We have come to the end of our discussion on training. Let's thank Diane Nahl for doing such a super job on introducing the topic and leading the discussion.
o We now turn to a discussion of the ALCTS Educational Policy Statement. Early this year, members of the ALCTS committee responsible for this statement contacted us about holding a discussion of this statement on the Kellogg CRISTAL-ED LISTSERV. We thought it was an excellent idea and thanked committee members for giving this opportunity to our LISTSERV membership. Since the statement is rather lengthy, our guest editor will provide an executive summary and direct you to web-based and print-based locations where you can read the entire statement.
Our guest editor is Patricia E. Palmer who has been involved in developing preservation programs since 1981 and has been the head of preservation services at Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries since 1990. Her previous appointments have been with the University of Texas Humanities Research Center Conservation Department (1981-85), the Society of American Archivists Basic Archival Conservation Program (1985-87), and as Preservation Librarian at Washington University in St. Louis (1988-90). She has taken an active role in library education issues, serving on the Preservation and Reformatting Section (PARS) Education Committee since 1990 and the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) Education Committee since 1993. She mentors students and novice librarians, and teaches preservation administration, book repair, and book arts modules in various curricula in addition to her administrative responsibilities.
Please welcome our guest editor Patricia Palmer. And let the discussion begin.
On June 27, 1995, the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) Board of Directors approved the Educational Policy Statement (EPS) developed by the ALCTS Education Committee. The EPS was developed to help librarians, schools of library and information science, and libraries know how to prepare themselves, their students, and their staffs for the future work in areas on which ALCTS focuses its efforts.
The statement presents a broad view of the process of educating librarians. It emphasizes the interactive responsibilities of the students and the graduate library schools. It is intended to be reviewed and updated over time. Throughout, the term "librarian" describes information professionals. Paraprofessional education is not addressed, although the policy is intended for those who wish to plan their careers as librarians.
ALCTS Educational Policy Statement
I am going to summarize the EPS as space does not allow its complete reproduction here. I encourage everyone to read the entire statement at one of the following locations:
The essence of the statement is in describing the role of librarians, schools of library and information science, libraries, and library associations in education and continuing education.
The Role of Librarians
Librarians should take responsibility by planning their academic careers with their future in mind and designing a program to suit their needs in conjunction with faculty and professional advisors. As librarians working in an information environment, they should recognize and pursue professional education for themselves and encourage their peers by mentoring, being active in professional development programs, teaching, taking an active role in ensuring that others are doing their parts, or by some other means.
The Role of Library Schools
Library schools should take responsibility for education by ensuring that their curricula provide a solid foundation for professionals by teaching basic values, stressing theory over practice, decision making over tasks, service to the user, and preparing librarians with a plan for continuing education. Schools should use the EPS to design specific courses congruent with the knowledge and skills outlined in the EPS and work with other schools, colleges, or department to develop joint programs that will meet educational needs.
The Role of Libraries
The role of libraries is to establish professional development programs to help librarians achieve their maximum potential and to provide guidance for novice librarians.
The Role of Library Associations
Library associations should take an active role in encouraging those involved in professional education efforts to carry out their responsibilities. Library associations should also review their efforts to deliver continuing education when and where it is needed.
With everyone doing their part, the future of librarianship can be assured as the library environment is transformed in the electronic information era.
Questions for Discussion
I encourage everyone to read the EPS and share your comments in this open forum. Don't think that you need to limit your discussion to the summary. Here are a few questions to help get the discussion going:
Here are the original questions I put to generate discussion. They require more thought and consideration of the actual statement.
Some very general comments:
So far this academic year, this is the third statement of "what you guys ought to be teaching" I have received, and the second which was in semi-permanent form. (The third was oral).
These sorts of statements appear from time to time; this seems to be an especially good year for them. When taken collectively (and to some degree individually), they add up to a list of the incredibly superior librarian + information guru + information scientist + non-profit manager plus.... While getting opinions from different constituencies on what ought to be taught (or maybe it should be "learned"?) is useful we must keep in mind that we are talking about a basic training/education for a person who will, in most cases, be hired at an entry-level job.
NO ONE who is worth only entry-level pay will be able to meet all the skill/knowledge/aptitude desiderata listed. While this statement is certainly a call for a need for continuing education, I also see it as a statement that some level of reality needs to be attained.
Or -- although ALCTS's statement is helpful to our continuing discussions, it should be taken with a grain of salt until ALCTS announces what it considers the minimum skills/knowledge needed for what pay scale, and what more it will pay as a given person gets above that minimum.
We are educating prospective librarians to function in a changing workforce with the understanding that continuing education and staff development will be required to maintain knowledge of work and productivity expectations.
By the way, it would be a nice exercise to compare the similarities of the guidelines.
This is a request that is not related to our closing discussion on the ALCTS Educational Policy Statement. I have been having difficulty recruiting volunteers to participate in a research project and I am taking this opportunity at the end of our regularly-scheduled discussion to make a request from the CRISTAL-ED electronic discussion group membership.
Assisted by a team of our school's graduate students, I am conducting a study to determine how well library catalog users understand subject headings. This study is supported by OCLC's Library and Information Science Research Grant Program.
The study includes public and technical services librarians, and I have been fortunate to recruit technical services volunteers through the AUTOCAT LISTSERV. I need help from librarians involved with public or reference services work. We would like volunteers to complete a questionnaire that asks you to write down the meaning of listed subject headings. (It shouldn't take longer than 15 to 20 minutes to complete a questionnaire.) We will compare responses to determine the extent to which there are differences in levels of understanding between three groups of library catalog users (patrons, public services librarians, and technical services librarians).
How to Request a Questionnaire
Please help us out by requesting a questionnaire. We will send you a questionnaire and a self-addressed, stamped envelope in which to return your completed questionnaire. We would like volunteers to have a master's degree in library science and experience in public services librarianship.
Please send an electronic mail message to ssimcox@umich.edu and include in your message the following information:
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this large-scale study of user understanding of subject headings are to determine user understanding of subject headings and identify computer-based techniques for manipulating subject headings to improve user understanding. The study will answer five research questions:
For further information about the study, please consult our Web page.
We thank you for your interest and hope you will consider participation in this large-scale study of user understanding of subject headings. Again, please contact Schelle Simcox (ssimcox@umich.edu) or me (karen.drabenstott@umich.edu) if you have any questions.
"Assessing the Reality of New Markets and New Media: The Transition to Electronic Publishing Continues"
Society for Scholarly Publishing
18th annual meeting, May 29-31, 1996
Minneapolis Hilton and Towers, Minneapolis, MN
The 18th annual meeting of the Society for Scholarly Publishing will give us an opportunity to assess the reality of electronic publishing while providing practical tools to face the challenges of the future. How are publishers successfully rethinking the market, the product, and the process during this time of change? How successful are these new products? Are we being pushed by our customers to develop new products, or pulled by the promise of new technology? What price have we paid for developing them?
Join publishers, scholars, and librarians in a series of honest, lively discussions that focus on how to succeed as publishers and professionals during this dynamic state of tension known as transition. Together we can assess how far we have come, what has really changed in how we do our work, and what knowledge and skills we need to succeed in the future.
Premeeting Seminar:
"Exploring the Internet as a Publishing Environment"
Practical Workshops:
"Marketing for the 21st Century"
"Web Page Designs that Work"
"Effective Indexing: Making Your Web Site Easy to Find"
"Web Site and CD-ROM Showcase"
Plenary Session: NII and the Future of Copyright
Other Sessions:
"Rethinking Product Development"
"Developing New Pricing Models"
"CD-ROM -- How Is It Working? Where Is It Going?"
"Managing Human Resources in a Changing Environment"
"The Library in Transition"
"Open vs. Proprietary Approaches to Electronic Journal Publishing"
"Joint Ventures and Partnerships: Rethinking New Models"
"Professional Development: Making Yourself More Marketable in Today's Environment"
"Practical Experiences in Electronic Publishing"
"The Changing Legal Landscape"
"The Digital Library"
"Journal Publishing Today"
Registration Information
For registration information, please contact:
SSP Meeting Registration
10200 W. 44th Avenue, No. 304
Wheatridge, CO 80033-2840
Phone: (303) 422-3914
Fax: (303) 422-8894
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