In the LIS classroom, students are encouraged to consider the needs of their entire patron population when designing library programs, spaces, and services. While LIS students express interest in supporting people with disabilities in their physical library, they often struggle to connect theoretical and abstract concepts to enact change. This action research project explored how utilizing virtual library tours in an online LIS course allowed students to think practically about supporting patrons with various needs within a specific library space. After reviewing five virtual libraries, students participated in an online discussion and a self-reflection about structuring library spaces to support patrons best. Finally, students created an action plan to help update a library space. Student surveys, discussions, and action plans were reviewed via content analysis using a rubric based on Mezirow's transformational education stages. Students also self-assessed their ability to accommodate and support a range of patrons within a physical library setting. Self-assessments and the content analysis were compared to determine student confidence and knowledge. Based on the action research findings, over half of the students achieved five out of seven stages of the Transformational Education Process, visualizing practical change in a library setting and supporting patrons of all abilities.

Two universities in Uzbekistan offer PhD programs in library and information science (LIS). This article used a documentary research method, enriched the collected data with the direct observations and lived experiences of the authors, and explored seven challenges of the LIS PhD program in Uzbekistan: (1) the topics of PhD research, (2) insufficient skills of Uzbekistan PhD students in the English language, (3) the risk of unregulated proliferation of PhD programs, (4) the different subject orientation of Uzbekistan PhD host institutions, (5) the low salaries of librarians and the lack of interest in continuing their studies at the PhD level, (6) insufficient skills of Uzbekistan PhD students in research methodology, and (7) their simultaneous employment somewhere outside the university. The article concludes by suggesting some solutions, including adopting the vision of the Information School, utilizing the potential of the Tashkent University of Information Technologies in centering the PhD program around digital technologies, and granting national awards to the best PhD research, emphasizing adherence to standards.

Globally, library and information programs are undergoing unprecedented changes driven by the digital revolution, shifts in users’ information needs, and the diversification of information resources. Despite these transformations, many library education programs appear reluctant to adequately address these changes. This study investigates the Library and Information Science (LIS) education program at OsloMet University in Norway, aiming to explore its evolving trajectory and trends in relation to the labor market's needs and demands. To achieve this, an ethnographic qualitative research method was employed, with data collected through structured face-to-face interviews with key informants and unstructured two weeks of conversation with academic staff from the Department of Archivists, Library, and Information Science at OsloMet University. The findings revealed significant changes and numerous challenges in the alignment of the LIS education program with labor market requirements. The study concludes with several recommendations, including the need for greater collaboration, the internationalization of the LIS education program, continuous education, and the importance of embracing change.

A successful internship program provides opportunities for “real-world” professional goal-setting, experiences, and active reflection on accomplishments. Intern supervisors play a pivotal role for internships, with opportunities to counsel, ignite a love for the profession, and create an inclusive culture that builds a more diverse workforce. Though internships are entry-level by nature and require specialized skills and focused attention on training, mentoring, and feedback, intern supervisor training is often overlooked. The Arizona State University (ASU) Library Internship program provides a case study for a multi-faceted understanding of how the potentials and principles of coaching best meet the needs of intern supervisors.

The rise of online library and information science (LIS) education has made advancement in the field more accessible to individuals who cannot take on the burdens of in-person graduate-school coursework. However, the online classroom environment also comes with challenges regarding communication and community-building for instructors and students. Furthermore, the expectations placed on LIS students continue to grow, with original research, in particular, becoming an increasingly important skill for new graduates. To address these issues by fostering research success and a sense of community in a new five-week online LIS course, the course instructor and lead author of this reflective essay designed the course as a participatory research lab where the instructor fully participated in all course assignments and activities that students participated in. Over five course modules, students and instructor each chose a research topic and then created and shared four in-depth reflective discussion posts on their topics, which were then incorporated into final papers that were submitted on the last day of class. To encourage a research mindset, each participant wrote the paper with a peer-reviewed journal in mind—with the goal of creating at least an early draft of a paper that could eventually be submitted for journal publication. Though the course was offered online, the class utilized weekly Zoom meetings and asynchronous discussions to build a community of learners who encouraged each other in their learning and growth. This autoethnographic case study, authored jointly by students and instructor, is a reflection on both the factors that enabled success and how this participatory approach to instruction can be improved in the future. Our experiment in participatory online learning has broadened our understandings of what an online classroom looks like and how we can show up for each other, even when we are not interacting in person.

Informed by the developing field of fat studies and inclusive of fat voices, this study explores whether sizeism associated with popular health and wellness culture appears in public library health programs. We conducted thematic content analyses of health and wellness–related public library program descriptions in the United States and Canada as well as library conference materials and resources used by library workers to develop health-related programs and resources to provide a broad picture of the narrative around health in libraries. While we found public libraries’ health programming to not be explicitly fat-phobic, there is still room for improvement. We employ fat pedagogy ( Cameron & Russell, 2016 ) to offer recommendations to address sizeism in a way that advances the cause of fat liberation and supports library workers’ and graduate library and information science programs’ existing commitments to respect and inclusivity.

As the social support network in the United States struggles to address the myriad needs of the public, libraries are being asked to shoulder an increasingly varied set of responsibilities. Are they educated appropriately to meet these needs? We conducted in-depth, semi-structured video interviews with five experienced youth services professionals in the southeastern United States, transcribed them, and used NVivo to facilitate qualitative, collaborative coding. Our analysis revealed that, while they felt confident when entering the field years ago, children's librarians have had to adapt and extend their roles and duties such that their education from 10 years ago is now somewhat outdated. The “traditional” skills in reference, collection management, and readers’ advisory are still fundamental, but our participants identified a particular emphasis on programming as a skill set vital to children's librarianship. Others expressed current needs for more knowledge of generative AI, youth development for marginalized identities, advocacy and public speaking, outcomes evaluation, and conflict resolution that were not covered in their degree programs. Interviewees also expressed more general concerns about the ongoing relevance of the master's degree. While LIS educators are constantly updating their curriculum content, we hope our research will inspire them to reflect on—and further adapt—the content and methods in the children's librarianship curriculum.

The COVID-19 pandemic re-emphasized social and digital vulnerabilities experienced by some older adults (people 65 years and older). In considering how library and information science (LIS) can best serve older adults, the importance of education and curricula is discussed. Existing literature indicates that (1) older adults are either missing or minimized from post-secondary students’ perspectives, (2) when introduced to older adults, post-secondary students often become interested in meeting their needs, and (3) there are numerous strategies that may facilitate this introduction. To better understand these issues in an LIS context, current students or recent graduates of ALA-accredited Master of Library and Information Science programs were asked to participate in a qualitative survey. Sixty-five participants completed a survey which showed that while 96% felt it was important that their programs offer classes on older adults, 86% reported classes on youth but not older adults. Additionally, 80% felt that they could become more interested in the needs of older adults if their programs introduced them. Participants also shared how they and LIS more broadly could serve older adults through the lens of the ALA core competencies. The results were aligned with studies from other fields that indicate a lack of engagement with older adults and gerontology career paths. A framework is presented which LIS professors and administrators can use to increase the presence of older adults or other underrepresented populations in their curricula and programs. Future research is needed to provide more tools for preparing students for work in an aging society.