Moving from LIS to IS+L: curriculum renewal at Charles Sturt University

• Published in: The Australian library journal Vol. 60; no. 3; pp. 205 - 217
• Main Authors: Hider, Philip, Kennan, Mary Anne, Hay, Lyn, McCausland, Sigrid, Qayyum, Asim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kingston Taylor & Francis Group 01.08.2011; Australian Library and Information Association; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Australia; Case Studies; Charles Sturt University. School of Information Studies; Curriculum Development; Curriculum implementation; Distance Education; Educational Change; Educational Environment; Educational Technology; Electronic Learning; Electronic Libraries; Focus Groups; Foreign Countries; Government School Relationship; Higher Education; Information Management; Information Science; Information Science Education; Information Systems; Information Technology; Instructional Leadership; Knowledge Management; Librarians; Library Education; Library Science; Nontraditional Education; Sustainability; Australia
• ISSN: 0004-9670; 2201-4276
• DOI: 10.1080/00049670.2011.10722617

The paper describes a recent review of Library and Information Management courses offered by the School of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University, and the resulting program of curriculum renewal and expansion. This program aimed to address concerns over the long-term sustainability of the courses and respond to an increasingly converging professional landscape. The courses were redesigned in a way that allowed them to maintain their relevance to the School's established librarianship market, while at the same time develop a significant application to other information fields. This was achieved by essentially turning the curriculum on its head. Instead of a library focused core with electives in other information areas, the new curriculum offers core subjects that cover the information-people-technology nexus in generic fashion and provides a foundation for a wide range of specialisations. This transformation represents what could be described as a move from a traditional Library and Information Studies approach to a broader Information Studies orientation, accommodating advanced areas of study in specific fields, including Librarianship. The paper goes on to discuss key issues concerning the implementation of the course redesigns, and the results of their implementation to date. [Author abstract, ed]