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How practical is your education?
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How practical is your education?
11:21 PM EDT 8/12/04
This summer, I took a class from an adjunct professor who worked in a library full-time in the field in which he was teaching. The class was organized around activities we would actually be responsible for if we were in his position. Each student shared their strategies with the class in how they approached and completed the assignment, giving us all a pool of ideas to draw and learn from. The general consensus among students was that the professor did a great job, that all classes should be more like this, and that we learned more from this class to take with us into the library than with most others we'd taken. In short, we were satisfied!

Do you feel your education is practical, or do you feel like you are just becoming certified? What areas of study could be made more practical, and how? Why aren't more librarianship classes emphasizing the practical? Or are some schools doing better than others in this respect? How could a "lab" component be introduced into LIS curriculum?
Re: How practical is your education?
12:53 AM EDT 8/13/04 as a reply to Greg Argo.
Hi, Greg,

I'd be interesting in knowing the subject of this course because I think some are better suited to practical applications like you suggested than others.

I've just finished my first year at the University of Washington's distance program and I've been pleased with the balance of theory and practical application in my coursework so far.

Two examples that come to mind are "Information Behavior" and "Research Methods." In both course, we went "out in the field" and performed surveys and interviews, analyzed the data (or wrote research proposals), and wrote reports on what we found through our research.

This is not the case in all my courses and whenever possible, I try to augment my coursework with volunteer activities (real-time digital reference for example) or with internships (surveying patrons, performing interviews, and setting up focus groups for an academic library regarding current services). The Information School is big on internships (though they call it "directed fieldwork") and since I don't have any "work experience" in any libraries as of yet, I'm glad they do! emoticon

My advice to anyone who doesn't feel like they're getting enough "practice" (and if s/he has the time) is to volunteer and/or see about setting up an internship...

How is the rest of your program?
Re: How practical is your education?
1:15 PM EDT 9/30/04 as a reply to Greg Argo.
This month’s focus on systems librarianship brings up the issue for me of how well our graduate programs prepare us for an increasingly technological world. My MLIS cohort divided approximately into three camps – those who came in with a computer science degree or equivalent techie experience, those who wanted a traditional education with as little “computer stuff” as possible, and those in the middle (like myself) who arrived with a minimal foundation in the technology but with an eagerness to learn.

After two years, I was only able to get an introductory sampling of technology subjects on top of the core requirements. I would need a third year to get more solid with the technology to the point where it would increase my job options.

Is that what Library & Information Science education should be about? So many systems librarians seemed to have learned on-the-job --out of immediate necessity and curiosity. Maybe that’s the best way – the total immersion practicum.

Does anyone know of master’s programs that do a good job of integrating theory and technology?
Teaching Librarians to Fish
1:25 PM EDT 9/30/04 as a reply to Betha Gutsche.
I think the MLIS program at the UW iSchool does a great job of giving graduates exposure to a broad range of both theory and practice in technology and library-related practice. It's true that I would have to hit my head against a few walls now if I had to actually 'network' anything myself, but the program gave me sufficient overview - and more important than anything else - the confidence/tools that I need to figure out a networking problem *if I had to*. It's a kind of information literacy approach, really. As I've built my career in library & information science, on the job experience has honed the skills that I really want to develop and further explore. If I had stepped into a small/rural library right out of library school, I would have a host of different skills than I do now as an online community manager. Lucky me: it all comes together in the work that I do. I am consistently inspired and amazed by the library staff in small and rural libraries, really doing it all.
Re: Teaching Librarians to Fish
1:42 PM EDT 9/30/04 as a reply to Chrystie Hill.
I would second Chrystie's comments. There are nine "tracks" in the UW MLIS program and one of them is entirely on technology from a systems librarian point of view.

Students are required to take a "core" course from each track as well -- and while I think the core course for the technology track needs some re-work (and I understand that's actually happening) both day and distance students get some key technology learnings from the UW program even if they don't want to focus on databases, programming, and networking emoticon And if you do want to focus on all that, you sure can!

On a related note: I'm really excited to be taking a Content Management System course from Bob Boiko this term and if it all works out, I'll be able to take the entire three quarter series this year emoticon
Re: Teaching Librarians to Fish
7:34 PM EDT 10/15/04 as a reply to Darci Chapman.
There are three of us here from the UW iSchool in Seattle. gregargo is from UT-Austin. I'd like to hear from others on this one. How practical is the MLIS?

BTW: Bob Boiko consulted with us on the development of our site when we first got going. Our Editor (andersoj) is a good friend of his!
Re: Teaching Librarians to Fish
10:01 AM EDT 10/17/04 as a reply to Chrystie Hill.
I suppose the question must be raised: Practical for what?
Re: Teaching Librarians to Fish
5:13 PM EDT 10/18/04 as a reply to Bob Watson.
Yes, that is a good question. It seems there are many avenues open to an MLIS graduate these days, each one with a specific set of skills to be mastered. A community college librarian may want to have hours of face-to-face reference experience to draw on. An archivist may want a solid foundation in metadata and format migration. A corporate taxonomist may want advanced cataloging and XML skills. The two year LIS programs can't do it all.

This [url http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA443916 ]article on New Librarians[/url] dicusses the results of a survey asking new hires to speak out on the problems they see in their chosen profession. Many of the respondents had complaints about the effectiveness of LIS programs to adequately prepare them for the real world.

"Almost every survey respondent stated that they wanted 'less theory' and 'more practicality' from their LIS programs."

But again, practical for what? The most cited course needs were "cataloging, budgeting, programming, readers' advisory, management, fundraising, grantwriting, marketing, advanced reference, and patron services."

How many of us were clamoring to learn budgeting, marketing, fundraising, and grantwriting while we were in school? I sense an unanticipated skill set emerging on the job. We're back to "teaching librarians to fish" so we will know where to cast about for our continuing professional development as needed.
Re: Teaching Librarians to Fish
7:46 PM EDT 10/19/04 as a reply to Betha Gutsche.
I rather suspect the problem is that there are more job types than the training for any one degree can possibly fill.

I suggest we need more specialized degrees.

But ... can our institutions afford the graduates?
Re: Teaching Librarians to Fish
12:16 PM EDT 10/20/04 as a reply to Bob Watson.
And I think all of this really demonstrates that obtaining a degree is just a start. I think one of the things that students/employers need to understand is the importance of continuing eduction and mentoring - especially for the practical tools sorts of skills that are going to be specific to a certain position or role.

Brenda
Re: Teaching Librarians to Fish
1:43 PM EDT 10/20/04 as a reply to Brenda Hough.
Brenda,

I think you hit the nail on the head and said so much more succinctly than I was about to.

This is not just an issue for MLS graduates either -- I think it is the case for any degree. There's inherently a gap between what you learn in school and what you need to know and learn "on the job." Given that an MLS is a second degree and for many if not most folks a second career choice, I'm surprised that this isn't acknowledged (or remembered) more.
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