Partridge, H. (2008) Library education: The future is now. Queenlsand Public Library Association Annual Conference. State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, 19-21 October 2008.

1. Library education: the future is
now!
Associate Professor Helen Partridge
Coordinator, Master of Information Management
Queensland University of Technology

2. Today…
• Library and information science (LIS) profession in
Australia
• The emergence of library 2.0 and librarian 2.0
• Current state of LIS education
• ALTC Fellowship exploring LIS education 2.0
• Public libraries and LIS education

3. Be warned…there
will be more
questions than
answers!

4. So you think you might like to
be a librarian.
Lets take a moment to learn
a little more about this career
choice.
Available from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smrrZpbvI20

5. The LIS Sector in Australia
• National library and 8 State and Territory Libraries
• 1800 public libraries
• 38 university libraries and 70 TAFE libraries
• 1100 special libraries
• 9500 school libraries

6. The LIS Workforce
Australia: 10.65 million employees
LIS sector: 29,100 library workers
12,300 are librarians
8,000 library technicians
8,800 library assistants

7. Librarians
65% are 45 or older
[compared to 36% in the
total workforce]
88% are 35 or more [58%]
12% are under 35 [42%]
Median age: 47

8. Some international LIS studies
on workforce and industry
• The 8Rs Study (Canada)
Canadian Library Human Resource Study
• Recruit, retain and lead (public libraries)
University of Sheffield (UK)
• Learning for change: workforce development strategy
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (UK)
• A national study on the future of librarians in the workforce
Institute of Museums & Library Services (IMLS) (USA)
• Other studies: eg ACRL, Colorado Association of Libraries

9. Some Australian studies
• Libraries of the Australian Technology Network (LATN)
– Workforce and succession planning
• State Library of Victoria
– Workforce sustainability and leadership project
• Collections Council of Australia
– Conservation survey 2006 (human & financial
resources)
• Gillian Hallam’s neXus project
– Two stages: stage 1 online survey of individual LIS
professionals and stage 2 investigates workforce
policies and practices in LIS institutions.

10. Skill and Knowledge
1. Information and society
2. Ethics & legal Responsibility
3. Management
4. Information organisation
5. Information services
6. Collection management & development
7. Information resources and retrieval
8. Information literacy instruction
9. Information management
10. Information systems for LIS professionals
11. Web content management
12. Career planning skills
13. Records management and archives
14. Research
1. Information Literacy
2. Lifelong Learning
3. Teamwork
4. Communication
5. Ethics and Social
Responsibility
6. Project Management
7. Critical Thinking
8. Problem Solving
9. Business Acumen
10. Self Management
Partridge, H. & Hallam, G. (2004) The double helix: a personal
account of the discovery of the structure of [the information
professional’s] DNA. Paper presented at Challenging Ideas, ALIA
2004 Biennial Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, September 2004.

11. Some Common Issues
• What is library and information science?
• Ageing and the retirement of senior LIS professionals
• Flattening (declining?) number of LIS graduates
• Increased competition from other career sectors
• Less than competitive salaries
• Lingering negative image of the profession
• Growing anecdotal evidence about the difficulties
recruiting staff with the right specialist skills.
• Skills requirement for the future workforce
• What job opportunities will exist for future librarians?

12. “one message is clear however and applies
to all staff at all levels and across the
spectrum of responsibilities – whilst some
staff may need a portfolio of skills,
including high level IT skills, to meet the
requirements of their particular function, all
staff, working in today’s electronic library
environment, must be comfortable working
with IT” (Garrod and Sidgreaves, 1998)

13. Web 2.0 is
changing the
nature of
librarians and the
role of library and
information
science
professionals.

14. Lets consider...
Available from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM

15. Library 2.0
library 2.0 has forever changed the ‘library
brand’…libraries are no longer about book
or event information, instead libraries are
about “facilitating people to participate,
interact and create, to provide the means
for that to happen” (Mackenzie, 2007)

16. “it is essential that we start preparing to
become librarian 2.0 now” (Abram, 2005)
Available from http://www.flixster.com

17. “in my time in library
school so far we haven’t
talked about web 2.0 or
about library 2.0 in any
specific capacity. We have
used some web 2.0
technologies. I can’t say
that the faculty know about
these technologies or not”
(Macaulay, 2007)

18. LIS Education in Australia
In 2005 there were:
– 1539 students enrolled in postgraduate
– 811 in undergraduate
– 2028 in TAFE

19. The ‘issue’ of LIS education
• “a crisis in library education” (Gorman, 2004)
• “something’s amiss with university based education for
librarianship” (Harvey, 2001)
• “a fresh approach needs to be taken considering the
education and development of the new information
professional” (Myburgh, 2003)
• “many librarians have little firsthand experience with
library education after they graduate” (Moran, 2001)
• “LIS educators can be totally out of touch with current
industry practice” (Hallam, 2007)

20. LIS Education
• Course recognition
• Employment landscape
• Entry into the profession via both TAFE (para
professional) and university (professional)
• University qualifications can be obtained at several
levels: bachelor, graduate diploma and master degrees
• LIS education is located in a broad range of faculties and
departments
• 9 institutions offer ALIA recognised LIS degrees
• Number of LIS academics is decreasing and ‘greying’

21. Library and information science education 2.0:
guiding principles and models of best practice
Associate Fellowship 2008

22. Three observations
1. Library 2.0 has changed the way
that libraries and library and
information professionals do
business
2. The skill and knowledge required
by the library and information
professional for success in the
age of web 2.0 has changed (and
continues to change)
3. The learning experiences of
library and information students
continues to be framed in
disciplinary traditions that do not
reflet the needs of contemporary
work environment.

23. Aims
• To establish Guiding Principles for Library
and Information Science Education 2.0
– By:
• Identifying the current and anticipated skills and
knowledge required by successful library and
information professionals in the age of web 2.0
(and beyond)
• Establishing the current state of library and
information education in Australia in supporting the
development of the ‘web 2.0 professional’
• Identify models of best practice in library and
information education

24. Activities
1 September 2008 – 31 August 2009
• Stage 1: Rich picture of the skills and
knowledge required by LIS
professional in the web 2.0 (and
beyond) age will be established.
• An audit of current LIS education in
Australia and the development of
case studies to showcase models of
best practice.
• Guiding Principles for Library and
Information Science Education 2.0 will
be developed.

25. The Project Team
• Me
• Research Assistant, Julie Lee
• Reference Group
• Program Evaluator, Margaret
Buckridge, Griffith University
• ……you!

26. Desired Outcomes
• Curriculum renewal in LIS professional education
• Help to ensure LIS education in Australia continues to
meet the changing skill and knowledge requirements of
the profession is supports
• Vehicle through which LIS professionals and LIS
educators may find opportunities for greater
collaboration and more open communication
• LIS discipline become a role model for other disciplines
STAY TUNED! A blog will be released in the next 6 weeks, with the opportunity for
you to share your thoughts on librarian 2.0 and library education 2.0.

27. Library Education: The Future is
Now!
LIS Educators
LIS Employers
LIS Professionals
LIS Professional
Associations

28. And for public libraries specifically?
• What is public library 2.0? Does it differ to special library
2.0? Academic library 2.0?
• What should the future public library workforce look like?
Skills? Knowledge?
• What about non library roles? What non library skill and
knowledge is needed?
• How can LIS education serve the public library more
effectively?
• What skills and knowledge is required for entry level
qualifications? Mid career qualifications?
• ………?

29. Questions,
comments,
discussion?
Dr Helen Partridge
h.partridge@qut.edu.au
(07) 3138 9047