Search results

Purpose – There is a dichotomy within library and information science (LIS) education today. It has been a long time coming, and the rise of information schools (iSchools) in LIS education, with their focus on skill sets that complement libraries and their mission but ultimately prepare students for careers and jobs outside of librarianship, is one of many contributing factors. Many accredited library programs that used to focus on preparing students for work in libraries are now expanding their courses and degrees more toward “information” rather than “libraries.” This is understandable given that many library science programs have been subsumed into other departments and colleges such as business, education, and information technology, where their expertise in educating and training students toward graduate degrees is highly regarded and where the available jobs and salaries outside of libraries are much more numerous and desirable. This chapter hopes to frame the current challenges from the perspective of one member of the ALA Committee on Accreditation (COA).

Design/Methodology/Approach – This is an opinion piece, based on the author’s current membership on COA and focus on the library profession.

Findings – As an opinion piece, there are no findings.

Originality/Value – This chapter tries to show the value of the library profession and its curriculum in today’s society.

This chapter updates earlier research that analyzed mergers, collaborations, and similar trends in LIS education, and provides a more comprehensive current summary of those trends. Three distinct patterns are beginning to emerge in both organizational structure and collaboration: changes in the nature of LIS program partnerships within parent educational institutions; the impact on LIS education by prominent academic associations that are not reliant on ALA accreditation recognition; and the growth in the number and type of academic offerings in LIS schools themselves. Among some notable changes are the establishment of the Consortium of iSchools Asia Pacific (CiSAP), continued growth in the iSchool caucus and its increasing international membership. Additionally the number of dual degree master’s programs in which LIS departments partner is on the rise, as is the number of degrees now being offered at LIS schools (both at the undergraduate and graduate levels) that are not “traditional” MLS degrees. Inter-institutional collaborative MLIS programs are also emergent, evident in such programs as the Web-based Information Science Education (WISE) consortium. The data presented here seem to suggest that the face of LIS education continues to change as the 21st century gets underway.

The term “lifelong learning” is used for combining formal, informal and non‐formal education and training, with a reconsideration of professional recognition and quality assurance processes. The objectives of the article are to demonstrate the need of cooperation in quality assurance and recognition between higher education institutions and vocational education and training accreditors, with particular focus on exchange of models and methods of accreditation, which have been adopted in LIS, as well as common criteria and principles.

Present LIS criteria, standards and guidelines are examined together with a documentary and literature review, looking to quality assurance and individual recognition focus and process.

The emergence of common themes between quality assurance and individual recognition is outlined, with the learning outcomes focus as the driving force for integration. The European Qualification Framework, Europass and ECVET are discussed as the way in which learning outcomes and recognition of competences can be linked to the European Bologna process.

There are some assumptions in this research: the author believes that there is enough room, within the fundamental concept of the quality of LIS education, to incorporate most of the emerging theories and philosophies of learning, based on reflective practice and lifelong learning.

Further studies are needed in some problematic areas such as control of evaluation criteria and procedures, internationalisation common reference tools, quality assurance as a stimulus for continuing change and innovation.

The need for a re‐definition of the relationship between higher education and continuing professional development in LIS is outlined.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the health benefits, functional role of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) in combating diet-related non-communicable diseases, absorption, metabolism, toxicity and extraction of ALA.

A wide range of publications were identified through electronic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, SciELO, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink and ResearchGate) on the basis of different keywords such as dietary sources, functional role, metabolism, beneficial effects, toxicity and extraction.

ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is commonly found in dietary sources such as flaxseeds, rapeseed, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and fatty fish, with flaxseed being the richest among all the sources. Several convincing evidences depict the functional role of ALA in ameliorating cardiovascular functions, regulating systolic and diastolic blood pressure and improving neurological disorders, thus possessing anti-arrhythmic as well as anti-inflammatory properties. Its promising effect is also noticed on post-menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia and headache as well as in balancing the levels of sex hormones in women suffering from PCOS. Furthermore, it was also responsible for reducing the concentrations of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. Its excess consumption may lead to gastrointestinal disturbances such as flatulence and bloating. Various extraction techniques, namely, medium pressure liquid chromatography, silver silica gel chromatography, silver ion-solid phase extraction and silver ion-high pressure liquid chromatography are used for the extraction of ALA from its sources.

This is a novel review which will provide a brief overview of dietary sources, functional role, absorption and metabolism, health benefits, toxicity and extraction of ALA.

This paper aims to highlight the unique characteristics and homogeneity of the Canadian accredited programs in library and information studies compared with those programs in the USA.

Each year the Association for Library and Information Science (ALISE) collects statistics from accredited graduate programs. By disaggregating the American and Canadian information and limiting the data to the accredited degree program only, comparisons could be drawn between the two data sets. The generalizations and themes were then validated by comparison with the recent history of development of Canadian schools.

The history of development of Canadian graduate programs and the national context has resulted in programs that are more homogenous than diverse. The programs are housed in public research institutions, with competition for spaces. The students are full‐time, studying a curriculum with more required courses. Faculty have more time for research. Access is an issue. The profession is generally satisfied, but points to inadequacies in education for management and favors more internships.

While commenting on developments and trends the report relies primarily on three secondary sources, thus creating a snapshot.

The separation of Canadian and American models allows for greater attention to national approaches providing a beginning point for discussion, analysis and suggestions for further study.

This paper is based on a presentation to the ALA President's Forum on International Library Education in June, 2006. Both American and Canadian participants demonstrated limited knowledge of the subject and urged publication. No such explication has appeared previously.

Education in library and information science (LIS) in the first decade of the 21st century is reviewed and discussed in terms of changes, developments, and associated issues. Specifically, courses and concentrations newly added to the LIS curriculum are described along with a summary of what has been revised, including the core. Distance education in LIS is presented as a result of technology application while reposition, relocation, and closures of LIS schools are also examined. Of the organizational changes among LIS schools, the emergence of iSchools and related topics received particular coverage with data gathered recently. Issues persistent in LIS education (i.e., accreditation of LIS programs, library education crisis, and chasm between LIS education and practices) are revisited with analysis. The author believes on the basis of this review that the digital age has brought us in LIS education with opportunities greater than ever. LIS education will move forward and even thrive in this digital age when the field not only makes intelligent use of the technology but also changes in other dimensions as the society advances.

The objective of this study is to assess whether pro-health herbal probiotics, ascorbic acid and allicin added to the finishing diets of hybrid pig influenced the intramuscular fat (IMF) content in longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle, the fatty acid profile and lipid quality indices, as it has an impact on human health.

After 80 days of equal fattening, the pigs were divided into the control group (CT, n = 30 received commercially allowed and applicable antibiotics) and the experimental group (EX, n = 30), which until 95 days of rearing were supplied with fermented herbs extract (FHE Multikraft® Austria) with probiotics Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, L-ascorbic acid and extract of garlic (10% allicin). After slaughter, crude fat content and fatty acid profile were determined in LL muscle samples, and on that basis lipid indices were calculated.

Supplementation with FHE, probiotics, L-ascorbic acid and allicin has significantly impacted the crude fat content in the meat and the percentage of fatty acids content: tricosanoic (C23:0), heptadecanoid (C17:1 n-7), eicosanic (C22:1 11cis n-9) and eicosatrienoic (C20:3 11cis n-3), in comparison to CT group. Amongst lipid quality indices, IMF in LL of pigs from EX group, the C18:2 n-6/C18:3 n-3 ratio is characterised by a significantly higher value and thus is more beneficial to the health of the consumer.

The authors have indicated that using FHE, probiotic supplements with ascorbic acid and allicin in commercial fattening of pigs, as an alternative for antibiotic growth promoters (AGP), improves the fatty acid profile of the meat.

This paper aims to explore the attractiveness of Library and Information Science (LIS) careers to students and alumni and examine their decision-making process and perceptions of the field with an eye on discerning the best ways to build and develop the recruitment narrative.

The authors reached out to 57 LIS graduate programs in Canada and the USA accredited by the American Library Association through a Web-based survey; the questions presented a combination of multiple-choice, short-answer and open-ended questions and generated a wealth of quantitative and qualitative data.

The online survey has disclosed that students may not have an in-depth understanding of current trends, the diversity of LIS professions and the wider applications of their education. A significant disconnect exists in how the goals of LIS education are seen by certain groups of practitioners, students and faculty members.

Creating a program narrative for the purposes of recruitment and retention, departments should not only capitalize on the reach of the internet and the experiences of successful practitioners. They should also ensure that faculty know their students’ personal backgrounds, that students empathize with demands of contemporary academia and that a promotional message connects pragmatic educational goals to broader social applications. By exposing and embracing the complexity of LIS education and practice, the paper chooses a discursive path to start a conversation among major stakeholders.