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The purpose of this paper is to report the history of the Greek Library Science (LS) education, to document proposed and current programmes of study and to evaluate the current under‐graduate and post‐graduate status of library studies in Greece.

The research methodology is based on bibliographic research of papers and articles and the documentation of programmes of study of Greek schools of LS.

The paper traces the history of library education in Greece with an emphasis on the suggested or implemented curricula over a period of five decades, documents the social conditions that affected the establishment of tertiary library education and proposes some changes to be implemented in schools of LS.

The paper records and evaluates the official library programmes of study over a period of time that covers all the course of formal library education in Greece. These programmes are not always documented in official records. Furthermore, statistical data regarding the library students of all Greek schools of LS are presented.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to explore the ways in which bachelor’s degree programs in library and information studies can support and enhance Master of Library Science (MLS) and Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) programs.

Approach – The history of undergraduate library degrees is examined, followed by a brief discussion of the current landscape of library education. Finally, five ways in which library and information science (LIS) undergraduate programs can revitalize the MLS/MLIS are addressed and analyzed.

Findings – Bachelor of Science in Library Science degrees can impact the MLS/MLIS degree in five discrete ways. Undergraduate programs can interest student in future information work, allow for more specialization in graduate programs, allow paraprofessionals to advance their library education, support rural libraries, and can lead to more rigorous MLS/MLIS curricula.

Value – As libraries and library education are in transition, undergraduate LIS degree programs have the potential to transform LIS education as a whole.

The paper deals with questions about the historical dimension of the library and information studies (LIS) education seen from a Danish point of view and the perspective of primarily public representation. The arguments come from a sketch of the tradition of the librarians’ education and roles, an adaptation of contemporary historical thought combined with a refined concept of representation of history, and a short experiment study of final theses of LIS students within historical areas. It concludes with some educational objectives for the fundamental necessity of a broad, reflexive and democracy oriented cultural history perspective.

Describes the library and information science education through the distance teaching system offered by Allama Iqbal Open University in Pakistan. The only open university in the country has offered Certificate and Bachelor’s programmes in the subject since 1988 and is planning to offer Master’s and some other advanced programmes in the future. The paper presents a brief history of the University and the establishment of the Department of Library and Information Sciences. Syllabi and objectives of various LIS courses are provided. The system of education, including admissions, study materials, regional services, tutors, study centres, assignments and examination is also described. Enrolment data up to spring 1996 are analyzed (by area and gender). Opinions of senior library professionals in the country about these LIS courses are also cited.

ASLIB – the Association of Special Libraries and Information Bureaux – was founded in 1924 with the aim of co‐ordinating the activities of specialist information services in the UK. This article seeks to present a new history of the first quarter‐century of the Association.

This is a historical study based substantially on two collections of primary documents: ASLIB's own records, held at Aslib Headquarters, London; and the papers of Edith Ditmas, held at the National Library of Wales.

The paper explores the origins of ASLIB, and its roots in the “science lobby” of the time; it then traces the development of ASLIB as both a “national intelligence service” for science, commerce and industry, and as a quasi‐professional association with international significance. It concludes that the first of these two functions was the Association's fundamental raison d'être.

The research is limited to study of ASLIB in the period 1924‐1950 and an obvious continuation would be a history of “corporate” ASLIB (1950‐1997). More generally, the paper reveals that the history of UK documentation and information science in the twentieth century is underexplored: there is scope for future research focused on key pioneers and ideas, as well as institutions such as ASLIB.

As far as is known, this is the first historical study of ASLIB to be based on contemporary records: it should therefore be of value to both historians of information and library science and practitioners interested in their professional heritage.

The Russian poet, Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev (1886–1921), was arrested in 1921 on the false charge of conspiracy and was shot. The Soviet Union's existence ended as abruptly and unexpectedly as did Gumilev's. No major political structure in modern history has collapsed so rapidly. Left is the scarred memory of an enormously rich history. Libraries are the souls of memory. Russian libraries face an extremely important role as the skins of the past are shed for a new soul.

AS part of its three year research programme to draw up a code of practice and standards for the planning, organisation and lay‐out of metropolitan city libraries, the International Association of Metropolitan City Libraries (INTAMEL) met in Gothenburg in April 1969 to consider research studies and papers prepared during the previous year and to examine technically new city library developments and, later, in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the courses in library service jointly developed and run by the University and the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, between 1917 and 1928.

An historical approach is adopted and use has been made of relevant extant primary sources held in the National Library, as well as various notices and reports of the courses published in the journals of the time.

Strong similarities between the Summer Schools in Library Service of 100 years ago and the degree programmes currently offered via distance learning by the Department of Information Studies have been indicated.

Due to the nature of the research and the reliance on the survival of primary source material, it has not been possible to trace a complete set of Directors’ Reports, which would have offered greater insight into the content of the later Summer Schools as well as the people who attended these courses.

The year 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the College of Librarianship Wales, (which has evolved into the Department of Information Studies at Aberystwyth University). However, the roots of this educational establishment can be traced back nearly 50 years earlier to the University’s Summer Schools in library service. This is a largely unexplored subject but represents the first step towards the establishment of the current Department of Information Studies.

The former colleague at University College of Raymond Irwin (1902–1976) and his obituarist here presents a fuller portrait of this unusual man.