We are finding ourselves in a rapidly growing and complex digital environment which has in turn increased our dependency on information. But there is increasing evidence that our information skills are not keeping pace in any systematic fashion. We all need help to sharpen the techniques and skills to manage information. Present paper is an attempt to present the current status of information literacy and the emerging roles of libraries and schools of LIS education in augmenting the information literacy campaign.

A descriptive analysis of the histories of the Institute of Professional Librarians of Ontario (1960â 1976) reveals not only the circumstances surrounding the creation, growth, and decline of this singular expression of the professionalization of librarianship but also foregrounds the ways in which the historical narration of the profession must look beyond the traditional delineation of intrinsic traits in order to circumscribe librarianship more adequately. To that end, consideration is given to one important factor, the Royal Commission Inquiry into Civil Rights (1964-71). It is evident that historical recovery of this sort is crucial to the profession's self-understanding as it negotiates its contemporary stance with respect to both librarians and the publics that they serve.

<p>Digital games are marketed, mass-produced, and consumed by an increasing number of people and the game industry is only expected to grow. In response, post-secondary institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) have started to create game degree programs. Though curriculum theorists provide insight into the process of creating a new program, no formal research contextualizes curriculum planning for game degree programs. </p><p> The purpose of this research was to explore these processes when planning undergraduate game degree programs. The research methodology included an explanatory mixed-methods approach, using a quantitative survey of participants in the UK and the US, followed by an interview of several participants selected on the basis of their institution's demographics. The study provides insight into the curriculum planning process, including factors that influence the final program content, and a list of recommendations for educators, trade associations, and the games industry to improve game degree programs. </p>

<p> The Information Science doctoral program at the University at Albany, State University of New York, faces many of the same challenges found in highly interdisciplinary programs across educational institutions worldwide such as complex curricula development, abundant discipline languages and cultures, and stakeholders clinging to the traditional, single-discipline university system. In 2006, the University at Albany Information Science Ph.D. program faculty redefined the program's structure in hopes of addressing the challenges it was facing. Program structure is a social process shaped by community participation and is influenced by many factors including students, faculty members, and both informal and formal knowledge production. </p><p> Drawing on data collected with both students and faculty present before, during and after the transition to the new program structure, a mixed-method research strategy was performed to examine student retention rates and time to degree, and to explore the experiences of program faculty members' and doctoral students' sense of community and connectedness. Drawing on Wenger's (1998) Community of Practice model and Tinto's model of Institutional Departure, this study occurs in three stages: [1] program and participants' content analysis, [2] surveying of student and faculty members, and [3] select interviews with student and faculty members. </p><p> The data presented here highlights the unique challenges of doctoral interdisciplinary programs and supports the need for collaboration among faculty, and calls for the unquestionable patronage of the institution and the diverse departments involved. Seeing that interdisciplinary programs work across different disciplines, students and faculty alike often find it difficult to assimilate the diverse ways of teaching and methods of research thus calling for unique organizational and pedagogical strategies addressed in the curricula. Successful interdisciplinary programs need faculty who are broad-minded and willing to embrace and learn new methodologies, and respect sometimes conflicting viewpoints. Departments need to develop new models of organizational structure and funding sources to facilitate interdisciplinary research and interdisciplinary community. University leadership needs to move away from rigid hierarchical structures, add more flexibility to allow faculty members to have some movement between disciplinary departments, and needs to provide physical spaces to pull the diverse faculty and student communities together.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-11, Section: A, page: 4528. Adviser: Linda C. Smith. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 191-205) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2562. Adviser: Gail E. Hawisher. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-299) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

This chapter provides an introduction to two contrasting vocational course: the Associate Diploma in Applied Science (Computing) award, based on the content driven curriculum model and the first year Diploma of Information Technology award, based on the National Information Technology curriculum model. It develops the research questions pertaining to each model. It provides a full description of the present study and the adoption of a system approach in evaluating two contrasting curriculum models. Finally, this chapter justifies the study in terms of the significant impact the Information Technology has on society.Chapter Two reviews the literature on the theories from different disciplines and research findings in order to guide the present study. This eclectic section discusses theories related to Cognitive Science, Instructional Theories, Information Technology (IT) and Science Education, and Vocational Curriculum Models.Chapter Three describes the environment in which the content driven model has developed. It examines the historical changes and influences that have occurred in the Western Australian Technical and Further Education (WA TAFE) computing curriculum in terms of educational goals, content mix and profile, and assessments types. It investigates the relevance of the curriculum and the syllabi to meet the changing needs of industry; and assess the desirable and undesirable consequences of the content driven curriculum model.Chapter Four evaluates the effect of the content driven model. It examines the degree of satisfaction of the graduates with aspects of their Associate Diploma of Applied Science (Computing) courses in 1991/2/3 based on the NCVER study (1993), Dawe (1993) and Arrowsmith (1993/4) surveys. The results from each relevant question are provided, discussed and evaluated. This evaluation provides an in-depth view of graduates educational ++ / backgrounds prior to enrolment in the course, their satisfaction levels of teaching effectiveness and course organisation, present employment status, their preferences for further studies and their demographic profile.Chapter Five evaluates the current state of affairs under the new policy directions of the National Curriculum based on the CBT approach. Through classroom surveys, this chapter provides an evaluation of learners degree of satisfaction with aspects of their Advanced Certificate IV of the National IT Curriculum. For comparison purposes, these surveys also provide information on students educational backgrounds, level of satisfaction, their present employment status and preferences for further studies. It is most useful for curriculum planners, wanting to be cognisant in implement a CBT driven curriculum model.Chapter Six compares, evaluates and summarises the differences between the content and the CBT driven curriculum models. This chapter pays particular attention to the shifting of graduates and students satisfaction levels with their two different courses and the effects of moving from a content to a CBT driven curriculum model. It examines the changes in learners satisfaction levels and explains the reasons of patterns of changes, given that learners educational backgrounds, teachers effectiveness and other factors have remained constant over the last five years. This comparison is useful for curriculum planners, computing lecturers and employers as it makes them aware of the strength and weaknesses of these two contrasting curriculum models.Chapter Seven answers the question of the effectiveness of these two contrasting models. This has considerable implication for curriculum planners, computing lecturers and employers in terms of the ability of students to transfer skills and adapt to the rapidly changing IT environment. This study cannot predict ++ / the future, however, it makes long and short term recommendations for the sector based on historical evidence, research findings from the literature, surveys and interviews.

The way and pace at which information is generated, organized and used is witnessed rapid strides in recent times. Hence, the discipline of LIS meant to manage and provide information service may not be taught effectively and practiced perfectly through a framed curriculum in the formal education steam alone. Driven by the market demands and user needs, the discipline is embracing other disciplines like computers, communication technology, cognition research etc. to continuously monitor and augment their skills to arrive at â pinpointed information from the delugeâ . Manual means of tackling information will not help the user/professional to solve emerging problems in the actual research setup and also the present day researchers expect a faster response to their information needs. Information management and servicing in a highly matured and skill intensive activity and it requires people with different educational backgrounds. Electronic access is increasingly providing a large proportion of current information instead of print and allowing access through a variety of platforms on a twenty-four hour basis. As the traditional custodians of information, librarians need to be aware of the implications of these changes and develop technological and managerial skills that will enable them to make effective use of information to meet their organization and changing needs. However, many librarians lack confidence to learn and master the skills required in adopting the increasingly sophisticated technology. It is vital that they must be kept in touch with modern developments and maintains a proactive approach to work in an ever-changing information world. Professional profiles are changing so rapidly and very radically these days impacting the librarianâ s portfolio, since libraries are becoming knowledge management organizations with librarians as their active agents. Perhaps the most important development of libraries during the current decade has been the move from organizational self-sufficiency to a collaborative survival mode as personified by the growth of library consortia. Information technology is now a level of cooperation that is much broader and deeper than ever before

Keynote address at A-LIEP 2006. / The article scans global and library trends to discuss the future of 21st century libraries. In spite of both the importance and difficulty of addressing the future of libraries, there has been no shortage of attempts to do so. The author draws insights from leading futurist to articulate the relevance of libraries in Singapore. Libraries are important in the context of the evolving experience economy in capturing tacit knowledge and understanding learning patterns. The author posits that library education in the future would have to incorporate both tacit and explicit knowledge management.

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