DEVELOPING SPECIALISTS FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION WORK

Patricia Layzell Ward, Editor, Library Link

One of the recurring themes in the professional literature of any occupational group is how specialists can be developed. Most professions ensure that a general basic education is provided, generally through recognised courses at universities that are closely monitored by professional bodies. This model worked very well for many years, but there are signs that there are tensions between the practitioners and the educators. This is evident in a number of professions - and in the information and library field. The practitioners want to recruit staff who need the minimum amount of in-service training, and the educators are only too aware of the increasing pressures on the curriculum.

One of the casualties has been the basic education and training for specialist posts in the information and library field. The basic model for first qualification courses has been the graduate course lasting one academic year. Yes, there are undergraduate programmes in some countries but increasingly the pressures of university funding means that both groups share units or modules within courses or programmes. Universities provide units or modules with a requirement for an enrolment of a minimum number of students. Gone are the days when a number of options could be offered - such as hospital librarianship, music librarianship, special libraries, history of libraries etc. They provided a basic grounding in a specialist field - and were often the most enjoyable parts of the course of study, being taught by specialists or practitioners who could relate theory to practice - and vice versa. Although second level masters courses are offered in a number of ILS schools, they generally focus on the management issues - providing a programme of study for those wishing to move up the professional ladder

The problem of specialist education and training programmes was highlighted in one of the sessions at the IFLA conference held in Bangkok in August 1999, organised by the Section of Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons. Four speakers presented papers - one from the US, one from Australia, one from Thailand and one from India - on the theme of "Training needs of librarians and information professionals working with disadvantaged persons".

Vibeke Lehmann, writing of the challenging career for those with the right professional skills as a prison librarian, noted that a survey carried out in 1995-6 of 88 library schools, indicated that only 24 included prison libraries in their curriculum. Even those who had courses on how to serve users with special needs, did not necessarily encourage careers in prison librarianship. As a result it is difficult to recruit qualified librarians to work in prisons, despite competitive salaries. Sujin Butdisuwan considered information services to the disadvantaged person in Thailand, and an examination of library school curricula in Thailand indicated that only a few place an emphasis on disadvantaged groups. Two schools offered modules or units. Rangashri Kishore wrote of the voices of India�s disabled: demanding equality in library services, and noted the need to train staff, describing a five day programme of lectures, discussions and practical work. A large scale survey of schools in Australia by Janet Murray reported that 52% had staff development programmes relating to students with disabilities, but very few opportunities were provided for the library staff to participate in these programmes, and by 1996 this had fallen to 27%. (The full papers can be seen at www.ifla.org).

This is an indication from just one field of the problem of training specialists. It can be multiplied across the whole field of professional activity. So is there an answer? Well there might just be a solution through the use of technology linked to the pedagogical principles of distance learning. It should be possible for ILS schools across the globe to develop specialist modules or short courses that could be taken by a larger group of students than in the home institution. Credit transfer, certification etc could be used to acknowledge the satisfactory completion of a course of study. The mechanism exists within the national, regional and international groupings that bring together educators and practitioners, which could provide the education and training required to meet the needs of specialist areas of practice. But it needs real co-operation and collaboration - are the schools ready for the challenge?

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