The IFLA Professional Council endorsed the IFLA Guidelines for Professional Library and Information Science (LIS) Education Programmes on April 1, 2022. The Guidelines, now released, were authored by the LIS Education Framework Development Sub-Group of the BSLISE, under the leadership of Professors Clara M. Chu and Jaya Raju. The BSLISE (Building Strong Library and Information Science Education) working group is an initiative of the IFLA Section on Education and Training (SET), Section on Library Theory and Research (LTR), and the LIS Education in Developing Countries SIG.

 

The Guidelines respond to recommendations from the Building Strong LIS Education: A Call to Global and Local Action – An IFLA BSLISE Working Group White Paper (IFLA BSLISE Working Group, 2018. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15641/0-7992-2542-6). The development of the Guidelines were informed by the published literature, existing national and international standards, expertise of the BSLISE, and consultation with LIS education and professional stakeholders across the globe. For the background on the project and more details, please visit https://bslise.org/. These Guidelines replace the Guidelines for Professional Library/Information Educational Programs, 2012 (IFLA, 2012).

 

The Guidelines serve as a framework for developing LIS education programmes, which stakeholders can apply in planning, developing and assessing the quality of LIS education and identify the knowledge areas LIS professionals should have in order to practice and continue to develop. They have been created to be applicable at any level of higher education. These Guidelines will assist programmes as they continue to adapt to the ever-changing needs of their community, as well as allow for greater degrees of mobility of LIS professionals across the globe.

 

“The Guidelines, grounded in the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility will be of interest to LIS education administrators, educators, students and policy makers,” says IFLA President Barbara Lison, “The Guidelines’ eight foundational knowledge areas (FKAs) are critical to LIS practitioners in developing their existing knowledge and skill sets for the future of libraries and the sustainability of our profession.”

 

For more information, go to: https://bslise.org/lis-education-guidelines/ and to download the Guidelines, go to: https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/1987

 

Submitted July 24, 2022 by Clara M. Chu and Jaya Raju, Co-Chairs of the IFLA Building Strong LIS Education (BSLISE), a working group of the IFLA Section on Education and Training (SET), Section on Library Theory and Research (LTR), and the LIS Education in Developing Countries SIG.

 

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ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WLIC SESSION – sent out July 24, 2022 on IFLA-L

Subject: Invitation to the July 26, 2022 WLIC Session on the new Guidelines for Professional LIS Education Programmes

 

Join us for an Engage Session at the 2022 IFLA WLIC on “IFLA Guidelines for LIS Education Programmes: Applying a Global Framework to Transform LIS Education in Local Contexts”. The session engages LIS professionals, educators, students, associations and stakeholders in the application of the recently endorsed IFLA Guidelines for Professional LIS Education Programmes for local contexts. See: https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/1987

 

Tuesday, July 26, 14:45 – 16:15. Session 073 IFLA Guidelines for LIS Education Programmes: Applying a Global Framework to Transform LIS Education in Local Contexts. Location: The Convention Centre Dublin (CCD), Wicklow Hall 2. https://iflawlic2022.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/sessions/7

 

We will begin with a brief introduction of the Guidelines to set the context, followed by small group critical discussions on the promotion of the Guidelines, its usage as a tool for the development of quality in LIS education, and the challenges in implementation of the Guidelines. The session will conclude with an understanding of the support infrastructure at IFLA to implement the Guidelines. This active engagement is critical for appropriate translation of the Guidelines for local contexts by governments, associations, institutions, accreditation agencies, and others.

 

For more information, go to: https://bslise.org/lis-education-guidelines/ and to download the Guidelines, go to: https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/1987

 

Organized by the IFLA Section on Education and Training (SET) with the Section on Library Theory and Research (LTR) and the LIS Education in Developing Countries SIG.