How relevant are library and information science curricula outside their geographic domain?

Abstract

Australian library and information science (LIS) courses are popular outside Australia, and Australia is a popular study destination for students in the region. This paper takes a comparative approach to attempt to determine whether ALIA (the Australian Library and Information Association)’s core curriculum for LIS education is appropriate outside Australia. It is based on research into the future needs for education of library professionals in the digital era with special consideration of the needs of the Special Administrative Region (SAR), Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China (PRC), on ALIA education statements, and on curriculum statements from the US and Europe. Recent research attempted to identify an ideal curriculum especially for use in Hong Kong and also in other areas of Southeast Asia. A consensus was reached regarding appropriate curriculum content which tended to concentrate in seven areas. These results were mapped against ALIA’s education statements, and compared with statements about LIS curriculum from IFLA (the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) and from European educators. The paper concludes that the relative lack of consensus about what constitutes a core curriculum may not have major implications for LIS education and course recognition processes, and raises questions for further investigation.