Section on Education and Training

Medium Term Programme 1998-2001

Scope statement

The Section focuses on education and training for LIS professionals based on research and professional practice. It serves library and information science (LIS) educators, practitioners and managers with training responsibilities. Appropriately educated, adequately trained, continually learning professionals are a requirement for effective and efficient information services. Education and training for library and information services concerns all IFLA's divisions and requires cooperation with them and other international and inter-regional associations who have a related mission. Of special interest to the Section is the state of LIS education and training in developing countries.

Goals, 2000-2001

1. Foster international cooperation on basic and continuing education of library and information science (LIS) educators and practitioners.
2. Uphold the professional status of LIS personnel through internationally recognised qualifications for LIS work.
3. Maintain a current directory of world-wide LIS educational programmes.
4. Foster the multicultural principles of IFLA.
5. Offer professional development opportunities for LIS professionals and educations in developing countries.
6. Disseminate information on innovative curriculum developments and creative teaching methodologies and materials.
7. Foster new professional development opportunities in order to encourage new knowledge, skills and competences.
8. Encourage high quality conference papers through a rigorous refereeing process.

Preliminary work on the Action Plan is as follows:

Action Plan, 1999-2000

1. Conferences and workshops (Goals 1, 6, 8):
   • Call for papers for conference in Jerusalem on theme of LIS Education and multiculturality and ensure translations
   • Plan workshop with local educators as part of Jerusalem conference
   • Start preliminary planning for conference and workshop for Boston in 2001
   • Start preliminary planning for conference and workshop in Glasgow in 2002

2. World Guide (Goal 3):
   • Plan mechanism for continuing updating
   • Appoint editor and editorial board
   • Determine if it will be made available through IFLANET

3. Standards (Goal 2):
   • Consult widely on updated standards for LIS Education Programmes
   • Move to have them adopted by IFLA and widely disseminated

4. IFLANET (Goals 1, 6)
   • Create a SET presence on IFLANET

5. Workshops in developing areas (Goal 5):
   • Plan another workshop in a developing area, eg South East Asia

6. Leaflets (Goal 1):
   • Revise SET leaflet and translate into French, German, Spanish, Russian

7. Statistics (Goal 2):
   • Complete the statistics gathering effort of associations and other groups with a focus on LIS education

8. Newsletter (Goals 1, 6):
   • Issue a Newsletter twice a year in print and electronic form

9. Reciprocity and equivalence of qualifications (Goal 2):
   • Continue to work on the reciprocity and equivalence issue by creating a worldwide database of LIS professional qualifications and accrediting bodies

10. Forward planning:
    • Work on forward action plan beyond 2001 at the Jerusalem conference.