Library Education Research Articles

Preparing Students for the Workplace: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Curriculum for master’s level education in library and information science is an historically popular subject of discussion in the disciplinary literature. Specific topic areas are interrogated (Saunders & Bajjaly, 2022), opinions are solicited about courses or topics which ought to be required of all students (Saunders, 2019) or required of students in particular sub-areas of the profession (Davis & Saunders, 2020; Saunders, 2020; Williams & Saunders, 2020), changes over time are analyzed (EunKyung Chung, Schalk, & JungWon Yoon, 2022), and external standards are developed to articulate the breadth and depth of curricula which “should” be included (ALA, 2023). Similarly, the literature promotes a range of pedagogical approaches (Ely, 2023), and conference programs (such as the ALISE conference) and webinar series (such as those sponsored by ALISE, including the “LIS Pedagogy Chat” series) also address pedagogy. One aspect of professional practice that has received less consideration is the way students are prepared to hold realistic expectations for the workplace. Those expectations may relate to organizational cultures, practices, and challenges, all of which may be minimally addressed during students’ pre-professional education or ignored completely. The panel highlights specific aspects of workplace experience as revealed through research projects delving into the lived experiences of library workers. These research findings will be considered in terms of the ways in which they may inform the curricula of master’s programs in the field. The panel will open with a very short introduction by the moderator, Dr. Heidi Julien. Then each panelist will have 15 minutes to summarize results of their recent studies, and individually will suggest their implications for preparing master’s students for the realities of professional practice. The remaining 40 minutes will be devoted to audience discussion about possible ways students may be exposed to these realities. Prompting questions for the audience include: Are there other workplace realities not addressed by the panel that would be relevant to students? Who is best positioned to discuss these realities with students – e.g., practitioners? Adjunct instructors? Regular faculty members? Alumni? Are there existing opportunities in master’s curricula to include these discussions, or would extra-curricular opportunities be more effective? Ideas generated by the panelists and the audience will be captured and shared with attendees orally at the close of the session.

Are we ready? Generative AI and the LIS curriculum

The US Department of Education’s 2023 report highlights the importance of AI literacy for educators and other stakeholders (Cardona, Rodriguez & Ishmael, 2023). Analyzing this report, Lo (2023) notes that “for librarians, AI literacy could involve understanding how AI tools work, how they can be used to enhance library services, and how to navigate potential ethical issues related to AI” (p. 2). Southworth et al (2023) observe that technical aspects of AI are covered in the traditional STEM curricula but are largely absent outside of it. While there are efforts currently to provide education and training opportunities for librarians in addressing AI in their work, as well as literature that talks about how AI will impact various aspects of work in libraries, few have touched on the need for curriculum development to effectively address such disruptive technologies by identifying the competencies or threshold concepts that will be affected by them. The ubiquitous impact of AI has included applications in medical research as well as law, design, economics, and humanities, to name just a few. Agile practice and improved dissemination of best practices are called for, moving forward. How should LIS curriculum address AI and related issues to prepare future librarians and information professionals? This poster covers an in-progress scoping review of literature and a content analysis of the publicly available course descriptions of ALA accredited LIS programs, as well as their current mission statements and objectives to provide a snapshot of extant integration of this new and challenging technology.

You are not Alone: Confusion with Software Applications in African University Libraries

Building on Nardi and O’Day’s (1999) classic book on information ecologies exploring the complexities of using multiple software applications in settings including libraries, we note that even though the technologies have changed over the decades, the importance of the work of librarians in assisting patrons has not changed much. Keeping up with popular, constantly evolving software packages like EndNote, Koha, NewGenlib, Baobab eLibrary, Openbiblio, Evergreen, Greenstone, and D-Space to support digital collections in various formats remains a constant challenge. constant challenge. Some librarians feel daunted by learning and explaining new software in a constantly changing technological ecosystem, while others embrace the challenge. As well as using software for their work, librarians have the responsibility to help their patrons learn, adapt, and apply new software to meet their information needs more effectively and efficiently. Like other client-facing professionals, librarians must also be mindful of the ‘myths’ (Ehrlich & Cash, 1994) that clients understand their problems and use online information if available. These software-related challenges have been documented in many countries (Asim et al., 2023, Adhikari, 2023), but our research identified a gap in the literature regarding the situation in Africa. The study implies the importance of education for librarians in adopting the right software and avoiding confusion. We conducted a review of LIS papers harvested from the LIS Ebscohost database about this topic in various countries of Africa between 2012 and 2022, identifying 75 papers as relevant according to our criteria. The poster presents the findings of the scoping review.

Curriculum SIG: The Ethics and Evolution of Truth and Information

The Curriculum SIG will examine how library science education curricula can prepare future librarians to engage with the ethics and evolution of truth and information. The session will begin with presentations of each paper, followed by an interactive discussion inviting attendees to participate in an open dialogue and Q&A with the presenters about the issues raised by the papers, implications for practice, and potential areas for future research. Dr. Natalie Taylor will deliver a presentation titled “Core Competencies, Core Courses: How Accredited MLIS Programs Interpret the ALA’s Core Competencies through their Curriculum.” This paper aims to examine the way that the 66 accredited degree programs describe their programs’ relationship with the ALA Core Competencies (ALACCs) and whether these descriptions can demonstrate a measurement of the influence of the ALACCs on curriculum. This finding will serve two purposes: 1) a representation of the strength (or weakness) of the connection between the library profession (as represented by the American Library Association) and MLIS degree programs and 2) a better understanding of how the curriculum of these programs represents the competencies called for by ALA. Dr. Cynthia Stogdill and Dr. Elizabeth Burns will present “Information Literacy: A Case Study in Inquiry Instruction.” Information literacy is a set of skills we expect school librarians to teach K-12 learners. AASL embeds these competencies within their instructional standards for learners and school librarians however, there is little agreement on a model of inquiry that should be used with K-12 learners. Further, there is little consistency in pre-service school librarian information literacy instruction. This exploratory case study examines the information literacy instructional models used with one cohort of pre-service school librarians. Findings discuss practices that can be shared and further developed for LIS education. Dr. Rhonda Clark, Dr. Xiaofeng Li, and Dr. Angela Jones will present “A Study of US Public Library Strategic Plans: Trends and Trajectories.” This paper reports the results of a content analysis, reviewing strategic plans from public libraries across multiple states in the U.S. The presenters will make recommendations based on their analysis to help library educators teach an effective writing style for strategic plans. They will also advocate for the importance of strategic planning as a necessary skill in the curriculum. Additionally, they will invite attendees to discuss how library schools implement curriculum development through strategic planning. Overall, these presentations will provide valuable insights into how library science education programs address core competencies, information literacy instruction, and strategic planning to better prepare future librarians for the evolving challenges of the profession.

School Library Media SIG Session

A School Librarian Needs Assessment on Culturally Responsive and Impactful K-12 Online Teaching and Learning. There is a lack of research that examines school library education, professional development, or application of culturally responsive pedagogy in K-12 online settings. This research project investigates the characteristics of the school librarianship knowledge gap on culturally responsive online pedagogy through needs assessment research. Data was collected utilizing national online webinars as online discussion groups. The findings from the first phase of a national research grant project to examine, assess, and address the school librarianship knowledge gap on the design and delivery of targeted and culturally responsive online learning will be presented. Opening the Pipeline: Sustaining Recruitment for School Librarianship. Over the last decade, the number of school librarians (SLs) in US public schools declined. Among the reasons administrators shared regarding these unfilled (and potentially lost) positions were issues with “the pipeline” or the availability of qualified candidates to apply for posted positions. This was particularly true in states with no school librarian preparation programs (SLPPs) at their colleges and universities and resulted in areas (often rural) where school districts had openings for SLs but were unable to find candidates willing to relocate (Lance & Kachel, 2021). To understand this “pipeline problem” and the role that SLPPs play, we turn to the recruitment practices in SLPPs, and ask: what are the current practices for inviting, promoting, and/or recruiting candidates to SLPPs? Initial research findings and anecdotal academic experience reveal that barriers to entering SLPPs include rigid requirements for credentialing and the financial burdens of tuition and associated personal expenses. With new insights into the variety of strategies used (and not used) across programs, we hope to initiate professional conversations and create recommendations for opening and sustaining a national pipeline that ensures that well-qualified candidates are prepared to serve as school librarians. Share and Share Alike: School Librarians Sharing Their Truths about Evidence Based Practice. P12 educators are expected to utilize evidence to inform practices and decisions. Although most school librarians collect and use evidence, they struggle doing so systematically or in relation to teaching and learning. We conducted focus groups interviews with school librarians and their educators and supervisors to identify existing opportunities that prepare school librarians for evidence-based practice (EBP), challenges with those opportunities, and types and forms of professional learning that school librarians prefer as they continue to hone their application of EBP. Our findings indicate that additional tools and real-time learning opportunities would further support school librarians’ EBP knowledge and skills.

An Exploratory Community-Engaged Framework to Operationalize Building Bridges between Public Library Education and Praxis

This article explores an exploratory/emerging framework collaboratively developed by a public librarian and library and information science (LIS) educator to operationalize community-engaged programming through critical autoethnographic reflections from Williams (first author) doctoral journey. The authors propose a novel framework, emphasizing elements crucial to a community-embedded approach, and employ a critical autoethnographic methodology to provide a nuanced understanding focused on generating community impact. The findings apply elements of a community-engaged framework in relation to both authors’ contributions with regard to the performance of their roles as a public librarian (and doctoral student) and LIS educator respectively. The discussion critically addresses the emerging challenges and presents opportunities with potential implications for LIS education.

Collaborations between Public Library Educators and Practitioners to Apply a Theory of Change and Promote Civic Engagement for Racial Justice in the American South

The Institute of Museum and Library Services’ National Leadership Grants for Libraries program recently awarded a $332,939 grant titled “Civic Engagement for Racial Justice in Public Libraries” (RJ@PL) to the University of Alabama and the Chicago State University. The grant’s purpose is to build the capabilities of public librarians and selected communities to promote civic engagement for racial justice and achieve the following objectives: 1) Assessment of public library efforts to advance racial justice (externally and internally); 2) Operationalization of strategic participatory planning process using a theory of change to develop roadmaps and action plans that further racial justice in select community domains (economy, education, health, etc.); 3) Implementation of key strategic components of information-based offerings in six/eight library settings. This paper reports ongoing collaboration to further the three design components via applying a theory of change for an intended impact of increased community wellbeing resulting from improved racial climate.

For a sustainable education in Brazilian Library Science

The study starts from the global goals of inequality reduction and legal frameworks towards people with disabilities to evaluate curricular components and institutional guidance of active undergraduate courses in Library Science in the southeast area of Brazil. This study, which is of an applied nature, aims to investigate if and how universities offer education oriented to qualification in and towards diversity. The empirical field consists of 22 (twenty-two) courses certified by the Ministry of Education of the Federal Government of Brazil. Once these courses were submitted to documental analysis, we located 13 (thirteen) political-pedagogic projects and 9 (nine) summarized course syllabi to execute the exploratory reading based on keywords related to the inclusion domain and later definition of analytical categories. The reading, analysis, and critical interpretation regarding the results show significant gaps in the librarian education about diversity. Disregarding the predominance of optional courses on Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), the undergraduate courses of the investigated area as an empirical field of this study fail to present, satisfactorily, components or specific objectives aimed toward the learning process of people with disabilities.

The use of animation tools in the media space of library for the formation of undergraduates' teamwork skills

The problem and the aim of the study. The modernization of library education involves the use of technologies that provide simultaneous work with sound, statistical images, and texts in an interactive mode. The ability to use information tools, in particular computer animation, in working on projects and teamwork skills are indemand soft skills, the maturity of which largely determines the professional self-realization of librarianship specialists. The purpose of the study is to identify the potential of using animation tools in the library's media space to develop the teamwork skills of master’s students. Research methods. The media space of the library is considered as a set of resources that allow professional collaboration of cultural institutions in a new format, attracting potential users to visit libraries, as well as informing them about their services. The Renderforest platform is used to develop didactic animation. The experiment involved 64 undergraduates of specialty 04.51.01 Cultural studies, profile – "Socio-cultural design", Vyatka State University (Russian Federation). The authors use V. Stefanson's methodology to assess the level of teamwork skills of master's students. For statistical processing, – Pearson's χ2 (chi-square) test. A group of experts has been involved in the evaluation of media projects for “Library Night” event. Fisher's method was used to establish statistically significant differences. Results. The students of the experimental group used animation tools to develop projects and library and information services according to the following algorithm: studying a digital service, defining the concept of an action/event for “Library Night”, writing a script, implementing a project, evaluating the potential for the development of the library's media space. Statistically significant differences in the qualitative changes that occurred in the system were revealed: according to the levels of formation of teamwork skills according to the criteria of dependence/non-dependence on the opinion of the group (χ2 = 6.427; p < 0.05); sociability/ nonsociability (χ2 = 7.879; p < 0.05); acceptance of "struggle" / "struggle" / avoidance of "struggle" (χ2 = 6.081; p < 0.05); and by the quality of training – φcrit=1.64<φemp=2.804. Conclusion. The possibilities of using animation tools in the media space of the library for the development of teamwork skills of master’s students are formulated: new formats of collaboration and project activities, innovative work experience, etc. However, there are also factors complicating the process: absence of clear leadership; constrains of communication; weak motivation; low social status of the profession.

The main principles of the education of librarians of new qualification

The application of computers and the changing technology of library work reveal new professional demands for librarians, which necessitate changes in the education for librarianship and information work. The article addresses the theoretical questions of the content of education for the specialty "Librarianship and Bibliography" at the University of Vilnius. The offered complex of subjects is analyzed, and the main tendencies in the development of the curriculum are traced. The modification of library education is based on a new learning plan, which allows for the integration of individual subjects into blocks. This approach enables the selection of a central subject that forms the foundation of the new educational system and integrates separate blocks into one complex. In our opinion, this central subject is "Information Retrieval Systems." The main reasons for this choice, as well as the practical and theoretical advantages, are examined and justified.

The problem of the relations between the science and the subject-matter of education in the higher education of librarians and bibliographers

The subject-matter of education is one of the main elements of the didactic system. The correct determination of the main subject-matter of education enables the achievement of educational goals. Education and higher education are closely interconnected. However, one of the main problems in professional pedagogy—the relationship between science and the subject-matter of education—has not yet been fully resolved. This problem is particularly urgent in the training of skilled librarians and bibliographers because library and bibliography sciences are relatively young and rapidly developing. The author asserts that it is necessary to create a special theory of higher education in librarianship and bibliography, which would allow for the improvement of this field according to the latest tendencies in the development of library and bibliography sciences, informatics, and the science of the book. It is essential to analyze the logical structure of these sciences, to identify their main components and methods that influence the construction of corresponding branches of education. The author proposes a preliminary solution to this problem.

New technology in libraries work and the problems of education in the field of librarianship and bibliography

The article deals with the problem of the changing demands of education for librarianship and information work in developed capitalist countries as a result of the application of computers and changing technology of library work. There are indications that, under these conditions, education and training must be something rather different from traditional library education. The changing role of information, which becomes one of the natural resources of a country, and the rapid development of computer technology reveal new professional demands for librarians. They are becoming something like gatekeepers of information, mediators between information stored in databases and information users. As a result of this tendency, the teaching of online bibliographic searching is of great importance in the curricula of library schools all over the world. The main trends of alteration in the programs of library schools during the last 10 years are surveyed, and principal tendencies of future development in the education of librarians are revealed.

The methodological aspects of the construction of the theory of library and bibliography education

There is no fully accepted conception of the basis on which librarians and bibliographers should be educated. There is no theoretical solution in the USSR or in the world. However, the history of higher education for librarians and bibliographers is closely connected with universities. The author of the article substantiates the merits of education at universities, reveals the possibilities of some of the Soviet universities to prepare library and bibliography specialists. The results of this research should help in solving the problem of diversity in types and forms of higher education for librarians and bibliographers.

The features of the development of higher education in librarianship in Soviet Lithuania

Attempts to organize higher library education in Lithuania were made long ago. An episodic course in bibliography was taught at the old Vilnius University in 1829-1830. After the restoration of Soviet power in Lithuania in 1940, the Chair of Bibliology was established at Vilnius State University, and a course in bibliography was offered. Lectures aimed at starting the preparation of skilled librarians and bibliographers were planned to begin in the autumn of 1941. However, this work was interrupted by the war and the Nazi occupation. The Department of Librarianship was founded at Vilnius State University in 1949 (with the Chair of Librarianship established in 1952, and the Chair of Scientific Information in 1973). During a short period, these Chairs achieved significant results in various branches. They developed scientific and research activity in librarianship and bibliography, providing skilled specialists for the libraries of our republic. In recent years, more than 2,000 specialists have been trained at the University. These graduates have been appointed to work in different public, children’s, school, scientific, special, and technical libraries, as well as in scientific information offices.

Training of information retrieval in the State university of Vilnius: some contential and technological aspects of education in the field of librarianship and bibliography

The article deals with the problem of professional education of librarians at the University of Vilnius. The changing role of information, which is becoming one of the natural resources of the country, and the rapid development of computer technology reveal new professional demands for librarians. As a result of this tendency, teaching online bibliographical searching has become of great importance in the library education curriculum. Specific conditions of development and practical needs of libraries and information services, main traits, and opportunities of higher education in Lithuania are revealed. This makes it possible to create an original conception of automated information retrieval training. The problems of information retrieval are studied in subjects such as Librarianship, Bibliography, Information Retrieval Systems, Information, and Technical Aids for Library Work, which are based on a specially created training automated information retrieval system (AIRS). Three different kinds of connections between the revealed subjects are presented in a scheme and commented upon. The choice of education technology is discussed. The main forms are various practical studies, realized on the basis of AIRS. These also help overcome the psychological barrier that arises when working with computers.

Aspirations, Goals, Dreams, and Future Pursuit of Basketball Athletes in the National College Athletics Association (NCAA): A Literature Review

This study offers insightful information about academic support programs for student-athletes, highlighting the necessity of all-encompassing assistance and utilizing technology to cater to their requirements. Aspects of academic support included in the evaluation include study halls, writing centers, technology, job transition, counseling, and bridging programs. It emphasizes how crucial customized solutions and a positive team atmosphere are. The necessity of a more comprehensive strategy to affect student-athletes’ conduct, the significance of specialized library education, and the requirement to ease their transition into the workforce are among the study gaps that have been found. To better meet the special needs of student-athletes and pinpoint best practices for various contexts, the abstract suggests that more research be done on the long-term effects of academic support programs, the efficacy of technology-based interventions, and cross-cultural analysis of academic support programs. In addition to offering suggestions for future research to improve academic assistance programs for student-athletes, the abstract contains insightful information about the difficulties and experiences faced by student-athletes.

Pedagogy with a heartbeat: The transformative potential of citizen science in education

Over the past few years, we have worked together in a citizen science project called Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet (see also Goldin et al. 2021, Goldin et al., 2023). In this project we engaged with 420 young learners in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. We came to see participating schools as collaborative ecosystems where young citizens become entangled with water through experiential encounters that make science alive and relevant. Through our engagement with citizen science, we experienced the transformative power of affect and the relevance of emotions in education as a social and political project. In our pedagogy we depart from the idea that human beings are separate from the biosphere, thus recognising the interdependency of all life forms on earth. We believe that keeping science education in laboratories and libraries affirms what Bozalek and Zemblyas (2023) call “privileged irresponsibility”. We propose that citizen science and its transformative potential can be one way to redress such irresponsibility. Through impactful encounters with human – nonhuman entanglement and the emotions which are evoked in this process, citizen science can create opportunities for responseability (Bozalek & Zemblyas, 2023), through teaching and learning with the heart. Such entanglement also resonates with relationality as the currency of care theorists. In the context of our citizen science work, caring for unfamiliar others is a form of non-humancentred care with unfamiliar water bodies in which the binary of inside-outside learning becomes porous as the geographies of water penetrate the classroom walls. In Diamonds on the Soles of our Feet, we noted how watery spaces and images move back and forth caring-with and through human bodies – waterbodies to school, school to waterbodies. The entanglement with the nonhuman resonates with Massumi’s (2015) notion of becoming where there is an unrolling of an event that is a becoming of two together.

Training of Specialists in the Field of Information and Library Science in Polish Universities (Experience of the First Decades of the 21st Cent.)

The aim of the article is to review the areas of training specialists in library and information science in higher education institutions of Poland at the beginning of the 21st cent. Research methods. The offered research is based on the analytical and synthetic analysis of scientific publications by leading Polish scientists who studied the issues of higher library and information education. The author’s presentation of the current state of university education in the information and library sphere in Poland is based on the processing of materials from the official web portals of higher education establishments that provide specialised training for their applicants. Among a complex of special research methods, the method of content analysis is used to identify the views of certain scientists on the problems of development of information and library education in Poland. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the formulation of the problem that is practically unresearched in Ukrainian science, and requires studying in view of the practical significance of the Polish experience in reforming higher education of the information and library sphere. Main conclusions. In the process of this research, it is found that in Poland the process of transforming the training of information and library specialists in accordance with the needs of modern information society has not yet been completed. There are still scientific discussions on optimising the nomenclature of the training areas at universities, as well as variants of creating interdisciplinary specialities are being considered, some of which have been tested for several years in some higher education institutions. The analysis of the official websites of 11 state universities in Poland has highlighted tendencies toward a rapid reduction in the classical programmes of training in the field of information and library science, which is primarily caused by the demands of potential employers and the increased integration of the latest technologies into all spheres of society activity.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

With the changing IT landscape and shifts in user needs, there is a massive need for a curriculum for education in library and information science that could stay updated and dynamic. This paper would try to propose a basic framework for curricula that would imbibe within its core competencies information management, digital literacy, and critical thinking, as well as house or embrace these emerging trends related to data science, artificial intelligence, and open access. The main emphasis areas are a mix of theoretical foundations and practical applications that may offer ample opportunities for hands-on learning through internships, community engagement, and collaborative projects in preparing graduates to serve diverse populations, advocate for information equity, and pay attention to the evolving roles of libraries in society. The development process of the curriculum involves stakeholders-the academic professional and the practitioner or expert, and the community members-ensuring that it will reflect and respond to the needs of the field. In so doing, by promoting a culture of lifelong learning and innovation, this curriculum should prepare future information professionals for the landscape of the future of library and information services. This approach, therefore, shall not only improve the education experience of LIS students but also add value to this evolving pattern wherein libraries shall be at the centre of knowledge, culture, and community endeavours

The Introduction of Higher Library Education in Ukraine in the Second Decade of the XX Century

The Introduction of Higher Library Education in Ukraine in the Second Decade of the XX Century