Chapter 11 of John M. Budd's The Changing Academic Library is titled "The Academic Librarian" and examines the education, relationships, management and leadership positions, and staus of academic librarians within their institutions. One of the first topics covered by Budd in this chapter is in regard to the education of academic librarians. In a Educational Policy statement by The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) of the ALA it is written that, "The task of all those involved in educating librarians and other information professionals is to teach principles. These principles include the values of the profession and the reasons for their existence. Principles from other disciplines can be applied to librarianship as well." The statment further suggests that LIS programs "must ensure that their curricula provide a solid foundation for library and information science professionals by teaching basic values of the profession, stressing theory over practice, stressing professional decision making over performance of specific duties, stressing service to the user of the information, and preparing librarians wtih a plan for continuing education" (pgs. 250-251).
While I strongly agree that principles and theory are very helpful for those in LIS programs, I also think that practice is important as well. As a LIS student graduating in December I had very little practice until recently when I began my internship. I have learned so much through hands on experience. I understand that especially with Distance Education programs that theory and principles are easier to teach in most courses. However, I do feel that if theory and practice are going to be at the forefront of the curricula then at least one internship should be mandatory. This way the student will be familiar with the theories and principles, but also have the hands on experience and practice that most employeers are looking for. This hands on experience also helps a student to fully understand what their speciality involves. A student may like the job on paper but when it comes to actually doing it that interest may fade. Theory and principles are extremely important in any LIS program, but practice and experience must not be forgotten.
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I agree, and I would like to take what you said about internships one step forward. Instead of only having an internship, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have hands-on experience the entire time a person was school? In The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life, Parker J. Palmer notes an approach “originally developed at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario” where “from their first day in medical school, [students] are gathered in small circles around a live patient with a real problem and are asked to diagnose the patient’s condition and prescribe a course of treatment” (128). This not only allowed student collaboration, but it provided hands-on experiences that enhanced the student’s passions and skills.
ReplyDeletePalmer, Parker J. The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2007.