Barbara B. Moran SILS UNC-Chapel Hill Preparing Librarians to Work in 21st Century Libraries AMICAL Conference April, 2011

Librarians are already providing e-materials of all varieties

The Hybrid Library Becomes More Digital Each Day E-reference E-journals E-books E-reserve E-archives E-tc!

Peter Pan Generation Generation Y Net Generation Gen Next Echo Boomers Boomerang Generation Generation M Serving New Users Who Go By Many Names Millennials

The Digital Natives have arrived with high expectations about the library and its services They want all library materials to be available when they want them and where they want them! And the Digital Immigrants are not far behind in their demands!

Their learning styles are different Learning Style Preferences (Manuel, 2002) Oriented Oriented towards images, not linear text Desire for customized experiences and choices Low thresholds for boredom, unwillingness to memorize Prefer active learning Like to learn and work in groups

The Challenge Ahead for LIS Schools and for the Profession is: How to prepare a new generation of professionals who are comfortable: working in a increasingly digital environment capable of managing digital information throughout its life cycle ready to provide the user services and the user education needed AND to update the skills of professionals currently working in today’s library

Today’s librarians need to be knowledgeable about: Digital preservation Databases Metadata Licensing Copyright Digital rights management Electronic publishing Scholarly communication Open access Economics of information Digital libraries Evaluation and assessment of new materials and services Plus many other topics

LIS educators are responding by: Updating the curriculum Adding new courses Hiring new faculty with new skills Bringing in adjuncts with needed expertise

At SILS we teach on a regular basis: INLS 523: Database Systems I INLS 525: Electronic Records Management INLS 541: Information Visualization INLS 566: Information Security INLS 572: Web Development I INLS 582: Systems Analysis INLS 718: User Interface Design INLS 720: Metadata Architectures and Applications INLS 740: Digital Libraries: Principles and Applications INLS 752: Digital Preservation and Access INLS 782: Information Systems Effectiveness

Plus special topics— for example for Fall 2011 INLS 089, The Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted: Social Informatics in Popular Culture INLS , Data Management INLS , Audio-Visual Archives Management INLS , Building a Personal Digital Library INLS , Issues in Cloud Computing INLS , Social Media and Society INLS , Making the Humanities Digital

I n addition, students also gain skills and knowledgeable through Field experiences and internships Part time jobs Master’s papers Student involvement with digital projects— e.g. CRADLE And many arrive with prior education and experience with technology

Problems for LIS schools Short Programs—and students still need to learn many of the traditional skills that are still essential--- cataloging, reference, etc. Increasing technical basis of courses—what prerequisites are needed? Multitude of skills sets needed Finding workable approaches to continuing education

Who will provide Staff Development for Current Professionals? Not enough LIS schools Can distance education bridge the gap? Are new technologies such as webinars effective? How can cooperative efforts between LIS schools and professional organizations be facilitated? Who will pay?

What do you think? Discussion