Re: Response to Goodman's comment on librarians

[hazel4205@aol.com]

I am a recent graduate of an online library school that focused on
quantity of students.  The quality of the education was abysmal.  In a
four week course the professor showed up two weeks into the course.  In
reference we were searching for the highest peak on each continent rather
than learning about the resources available which was never presented.  
In digital imaging we learned less than my daughters FIFTH grade class was
learning in digital imaging.  I was chastised immeasuably for inquiring
about copyright issues on digital imaging.  In our copyright class our
professor was unaware that the largest copyright case in fifty years was
being heard in the United States Supreme Court.  Our Dean's secretary was
busy enlisting students in her scheme to steal from the University and our
Dean was busy opening new branches of our school to staff with professors
who checked in 'online' three or four times a semester.
 
Unless the library community holds library schools accountable and
responsible why should anyone have a right to complain...and when I
complained that my professors were not correctly presenting issues and
facts I was actually told by the assistant Dean why should I even bring
that up?  So I published two books on law and the librarian after being
told by our professor that ishould a school librarian infringe upon
copyright not to worry...'if you 'just tell the judge you're a teacher --
he will let you off.'
 
Does the library community actually understand the pathetic level of
education that these massive online programs offer?
 
Lee Ann Torrans
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Janellyn P Kleiner <jkleiner@lsu.edu>
To: liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
Sent: Fri, 26 Aug 2005 20:30:48 EDT
Subject: Re: Response to Goodman's comment on librarians

Response to Krichel

Knowledge of current trends in scholarly information and in universities,
even basic knowledge of the array of resources available, the most basic
supervisory skills, time management skills, ability to think outside the
box which is essential today, multi-tasking and business/accounting
skills, etc. I would like to see library schools with academic library
tracks incorporate more business classes.  Incorporate students in faculty
research projects and introduce them to grant writing. They should at
least know something about how universities operate, projects and programs
are initiated and implemented, and funding needs are addressed.

A lot of these are skills but skills that other professional schools see
as important and have some encouraging their development. We need
students/graduates who are creative, able to deal with change, and willing
to take risks. I think it's also important that they are introduced to how
information develops -- from it's beginning to publication to cultural
effects. Mass communication schools often have such courses and that
background is excellent for future academic librarians.  This is the
Information Age and it is an age where librarians can play important roles
if they can meet today's challenges and those of tomorrow.

___

Thomas Krichel <krichel@openlib.org>@lists.yale.edu on 08/25/2005 07:25:37
To:    liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu
cc:     (bcc: Janellyn P Kleiner/jkleiner/LSU)
Subject:    Re: Response to Goodman's comment on librarians

Janellyn P Kleiner writes

> A bigger challenge today is finding graduates of library & information
> science schools who have the skills and preparation to step into this
> environment without having to "re-educate" them to meet today's academic
> library and university faculty demands. I don't foresee any problems for
> future librarians who are professionally prepared to work in this
> challenging and ever-changing environment. In fact, the demand for those
> with the skills needed today will be greater than ever. Those who will
> not benefit are the ones, unfortunately, still clinging to the
> traditional models of librarianship.

If the enviroment is constantly changing, then the library schools are
chasing a mobile target. Changing the curriculum around every year is not
possible. Thus the schools have to stick to some fundamentals that,
hopefully, will be useful even in five or ten year's time.

>From your point of view, would should be taught in a library school today
that you find most missing when dealing with graduates?

Cheers,

Thomas Krichel                      mailto:krichel@openlib.org
visiting CO PAH, Novosibirsk   http://openlib.org/home/krichel