1. 8/21/2012
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What's Changed
Since Library
School? MLS
Training Update for
CONFERENCE
Veteran and Not-So- SPOTLIGHT
SESSION
Veteran Librarians
Wednesday July 18, 2012
12:00pm - 1:30pm @ Convention
Sara R. Tompson, MS in LIS (UIUC)
Center, Room E450B SLA Board 2011-13; Board Secretary 2012
PRESENTED BY: Food Member ALA Accreditation External Reviewer Pool
Agriculture & Nutrition Adjunct Faculty, Dominican University GSLIS, 1998-2002
Division, Social Science
Guest Lecturer, UCLA EIS & UIUC GSLIS, 2006-to date
Division
SPONSORED BY: ProQuest & Head of Library Instruction & Orientation, Univ. So.
Dialog California
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Do you know what this is?!
How about this is?! – “BRS/After Dark”
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2. 8/21/2012
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So, I learned almost all technology
AFTER graduate school...
 When I graduated, there was:
 No World Wide Web!
 Not to mention social Web 2.0+
 I learned HTML at UIUC when Mosaic came out!
 Not much email
 An array of dedicated workstations for programs, NOT
many apps, e.g. for OCLC
 Lot of mainframes with terminals
 IBM PS2 computer & Windows 2.0 came out in 1987*
*http://www.computerhope.com/history/198090.htm
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HOWEVER, I continue to rely upon
the solid theoretical grounding…
 Principles behind classification of information
resources
 Reference skills
 How to efficiently search for resources for
users/patrons
 How to conduct a great reference interview
 Also, some tech theory from special topics classes:
 How to write an RFP for a computer system or
component
 How to read and write technical documentation
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3. 8/21/2012
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Plus, the (GS)LIS Network!
 Still in touch with:
 A fave UIUC professor/mentor
 Stood in for her as SLA student chapter advisor one year
 Got a LEEP (distance) Intern
 My UIUC advisor/mentor
 Periodic updates
 Advice on job hunts
 Former Dominican Dean
 Periodic visits
 Professional Reference
 Former Dominican Students
 FB and/or LinkedIn Friends
 Periodic Visits
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LIS Accreditation Standards
 American Library Association Accredits North
American Programs
 ALA Office for Accreditation (OA)*
 Committee on Accreditation accredits
 External Review Panel does site visit and writes
report
 School being reviewed provides (extensive)
documentation in re standards “compliance”
* http://www.ala.org/offices/accreditation/
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4. 8/21/2012
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LIS Accreditation Standards
 “Accreditation: A voluntary, non-governmental
system of evaluation used to protect the public
interest and to verify the quality of service
provided by member institutions.”
 Standards are conservative, e.g. editions =
1972, 1993, 2008* [latter just starting to be
reviewed for updating]
*
http://www.ala.org/accreditedprograms/sites/ala.org.accreditedp
rograms/files/content/standards/standards_2008.pdf
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LIS Accreditation Standards – A
Glimpse at What Changed in 2008
 Curriculum, regardless of “form of delivery” must conform to the
standards
 Schools must now promote: “encouragement of innovation in
teaching, research, and service” to/for Faculty
 [Web] transparency: “Current, accurate, and easily accessible
information on the school and its program is available to
students and the general public”
 Planning now called “Strategic Planning” and/or “Systematic
Planning”
 Explicitly allows different degree titles, e.g.: “Master of
Information Science, Master of Librarianship, Master of Arts in
Library Science, Master of Information Resource Management,
etc.”
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5. 8/21/2012
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LIS Accreditation Standards – A
Glimpse at What Changed in 2008
 Interestingly, these remained the same [the
curriculum]:
 “integrates the theory, application, and
use of technology”
 “responds to the needs of a rapidly
changing multicultural, multiethnic,
multilingual society including the needs
of underserved groups”
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LIS Accreditation Standards
 Competencies Focus in part!
 References* others’, including SLA’s
 “Specialized learning experiences are built
upon a general foundation of library and
information studies. The design of specialized
learning experiences takes into account the
statements of knowledge and competencies
developed by relevant professional
organizations.”
*http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/careers/corecomp/corecomps
pecial/knowledgecompetencies
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6. 8/21/2012
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Summary
 We must be agile and proactive because:
 Our profession has evolved rapidly in my, and doubtless
most of your, professional “lifetime(s)”
 Library resources & services are no longer (if they ever
were) a “given good” – we must align and prove our worth
 LIS
Accreditation standards shape future
professionals
 There is flexibility in application thereof, which can help
programs remain agile and proactive
 Tome, ours is still a very viable profession! We
just have to prove our ROI, and that is doable, as
many programs at this conference and elsewhere
in SLA can help us do!
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Questions?
saratifr@gmail.com or
sarat@usc.edu
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