Meredith Farkas of Information Wants to Be Free posted her very interesting presentation [http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2008/10/29/fomenting-revolt-in-iceland/] from Iceland titled ”The Future of Library Education and the 2.0 Organization“:
“…During the panel discussion, talk quickly turned to the importance of practical experience in the LIS curriculum; how library schools that don’t require students to take a practicum are doing a serious disservice to their students. Librarians don’t get a lot of training in this profession; managers expect to hire people who have a clear understanding of how libraries work and how to do the various pieces of their job. If your only knowledge of libraries is academic, you will have a steep learning curve (if you get the job at all in a market where experienced librarians are competing for entry-level positions). Also, what you learn in library school is so much more relevant and meaningful if you already had some experience in a library setting. Some of the LIS students bravely (since two of the panelists were Icelandic LIS faculty) stood up and discussed how useless they felt much of their library school curriculum was and how much they wanted more practical experience to be a part of the required curriculum. You go girls! One of the faculty members seemed to agree that more practical experience should be integrated into the curriculum, while the other seemed mostly to want to defend the current curriculum. It was interesting to see her negative reaction to the notion that the curriculum was out-of-touch with the current realities of the profession, especially since the conference was all about how we have to change to meet the changing needs of patrons and change the education system to train librarians who can do that.
While that tension between academia and those in practice was clearly in evidence at this conference, I think it goes far beyond Iceland. When more than 50% of people who’ve graduated in the past 5 years (and answered my survey) stated that their LIS curriculum did not prepare them for their professional work, I think we have a real disconnect between what is taught and what is needed. I love that San Jose State University’s LIS program has formed advisory boards on various topics that consist of people outside of academia. I’m on a technology advisory board which suggests topics that they should consider teaching in future semesters. That way, they are aware of what skills the profession needs right now and they don’t develop tunnel vision. I’d imagine that there’s a danger of faculty only proposing topics that are within their research interest or that they’d like to teach, leading to a curriculum that may not be designed well to meet the current and future needs of the profession. Getting advice from people who are connected to emerging technologies and to what is happening in the profession makes great sense and I’m surprised that more schools aren’t doing this. A PhD doesn’t mean you have all the answers. Just as academic research should inform practice, practice should inform academia…”
You can see the slides from her talk here: Librarian 2.0
Slide 1: Librarian 2.0 The future of library education and the 2.0 organization Meredith Farkas Norwich University
Slide 2: What is the purpose of LIS education?
Slide 3: “The mission of the LIS Program is to educate individuals for careers as librarians and information specialists and to undertake instruction, research and service programs that meet current and emerging library, information and technology needs.” -University of Hawaii, Manoa
Slide 4: So, how are we doing?
Slide 5: Do you feel your LIS curriculum prepared you for your work in libraries? Yes No 60 45 30 15 0 This question was asked of librarians who graduated from 1998-2008
Slide 6: “One of the big indicators on library education was that I felt I had to take an MPA to get the required skills to do work in a public library.”
Slide 7: What topic do you think should be taught as part of the LIS curriculum that wasn’t in your program? Management Web 2.0/Emerging Tech Instruction Web design/Programming Conflict Mgmt/Customer Service Project Management Hands-on Tech/Troubleshooting Marketing Assessment Futuring/Keeping Up 0 7.5 15.0 22.5 30.0
Slide 8: “I think there should have been more emphasis on library instruction and teaching … The majority of my day-to-day library work is related to instruction and I’m basically going on my instinct.”
Slide 9: What topic do you think should be taught as part of the LIS curriculum that wasn’t in your program? Management Web 2.0/Emerging Tech Instruction Web design/Programming Conflict Mgmt/Customer Service Project Management Hands-on Tech/Troubleshooting Marketing Assessment Futuring/Keeping Up 0 7.5 15.0 22.5 30.0
Slide 10: “Customer service. Everyone comes into the field being smart, excited at the thought of uncovering information, loving books, etc. But too few professionals come in wanting to help people. I think MLS students need the ability to see the library through their patrons’ eyes rather than through a librarian’s eyes.”
Slide 11: What topic do you think should be taught as part of the LIS curriculum that wasn’t in your program? Management Web 2.0/Emerging Tech Instruction Web design/Programming Conflict Mgmt/Customer Service Project Management Hands-on Tech/Troubleshooting Marketing Assessment Futuring/Keeping Up 0 7.5 15.0 22.5 30.0
Slide 12: “I think the more serious threat to our profession is the poor job we’ve been doing in the last decade or so about getting our message out.”
Slide 13: What topic do you think should be taught as part of the LIS curriculum that wasn’t in your program? Management Web 2.0/Emerging Tech Instruction Web design/Programming Conflict Mgmt/Customer Service Project Management Hands-on Tech/Troubleshooting Marketing Assessment Futuring/Keeping Up 0 7.5 15.0 22.5 30.0
Slide 14: Being a Librarian in a 2.0 World
Slide 15: So what is library 2.0?
Slide 16: Web 1.0: Democratized Access to Information
Slide 17: Web 2.0: Democratized Participation
Slide 18: Revolutionary or evolutionary? http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/08/24/library-20-ripples-another-go-at-the-graph/
Slide 19: What is different now?
Slide 20: Technology has enabled us to do so much more
Slide 21: but we’re no longer the only game in town.
Slide 22: Library 2.0 is a state of mind •Working to meet changing user needs •Trusting our users (radical trust) •Getting rid of the culture of perfect •Aware of emerging technologies and opportunities •Looking outside of the library world for applications, opportunities, inspiration
Slide 23: Skills of Librarians 2.0
Slide 24: Understand their users
Slide 25: Keep Up
Slide 26: Aren’t afraid of taking risks
Slide 27: Are Agile
Slide 28: Question Everything
Slide 29: Able to look at new technologies and services with a critical eye
Slide 30: Don’t give up easily
Slide 31: Market Ideas and Communicate Effectively
Slide 32: Build their Networks
Slide 33: Create Partnerships
Slide 34: If this is what librarians need to be successful, shouldn’t they be taught in library school?
Slide 35: What skills and competencies are most important for librarians to have today? Technology Skills Customer Service Skills Openness to Change/Flexibility Commitment to Continuous Learning Curiosity/Creativity/Innovative Management Skills Teaching Skills Search Skills Marketing Skills 0 12.5 25.0 37.5 50.0
Slide 36: “It’s not so much specific skills as a way of looking at things, a lack of fearfulness about trying different tools… For me, it’s just as important, if not more, to have the librarian mindset as to have the individual skills.”
Slide 37: Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills • Customer service • Technology skills skills/people skills • Management skills • Openness to change/ flexibility • Teaching skills • Commitment to • Search skills continuous learning • Marketing skills • Curiosity, creativity, innovative spirit
Slide 38: How do you teach the “soft skills?” • Integrate them into already existing classes. • Make it clear that these are critical skills for success in the profession. • Methods for teaching soft skills • hands-on activities • role-playing • case study analysis
Slide 39: You can’t cover everything in a 36 – 43 credit-hour program.
Slide 40: “I answered yes because the internship required by my program is what was most useful by far. So it was not really the academic part of the program that prepared me but that practical part.”
Slide 41: “We will never attract innovators to the profession if we don’t offer them the sort of work environment where they can satisfy their need for experimentation and creativity.”
Slide 42: Thanks! mgfarkas@gmail.com AIM: librarianmer Slides available at http://meredithfarkas.wetpaint.com
Slide 43: Photo Credits • Digitage Web 2.0 http://flickr.com/photos/oceanflynn/315385916/ by ocean.flynn • Library 2.0 Meme Map http://flickr.com/photos/gbierens/ 178568449/ by Gerard Bierens • Gold Coast Marathon 018 http://flickr.com/photos/ tk_five_0/680775822/ by Michael Dawes • Dewey or don’t we? http://flickr.com/photos/scampion/ 1500054745/ By scampion • Self Portrait with Glass http://flickr.com/photos/ 45097561@N00/439046462/ By Jacob Whitaker • RISK #2 http://flickr.com/photos/tollaksen/967960/ by Bjornar • Don’t Give Up http://flickr.com/photos/gokrzy/372381525/ by K0P • IMG_2016.JPG http://flickr.com/photos/stevenjude/848723658/ by stevenjude • sunny day http://flickr.com/photos/iamthebestartist/2226165685/ by jessamyn
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