Trends, Challenges and Future of Library and Information Science Education in India

The technological revolution paved the challenges for the library and information science (LIS) school, not only in India but also in the west. Responsibilities of LIS departments and teachers are increasing to produce best LIS professionals to lead 'he 21st century librarianship. The major responsibility of the LIS departments in India is to groom LIS students in the philosophy. knowledge.and professional values of librariansnip, as practiced in libraries and in other contexts. and as guided by the vision of the 21st century librarianship. LIS education and training facilities in India are undergoing rapid changes. During the past 10 years. the number of library schools/departments has grown sut stantially, both for regular anddistance education programmes. Reorientation has been common in most LIS departments, and review and revision in curriculum has also been noticed. The quality of LIS educators has also improved and research output is experiencing new dimensions. Increase in the use and access to information and communication technologies (leT) for LIS education is now more evident. This paper discusses the challenges LIS education faces in the 21st century and how to make LIS education more relevant and effective

LIS Education in America: The Present, the Past, and the Future.

In the United States, the Library and Information Science (LIS) degree is most often a graduate degree at the master’s level. The degree is most commonly named the Masters of Library Science (MLS) or the Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS). In this paper, the author will discuss economic, demographic, and education trends in the United States and how these trends are changing libraries. As libraries evolve to meet the needs of our communities, new sets of skills for librarians are emerging. The most important questions to ask about the future of LIS education—are we supplying LIS graduates with the appropriate training that ensures libraries remain relevant into the future? What is the future of the LIS degree? As libraries continue to evolve, will the LIS degree still be required or even desired

IT profiles and curricula for digital libraries in Europe

This paper examines the roles and competences of digital librarians and the trends of education for digital libraries in Europe. It puts two questions: What are the IT (Information Technology) profiles for digital librarians? How should they be educated? The analysis is based on the results of the European project European Curriculum Reflections on Library and Information Science Education and the proceedings of two Workshops on digital library education, held in Italy in 2005. Three approaches to education for the digital library have been described: 1) the emergence of the concept of “memory institutions”; 2) the library approach to information and knowledge management; 3) the IT isolation from LIS (Library and Information Science) schools. The roles of the digital librarian together with the structure of a course in digital librarianship, covering learning outcomes , competences and teaching methods is proposed, but further research is needed

Education for Library and Information Science in Iran: Current Trends

The article presents an account of the Library and Information Science (LIS) education in Iran. It briefly reviews the growth and development of the LIS education in the periods: 1939-1978, as the Pre- Islamic Revolution period, and 1979- 2007, as the Post –Islamic Revolution period. The paper covers an up-to-date list of the 29 universities in Iran offering various LIS programs including Post-Diploma / Associate Diploma; Bachelor of Library and Information Science; Master of Library and Information Science and Ph.D., and the establishment of the LIS departments in a chronological order (84 depts.). It also emphasizes the re-designing of the curriculum based on the emerging needs to match the new technological age. It highlights the current trends in the last 10 years. The paper concludes that Post Islamic-Revolution LIS education witnessed more progress comparing to the Pre-Islamic Revolution period, particularly in the last decade (1997- 2007). At the end, some suggestions are given for improving the LIS education in Iran

Periscopic Survey of Current Library and Information Science Education and Practice in Nigeria

The paper is theoretical, more of a firsthand experience of what the author has observed as the current trends in Nigerian library and information science education and practice. The trends observed are increased ICT component in library schools curricula, increasing resort to the use of ICTs, which has also given rise to the challenge for digitization, archiving and preservation of electronic resources; proliferation of opportunities for training and retraining, which the Librarians Registration Council of Nigeria has braced up to with quality assurance measures to ensure that quality assurance is neither compromised in library schools nor in the field of practice; and entrepreneurship education aimed at producing self-employed graduates. The other trends are collaborative librarianship through consortium building to ensure sharing of resources, which is made easier by ICT application; decreased funding of libraries and influence of librarians as principal officers due to their inability to fit into the internal politics of their institutions; and a possibility for 24 hours library service, which many institutions’ libraries are planning the groundwork for. The paper submits that with better operational environments, Nigerian librarians will be able to respond better to existing and emerging trends in library and information practice

iSchools in Central and South Europe: Developments and Challenges of Cooperation

The countries of Central and South Europe entered the 2000s with plans to restructure their higher education systems based on Bologna recommendations and some other EU supported guidelines. The Humboldt tradition at the universities in the region, necessity to introduce new academic profiles as well as the use of ICT in higher education, is leading the way towards the restructuring of existing programs or designing new curricula and to cooperation between the LIS and IS departments in the region. This panel will address the special concerns for restructuring curricula in the wider information sciences field (Library and Information Science - LIS, Information Science ??? IS, Records Management ??? RM, education for digital services etc) Panelists will address three questions with respect to i-schools developments and trends in their respective countries: ??? What are the basic concerns in developing new curricula in their respective countries? ??? How do the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary issues influence curricula design in IS? ??? What are the future steps, particularly in regard to regional cooperation? After each of the panelists will have presented his position concerning these three questions, they will discuss especially the issues on inter-/multidisciplinarity and on future regional cooperation. The audience of the panel discussion is invited to join this discussion

Scientific production on mobile information literacy in higher education: a bibliometric analysis (2006–2017)

This paper offers a bibliometric analysis of the scientific production on Mobile Information Literacy (m-IL) in Higher Education published between 2006 and 2017, taking into account papers covered by Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), Library and Information Science and Technology Abstract (LISTA), and Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). Bibliometrics, as an integral part of research evaluation methodology, helps us to identify the subject’s evolution over the period studied. In this research we aim to: a) identify the most relevant journals that publish literature in this field, b) calculate the authors’ average productivity and identify the most productive authors, and c) discover the most significant trends in this academic field, through statistical and co-occurrence word analyses of the titles and the keywords used to index papers. The bibliometric results of this research provide a snapshot of the literature on Mobile Information Literacy that highlights the most relevant journals, authors, and trending keywords

Library & Information Science Education in the United States and Canada: Issues & Trends in the 21st Century

Schools of Library and Information Science (LIS) in the United States and Canada are accredited by the professional body, the American Library Association (ALA). LIS education is outcome-based and its main goal is to prepare graduates with high levels of specialization in the LIS field. Constant LIS curriculum revision and adaptation to the latest developments in the field ensures the updating of the educational process thus enabling graduates to choose from a variety of career paths in the information industry

Informational Professionals 2050: Educational Possibilities And Pathways -- Education Trends Panel Summary

The opening panel of Mike Eisenberg, Bill Graves, Liz Liddy, and David Silver (moderated by Susan Nutter) addressed the impact of education trends on the future of information professions and professionals. After these four thoughtful leaders presented a five-minute summary of their positions, discussion ensued among the whole body of participants. Generally, the panelists envisioned an educational system that is organic and entrepreneurial and relies less on bureaucratic and rigid business and economic models. Everyone seemed to agree that the rigidity of the current higher education system, especially in public institutions, is an impediment to change and effective learning. The discussion was not focused solely on Library and Information Science (LIS) education but on the broad education trends that would and perhaps should impact the role of information in learning for future LIS students as well as students in any discipline. The primary thrust was on higher education, but several panelists gave examples of learning among younger students to illustrate their points

Born Yesterday: the Need for Reconstructing Master’s Degree Programme in Library Science at the Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria

Developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), worldwide, are changing the face and direction of the LIS education and profession in general. As a result, educational offerings need to be revised to keep up with the current trends. This study examines the MLS programme offered by the LIS School, Bayero University, Kano, in terms of its curriculum and training facilities. The study also suggested a new masters’ degree curriculum for the LIS School that is based on the current requirements (i.e. local and international). Such a curriculum is considered appropriate and necessary in bringing about the desired changes in the MLS programme. Thus, it is anticipated that graduates who are trained based on the proposed curriculum would have an edge in the ever-changing labour market for the LIS practitioners. Keywords:Library and information science education; Information science; MLS programme; Library science; Curriculum; Bayero University, Kan