generating and distributing information and knowledge for quality of life and education for all. Librarians must unite to withstand the revolutions that will occur in the information and communication fields. Similarly, Dasgupta (2009) searched out that in India there is non-existent of norms and standards for the education of librarians. Problems for Indian librarians discovered in his study were emergence of new LIS schools, insufficient faculty strength, lack of accreditation bodies, lack of proper library facilities, inadequate physical facilities, little attention for selection criteria, and lack of apprenticeship programs. Study suggested that the Government of India should play a leading role in promoting LIS education in India, by creating more job opportunities for LIS professionals and removing disparity in pay scales among LIS professionals. Ali & Bakshi (n.d) explored that LIS profession is facing many challenges such as lack of finance, inadequate infrastructure, lack of knowledge and training, lack of high quality teaching staff, lack of permanent faculty for distant programs, lack of admission policy and evaluation, absence of accreditation body and supporting policy at national level, lack of global perspective and lack of library visits. It was suggested that admission test should be conducted before admission in LIS and practical hours should be increased. Attendance should be made compulsory and syllabus should be up-dated. Availability of high caliber staff should be ensured. Mobile based learning programmes should be adopted for distance learning. For the purpose of imparting practical training, there should be complete infrastructure. It was concluded that to support learning and teaching ICT should be used because e-learning would be the future of education. Like other developing countries, studies conducted in Pakistan do not show the healthy picture of LIS profession. In Pakistan, even all libraries are not fully automated. Internet service for users is being provided in University libraries but in public and college libraries the provision of Internet service is not encouraging. Haider (2003) found that the present library scenario in Pakistan is not so impressive and is suffering from inadequate funds and lack of bibliographic resources in the country. It was suggested that in order to meet new challenges, library schools are needed to improve the quality of their teaching staff and revise the curricula as well. The amount of research by library professionals into their own discipline is simply inadequate. Mohammad Asghar (1992) listed some main problems as the lack of opportunities for proper training, appropriate guidance, availability and access to information sources, financial assistance and sponsorship, encouragement, publication or dissemination of research findings, and personal interest and initiative. As Khalid, Hafiz (1997) states, the library staff is an area of weakness in Pakistan; there are several causes of this problem in Pakistan such as the faulty system of selection, lack of training, poor librarian’s status, etc. It was pointed out by Ministry of Education in National Education Policy, 1998; p.113 that: College libraries, which are the largest group of libraries in the country, have also been facing the problem of poor services, outdated collection of reading materials, financial constraints and inadequate professional staff

Teaching and learning in information retrieval

A literature review of pedagogical methods for teaching and learning information retrieval is presented. From the analysis of the literature a taxonomy was built and it is used to structure the paper. Information Retrieval (IR) is presented from different points of view: technical levels, educational goals, teaching and learning methods, assessment and curricula. The review is organized around two levels of abstraction which form a taxonomy that deals with the different aspects of pedagogy as applied to information retrieval. The first level looks at the technical level of delivering information retrieval concepts, and at the educational goals as articulated by the two main subject domains where IR is delivered: computer science (CS) and library and information science (LIS). The second level focuses on pedagogical issues, such as teaching and learning methods, delivery modes (classroom, online or e-learning), use of IR systems for teaching, assessment and feedback, and curricula design. The survey, and its bibliography, provides an overview of the pedagogical research carried out in the field of IR. It also provides a guide for educators on approaches that can be applied to improving the student learning experiences

In Search of a New Model: Library Resource Sharing in China - A Comparative Study

This paper reviews the framework of library resource sharing (LRS) in China and examines, from a comparative perspective, cases of recent development, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s. Highlights include: (1) historical review of LRS in the U.S. and China, particularly in the areas of print union catalogs and union lists, online bibliographic utilities, and interlibrary loan; (2) literature review of Chinese publications, and LRS issues and challenges in China; (3) Analysis of three LRS models to provide a contextual grasp of a paradigm shift taking place in China; and (4) comparative analysis of LRS objectives, structure, and governance, etc., in the U.S. and China. The study also underscores the imperative for building a national digital library system in China to gain a competitive edge in resource sharing and to support the country’s rapid social and economic growth. At this stage of development, the success of China Academic Library & Information System provides a convincing argument for a national digital library system with its methods of governing, financing, and development

The bunheads are dead: Discovering high tech, high touch opportunities in Library and Information Science

Conjure up a picture of today\u27s librarian, and you are likely to be wrong. Professional librarians are information analysts, freedom of information and protection of privacy officers, family literacy specialists, Internet trainers, teen specialists, genealogists, Web designers and technologists, database managers, historical researchers, information brokers. Indeed, few have the title of “librarian” but all have the master\u27s degree in Library and Information Science (LIS). Graduate LIS programs are appealing to a younger and more diverse student population, yet recruitment is still problematic due to misconceptions about the career and the little-known fact that the first professional degree is at the master\u27s level. For the past several decades, MLIS programs have recognized the morphing of the library from book repository to community information provider, and have redrawn the set of technical skills that go along with the degree. Those who have discovered the contemporary version of the MLIS have been able to dismiss the bunheaded-librarian stereotype traditionally associated with the degree

Using World-Wide-Web technology for pathology education

In this article, we describe the development of computer-based learning programs for pathology students at Jefferson Medical College. These programs are authored using HTML (HyperText Markup Language), and are available to students on campus and via the internet. Our computer-based learning resources include scheduling information, course goals and objectives, glossary of key words, self-assessment programs and image-based case studies. These educational programs are popular with the students. We recommend the use of World Wide Web technology to improve teaching and learning in pathology education

Academic digital library in Malaysia: A case study on the status of digital reference services

This paper highlights the current status of digital library services provided by selected public academic libraries in Malaysia. The drift from traditional library to digital library architecture has set drastic changes in favor of adopting knowledge-gain mechanisms via the use of networked and digital environments. With diversity of functions, academic digital library is seen the most awaiting proxy in changing the information culture among academic users. This paper in general attempts to highlight the phenomena of using digital library system in public universities in Malaysia. The focal of the discussion is on digital reference services of academic digital library

Ideabook: Libraries for Families

The IDEABOOK is a research-based framework to guide and broaden family engagement in libraries.The framework helps libraries move beyond thinking of family engagement as random, individual activities or programs, but rather as a system where library leadership, activities, and resources that are linked to goals. The framework represents a theory of change that begins with a set of elements—leadership, engagement, and support services—that build a pathway for meaningful family engagement beginning in the early childhood years and extending through young adulthood.This IDEABOOK was developed for anyone who works in a library setting—from library directors and children's and youth librarians, to volunteers and support staff—and shares many innovative ways that libraries support and guide families in children's learning and development