Current Educational Trends in the Information and Library Science Curriculum

Abstract

This paper reports on an analysis of information published on the websites of North American schools of information and library science (ILS). The objective of the analysis was to determine new trends in educational practice in the form of new courses, course concentrations, and programs. New educational trends were primarily user-centered. Library educators should avoid placing too much reliance on the users' niche because it places them in an intermediary role. Information technology has had a devastating impact on intermediaries such as travel agents, realtors, and financial brokers. If librarians focus exclusively on users, they run the risk of becoming displaced. Instead, programs should stake out unclaimed or disputed areas such as the organization of information, content creation, authoritative information, and/or collection preservation. The paper concludes with the recommendation that ILS faculty should examine new content areas that schools are now offering and embark on new curricular opportunities that make sense in view of their view of the future, expertise on staff, available resources, and the resources they are able to secure to make changes at their institutions.