The iSchools, Education for Librarianship, and the Voice of Doom and Gloom

Wallace, Danny P.

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2009.07.001

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Owing to this interdisciplinary mixture, there has been concern that iSchools may be paying less attention to librarianship. To address this concern, Wallace [16] conducts a survey on ALA-accredited master’s programmes. By using data from 1979 to 2008, he proves that library and information studies education does not appear to be declining, and opportunities to broaden and extend the field are decidedly more beneficial than harmful.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

The state of iSchools: an analysis of academic research and graduate education

Jiang

et al. 2011

Journal of Information Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The emergence of the iSchool movement and the establishment of iSchools have helped to reshape the landscape of the library and information science (LIS) discipline. In this article, based on a set of research questions focusing around the research and education efforts of about 25 iSchools, we performed a study using both quantitative and qualitative methods on publically available data obtained from the web. Our results show that iSchools share the same vision and mission of working on relationships between information, people and technology, and have established themselves as the appropriate institutions for researchers from diverse subject areas to study this interdisciplinary integration. Overall, we are seeing an emerging iSchool identity and a defining iField, but there are still many important developments to make.

show abstract

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

The state of iSchools: an analysis of academic research and graduate education

Jiang

et al. 2011

Journal of Information Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Members of the group have collectively and individually made bold claims about their intentions, prompting Cronin (2005: 363) to comment on the 'intelligent phrasing' of one School of Information's mission, but query whether the aspirations of others 'may be outpacing their assets'. Further examination of the phenomenon reveals that despite the widely publicised closure of formerly prominent MLS programmes, in practice the majority of the iSchools have continued to promote library education on their websites (Bonnici et al, 2009;Wallace, 2009), leading Bonnici et al (2009: 273) to the reassuring conclusion that 'The iField is not only "at the heart of everything", but has ingested the L into its heart'.…”

Section: Expansion Of the Information Disciplinementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Audunson et al (2003) see this as an undesirable departure from the inter/multi-disciplinary dynamic of a research-based professional field based on a blend of different subjects to the more limiting perspective of a pure academic discipline, where research is more concerned with refining theory than improving practice. Bonnici et al (2009: 272) The formal establishment in 2005 of the iSchools Caucus, a select group of information schools deliberately positioning themselves apart from the mainstream library science tradition in a new 'iField', has refuelled earlier debates, with writers unsure what this move means for the future of professional education in our field (Bonnici et al, 2009;Cronin, 2005;Wallace, 2009). Members of the group have collectively and individually made bold claims about their intentions, prompting Cronin (2005: 363) to comment on the 'intelligent phrasing' of one School of Information's mission, but query whether the aspirations of others 'may be outpacing their assets'.…”

Section: Expansion Of the Information Disciplinementioning

confidence: 99%

Educating the academic librarian as a blended professional: a review and case study

Corrall

2010

Library Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the phenomenon of the hybrid information specialist in the academic library setting. It does this in relation to curriculum development for preparatory and continuing professional education for librarianship and makes particular reference to the contemporary iSchools movement.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews trends and developments in academic information services and the information science academy in the context of continuing technological advances and educational change. It presents a case study of curriculum development and portfolio renewal, using the specialist roles of digital library manager and information literacy educator to show how the principles of interactive planning can be applied in articulating an academic strategy to meet the changing demands of educational institutions, professional bodies and employers.FindingsThere are significant parallels between professional education and professional practice in the shifting boundaries, expanded portfolios and challenged identities evident in the current information marketplace. A combination of continuous incremental development with periodic fundamental review enables professional educators to meet the changing mandates of different stakeholder groups. When combined with a strong professional focus, the breadth and depth of multidisciplinary expertise found in a research‐led iSchool facilitates the design of specialised pathways and programmes for practitioners moving into blended roles.Practical implicationsPractitioners intent on careers in academic libraries should consider the opportunities and demands of hybrid blended roles when choosing educational programmes and pathways.Originality/valueThe paper provides a conceptual framework to illustrate the nature of emergent professional roles and current challenges facing professional educators. Ackoff's interactive planning theory is used to illuminate the problem of academic planning in complex pluralist contexts.

show abstract

“…Questions regarding future program directions were only asked in the final survey in spring 2007, so conclusions drawn from this question only asked in one term cannot be extrapolated to a larger group. It would be worthwhile to explore the concept of the "iSchools phenomenon" (Wallace, 2009) more in-depth, perhaps surveying students fully in the midst of it, both within this institution and at others.…”

Section: Commentarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Master’s Students in an Information Studies Program Enter the Program with Excitement and Leave with Concerns about Professional Preparation for their Chosen Fields

Carter¹

2011

EBLIP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective – To assess master’s students’ perceptions of their information studies program with regard to the program’s academic quality and professional preparation as it moved to become an iSchool. Design – Longitudinal survey, employing both quantitative analysis of demographics and closed responses, and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Setting – University of Toronto, Canada, Faculty of Information, Master of Information Studies (MISt) ALA-accredited program. Subjects – Students enrolled in the MISt program from fall 2003 to spring 2007. Methods – Between 2003 and 2007, a self-administered confidential questionnaire was distributed eight times: a short version of the questionnaire to incoming students in the fall term over the four years, and a longer version to the entire MISt student body in the spring term of the four years. Thus, individual students participated in the survey multiple times. Survey questions fell into four categories: program assessment, perceptions on the information professions, career and personal achievements, and demographics. The first questionnaire was mailed in paper form; after that, Web-based questionnaires were used. Quantitative data collected was analyzed using SPSS, version 17, and open-ended responses were examined for recurring themes. Main Results – Across the four years of the survey, researchers obtained about 1,000 completed questionnaires. The response rate was always higher in the fall term than in the spring term, ranging from a high of 67% in fall 2003, to a low of 47% in spring 2007 which seemed to indicate “fatigue” with the study (p. 124). Respondents primarily were interested in the information professions and the majority planned to work in one of them (archives, library systems, or library and information science) after graduating. No statistically significant differences relating to the year the survey was completed were found for student perceptions of career prospects or for amount of computer knowledge required. A statistically significant difference was found for perceptions of new students of occupational prestige for archivists and librarians; it increased over the four years. The majority of students surveyed over the four years indicated that: 1) job prospects would grow, 2) required computer knowledge was high and would increase in the next five years, and 3) computer and systems-related tracks garnered higher perceived social status than the archivist and librarian “streams.” Students who had been in the program longer (completing nine or more courses) more strongly supported the master’s program’s move to an iSchool with more emphasis on technology and computing, and an increased emphasis on professional work. These students were also less positive about their academic programs than the students who had completed less coursework. Open-ended responses echoed many other studies pointing to social status assigned to library professionals being lower than the opinion of the students themselves. Conclusion – The authors’ longitudinal approach and survey methodology revealed perceptual differences between new and more veteran MISt students at the University of Toronto of their master’s program, and that as students progressed through the program, they felt the need for more professional preparation. Between 2008 and 2010, the authors conducted similar studies regarding the perceptions of students at five other Canadian institutions, and planned to survey students at many other North American graduate library science programs via Web-based questionnaire to compare findings cross-institutionally.

show abstract

The iSchools, Education for Librarianship, and the Voice of Doom and Gloom

Cited by 13 publications

References 2 publications

The state of iSchools: an analysis of academic research and graduate education

The state of iSchools: an analysis of academic research and graduate education

Educating the academic librarian as a blended professional: a review and case study

Master’s Students in an Information Studies Program Enter the Program with Excitement and Leave with Concerns about Professional Preparation for their Chosen Fields

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About