Current demand and future need for undergraduate LIS education in Australia

• Published in: The Australian library journal Vol. 57; no. 2; pp. 102 - 127
• Main Author: Sanders, Roy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01.05.2008; Australian Library and Information Association
• Subjects: Australia; Comparative Analysis; Curriculum Design; Educational needs; Employer Attitudes; Employers; Employment; Enrollment Projections; Foreign Countries; Graduate Study; Graduates; Higher education; Industry needs; Job Skills; Labor Needs; Library and Information Association of Australia; Library Education; Surveys; Undergraduate Students; Undergraduate Study; Australia
• ISSN: 0004-9670; 2201-4276
• DOI: 10.1080/00049670.2008.10722460

Through an analysis of the results of a survey of Australian employers of Library and Information Studies (LIS) graduates, this paper explores the current demand and future need for undergraduate LIS education in Australia. In the context of recent calls for adopting a purely postgraduate level of entry to the profession, the overwhelming majority of respondents to the survey clearly believe that the education provided in LIS programs in Australia does equip graduates with the attributes required of professional librarians in their organisation, and that this does not depend on the level of the qualification. Some further discussion of graduate attributes and curriculum issues indicates that there is a need for reform of LIS education - as well as a requirement to build the number of available graduates as the profession seeks to renew itself. [Author abstract]