Assessment of the Practicum by students from the perspective of the induction process

This article shows the assessments made by students from the Carlos III University of Madrid of the induction period in the practicum they performed during their courses of study, and their perceptions of and attitudes towards it. The method used was a survey comprising 6 questions about the induction process, which was carried out among 359 students over six academic years from 2003/4 to 2008/9. The study demonstrates that the information centers receiving interns should place more emphasis on the induction process in order to achieve integration and correct the failings which this work has enabled us to detect. The employees from the information centers who act as supervisors of the students will be most aware of their interests and opinions. They will be able to take these into consideration when planning the work placements, particularly in order to provide a suitable welcome and orientation for the students, treating them in a similar way to new employees through the induction process. The students' observations should also be taken into account by the academics responsible for the internships, in order to establish proposals for action with a view to improving the practicum. This study will help to extend the very limitedliterature existing on assessment of the practicum programs from the perspective of LIS students

Degree studies in Information and Documentation in Spain. From their antecedents to the current situation: a critical view

Los estudios universitarios en Documentación se remontan en España a los años ochenta del siglo XX cuando comienza a impartirse la Diplomatura en Biblioteconomía en Documentación, a la que seguirán posteriormente los estudios de Licenciado en Documentación y los Doctorados en esta especialidad. El proceso de adaptación de la Universidad española al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior tiene como resultado la aparición de los estudios universitarios de Grado en Información y Documentación. Este trabajo presenta el origen de estos estudios de Grado, su desarrollo y situación actual, pero también sus antecedentes, sin los cuales no es posible entender la realidad actual. Se analiza la denominada “crisis de los estudios de Documentación en España” y la necesidad de repensar los estudios universitarios en este país.University studies in Documentation Sciences in Spain go back to the 1980s with the implementation of the University degree in Librarianship and Documentation. This was followed later by the Licentiate degree (roughly equivalent to the M.A. degree) and Doctorate courses in Documentation. The process of adapting Spain’s university system to the European Space for Higher Education resulted in the appearance of Bachelors’ degree courses in Information and Documentation. This study presents the origin of these degree courses, their development and current situation, and their antecedents, without which, would be impossible to understand the current reality. The so-called “crisis of Documentation studies in Spain” is analyzed, together with the need to rethink the country’s university studies.peerReviewe

The impact on education for librarianship and information studies of the Bologna process and related European Commission programmes: and some outstanding issues in Europe and beyond.

The Bologna Declaration of 1999 is the basis for continuing reforms in higher education intended to support international mobility in employment within the European Union. This paper describes the standardised structure and nomenclature for courses that have been implemented, together with a credit transfer system, a quality assurance regime, and the ERASMUS and MUNDUS programmes that support international student mobility. However, the European Commission has left crucial aspects of the implementation of the Bologna principles to Member States, and several issues have arisen because of national variations. The paper expresses concerns about differences in assessment standards and conventions, and questions the relevance of various attempts that have been made to produce model lists of competences and curricula. The European Unions international assistance programmes, TEMPUS and ALFA, have encouraged collaboration in assisting development in non-member states, but with limited effect, perhaps because of organisational changes that stemmed partly from the Bologna process. The changes in higher education stimulated the establishment of a pan-European association, EUCLID: the European association for library and information education and research, but the paper argues that the expectations of the founders of the association remain largely unfulfilled, and argues for more empirical research to review issues such as the academic level at which education for librarianship is undertaken, and the need for a European accreditation scheme