scholarly journals DIGITALIZATION AS A DETERMINANT OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION TRANSDISCIPLINARITY WITHIN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

Author(s):  
Anatolii Humenchuk

Purpose of the article. The research is devoted to the substantiation of new methodological  approaches to the development of cognitive and axiological components of Higher Education in Library  and Information Science in the conditions of the digital economy and knowledge society development.  Methodology. The combination of research tools (systematic, comparative, transdisciplinary approaches)  allowed proving the objectivity of the strengthening integrative relations’ processes in the “Information,  Library and Archival Affairs” disciplinary field’s components due to digital convergence of library, archive,  and documentation center. Scientific novelty. The digital revolution in documenting and dissemination  technologies are gradually erasing the functional boundaries between different types of documentary  and communication institutions while contributing to their multifunctionality. This highlights the need  to introduce the principle of transdisciplinarity in the educational programs’ content and structure for  the library and information professionals training, which will help increase their competitiveness in the  labor market. Conclusions. New roles and activities of libraries in the digitalization society take them  beyond the pure library infrastructure and determine the transdisciplinary training of librarians. Such  training is a guarantee of their high adaptability and prospects in the digital culture society, a guarantee  of preservation and development of libraries as multifunctional information and cultural-educational  media complexes, that are attractive for users.

Mousaion ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mpilo Siphamandla Mthembu ◽  
Dennis Ngong Ocholla

Public libraries play a crucial role in the information and knowledge society. Their access and services in the fourth industrial revolution require review as well as the knowledge of the competency requirements for Library and Information Science (LIS) graduates to offer professional services. This paper presents the competencies LIS graduates require for work. It also seeks to examine the challenges they encounter in public libraries. The study is driven by the notion that a skills gap and a lack of training for LIS professionals are still daunting challenges in most public libraries. The post-positivism paradigm was employed through the triangulation of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in data collection and analysis. Content analysis and a survey were employed as research methods. The study scanned job advertisements in four newspapers spanning a three-year period (from January 2015 to December 2017). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with assistant directors and structured questionnaires were administered to LIS graduates. Grade 12, one to three years of work experience, computer literacy and communication skills are the most required competencies to work at public libraries. There seems to be no balance between theory and practice offered in most LIS schools, which suggests the need for curricula revision. Employed LIS graduates are facing several challenges, which include lack of practical exposure or knowledge, lack of qualification recognition and individual promotions, and lack of ICT skills and knowledge.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-79
Author(s):  
Nathalie Marcerou-Ramel

AbstractFrance is probably the only European country to have today a national school for training of library and information professionals: Enssib, National Library and Information Science School. An atypical situation, as some countries decided to close their schools of librarianship and entrust the training of their professionals to universities only. How does Enssib train its library executives? The article first describes the recruitment, training and exercise framework for French library and information professionals. Then it focuses on the vast renovation project that Enssib has been launching for four years in order to adapt its training processes to the needs and expectations of the professional communities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 120 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole A. Cooke

Purpose This paper aims to suggest that classroom instructors should reflect and revise their pedagogy to lead a classroom designed to produce future information professionals who will be prepared to serve their communities in a radical way. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the literature related to radical and humanizing pedagogies and then features an auto ethnographic case study which details how the author implemented some of the strategies. Findings Formal study of pedagogy can improve the library and information science (LIS) teaching and learning process. Practical implications Examining pedagogy in a formal way yields concrete suggestions for improving classroom management and content delivery. Social implications Using a radical pedagogy can improve relationships between teachers and learners, and learners will be able to model the classroom strategies in their own professional practice. Originality/value The study builds upon current examples of radical practice in the field and examines how such practices can be instilled even earlier in LIS graduate classrooms.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shri Ram ◽  
John Paul Anbu K.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to have a closer look at the awareness of referencing utilities among the library professionals in India. In a research environment, referencing and bibliography play an important role in the dissemination of research findings through scholarly writings. Citing references while writing scholarly articles has become more eloquent mainly due to the availability of a range of bibliography management utilities. Currently, there are various types of Bibliography Management Software (BMS) available for the management of the citation, referencing and compiling bibliographies. Librarians have a crucial role to play in helping the faculty, students and research scholars in the process of writing their scholarly articles and theses, especially in the area of referencing. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted through an online survey with an aim to assess the perception, awareness and use of BMS by the Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals in India. Findings – In the academic environment, published results of research findings are crucial for the advancement of knowledge. The published research findings are often supported and disputed using the citation of previous studies. There are a number of supporting technologies that are intended to help in procuring needed citations and streamlining them for better research output. The role of the librarian in this endeavor is undisputed. This study shows that there is a need for strengthening the awareness of BMS at the institutional level and also hands-on experience is needed for library professionals to help in the process of research writing and advocate for adopting correct referencing style (citation style) while writing scholarly articles. Practical implications – The increased use of information and communication technology in the process of scholarly writing, especially in the search and retrieval of relevant articles and the availability of electronic journals and books, have resulted in an increased number of research articles being written by research scholars. The downside to this overflow of scholarly and creative writing is the incorrect way of using referencing style in the dissemination of research and the possibilities of malpractice and plagiarism. This study will help in creating awareness of the utility of citation and BMS in content writing, especially among library and information professionals, as they play an important role in facilitating research. Social implications – This study will be beneficial for the LIS professionals in understanding the effectiveness of their services when complemented by the use of technology-powered tools. Creating awareness of the use of BMS in content development in scholarly communication promises to create a flawless scholarly output as library professionals will help researchers in guiding research writings with correct referencing and citation. Originality/value – Use of BMS helps in the development of content in an organized, methodical and scientific way. The role of library and information professionals working with different researchers and scholars in advocating and practicing the use of BMS will go a long way in creating more streamlined content.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Darren Ilett

Historically, much of the Library and Information Science (LIS) literature on first-generation students (FGS) framed them using deficit thinking, emphasising what they lacked to be successful in higher education. In contrast, recent scholarship has turned to asset-based pedagogies, shifting the focus onto the strengths that FGS bring to college. Further, LIS research on FGS has examined how students engage with information solely in academic contexts, such as completing research papers or navigating higher education procedures. The current study contributes to the discussion of asset-based pedagogies by using a funds of knowledge approach to explore the ways in which FGS at a mid-sized university in the US engage with information, and it expands the scope of inquiry to several everyday contexts, including students’ households, workplaces, and communities. The findings reveal a variety of funds of knowledge concerning participants’ information literacy (IL) and lay the foundation for IL instruction that meets FGS where they are, thus serving them more equitably.


2015 ◽  
Vol 116 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 37-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgenia Vassilakaki ◽  
Valentini Moniarou-Papaconstantinou

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a systematic review of the specific roles information professionals have adopted in the past 14 years. It aims to identify the roles reported in the literature concerning developments in the Library and Information Science (LIS) profession. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopted the method of systematic review. Searches were conducted in February and March 2014 on different LIS databases. From a total of 600 papers, 114 were selected, based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A thorough full-text analysis of the papers revealed six roles that librarians have adopted: teachers, technology specialists, embedded librarians, information consultants, knowledge managers and subject librarians. Findings – New and evolving roles were identified, mainly in the context of academic libraries. Librarians’ educational responsibilities and their active involvement in the learning and research process were highlighted in all role categories identified. Collaboration among faculty and librarians was reported as a way of ensuring successful instruction. Librarians’ personal views of their new and emerging roles were more frequently reported; further research is needed to shed light on academics, students and other users’ perceptions of librarians’ engagement in the learning process. Research limitations – The study considered only peer-reviewed papers published between 2000 and 2014 in English. It focused on information professionals’ roles and not on librarians’ skills and their changing professional responsibilities. Originality/value – This review paper considers the development of the LIS profession in a changing environment and offers an understanding of the future direction of the LIS profession.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matilde Fontanin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the meaning of fake news in the digital age and on the debate on disinformation in scholarly literature, in the light of the ethics of library and information profession. Design/methodology/approach Revision of a keynote address at the BOCATSSS2020 conference, this paper offers an overview of current literature comparing it with a moment in the past that was crucial for information: post-Second World War time, when Wiener (1948) founded cybernetics and C.P. Snow advocated for “The two cultures” (1959). Findings The complex issue demands a multi-disciplinary approach: there is not one solution, and some approaches risk limiting the freedom of expression, yet countering the phenomenon is a moral obligation for library and information science professionals. Originality/value Comparing the present digital revolution with the past, this paper opens questions on the ethical commitment of information professionals.


Author(s):  
Robert Akinade Awoyemi

Academic libraries and information technology centres are under serious threat due to the increasing pressure to achieve higher level of performance in a competitive global environment. Most of these challenges are as result of information communication technology (ICT) and digital revolution. This chapter discusses the impact of digital revolution on academic libraries and the need to acquire core competencies and new skills to effectively the 21st century academic libraries and information technology centres. Further, the author examines the sets of skills required by Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals to survive in the digital-based environments.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 306-314
Author(s):  
Valentini Moniarou-Papaconstantinou

The library and information science field attempts to legitimize its position in higher education, in a ‘culture of uncertainty’, where boundaries are fluid. The position of LIS in the hierarchical classification of academic subjects is influenced by the changes in both the field of higher education and in the information environment, creating expectations for the emergence of new fields of study, research and professional practices. The purpose of this paper is to examine how LIS students position themselves in their field of study and the resources they use in processes of meaning-making. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with students from the three LIS departments operating in Greece at the undergraduate level. The results showed that the academic knowledge content of the object, the assignment of scientific characteristics to it, the signifier of the book, the form of professional practice and, above all, technology are the most prominent resources among those that most young people utilized in their effort to negotiate the symbolic class (i.e. the dominant cultural categories which give meaning to the social world).


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