Student Writing Award Scheme
ILS Winner Victoria Warrick
Deadline: Friday 17th February 2006
Name: Victoria Warrick
University: London Metropolitan University
"How does your experience of your course compare with any expectations you have had?"
Today's Information Professionals require more than Cataloguing, Collection management and Cardigans...
Aside from the recounted (and apparently terrifying) experiences of ' Library School ' predecessors, little basis is provided for the formulation of expectations about a Library and Information Management course. Modules are poorly sold with over-general titles and brief explanations. A fleeting tour of accommodation is given and the lucky ones may be introduced to the course leader, prior to making a financial, time, and potentially life-changing, commitment. Widespread acknowledgement that today's information professional requires more than the three Cs: Cataloguing, Collection management and Cardigans, has had an impact on student expectations. Institutions must somehow offer in-depth coverage of such bizarre concepts as management, information and communication technologies, policy-making and so-called 'real world' research, without in any way neglecting the more traditional aspects of this age-old profession.
Overall, the Library and Information Management course has succeeded in fulfilling my expectations, primarily rooted in my recent experience of the information services' workplace, that is, as an academic library assistant. In my opinion, the course's value is established by a good balance between wide-ranging, yet equally essential subjects, together with an ever-present emphasis on practical application. Even within modules this becomes apparent. For example, the electronic Dialog database and web directories are studied alongside the needs' elicitation process and Dewey Decimal Classification, within the scope of 'information organisation and retrieval'. It could be argued that a detailed examination of one element is of higher worth than a whistle-stop tour of many. However, it is not possible to justify the omitting of a single element, further highlighting the diversity encompassed by the role of an information scientist operating in these times.
In honesty, I had not anticipated that the consideration of information policy would frequently extend to a transnational or international perspective. On one hand, when concentrating on the widening digital divide and persistence of North-South tendencies, it sometimes feels that, actually, a qualification in development or human rights should be awarded. On the other hand, it is right to approach this subject with a global attitude, as there is much to learn from the rest of the world. Moreover, though Brits sometimes forget it, we are no more a solitary entity, rather a member of the European Union, whose expansion influences home policy-making and reflects a world of ever-decreasing size.
As implied by its name, Applied Information Research, exists to develop a knowledge, understanding, and above all, skills, of a highly practical nature. This purpose admittedly remained unclear, until the class was faced with the task of presenting a research proposal. It then seemed more than natural to tackle competency in the reviewing of literature and use of the Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) database, concept mapping and identifying research aims and outcomes, dissemination techniques and budgeting, as these are, of course, intrinsic to research practice. The necessity of these abilities could not be fully exemplified through theoretical essays and discussions, but immediately becomes apparent through confrontation with a vocational project representative of the reality.
In a culture characterised by a lack of time, lack of money and increased pressures in general, a future information professional will not be satisfied by the mere attainment of a qualification on paper. Rather, library and information students expect to graduate, having not only considered the concepts specific to the field, but additionally, having attained skills which can be directly transferred to the contemporary workplace. These criteria are met through the delivery of university assignments, like the completion of an application for funding and evaluation of an information retrieval system, such as a search engine, not forgetting participation in weekly debates on topics as hot as censorship or globalisation. Yet, the balance between theory and practice within the course is let down by the employment of two pre-seen written examination papers. Obviously, this type of assessment fails to take into account the unpredictability of the real world, and for most, simply signifies the memorising of statistics, quotations, facts and opinions, which will be disregarded as soon as the exam is over.
My previous experiences of higher education had involved a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Meanwhile, my latest university adventure normally follows a format of an hour's lecture followed by a two hour workshop; a structure which allows an overview of theory to be put to the test. Although, at postgraduate level, teaching is outweighed by independent study and research, at times further advice and direction during workshops would be desirable, to enable students to take full advantage of the expertise on hand. Lecturing has been inconsistent; with some staff welcoming questions, challenges and participation, but others preferring not to stray from the unoriginal and dull dictation of notes.
Pairs of students informally exchanging ideas may be common, but teamwork is lacking. Again, this should be encouraged if the course wishes to imitate employment in an information service. Everyone groans at the thought of having to cooperate with others (especially other students), as no doubt there will be a personality clash or someone will regard this as a license for laziness. However, it is rare that information professionals operate alone and further practice in meetings and collaborations can only be beneficial. Producing a funding proposal with four practically unknown colleagues as part of Applied Information Research was extremely challenging, but learning from our mistakes led to the advancement of inter-personal skills and a resulting presentation that was significantly praised by a panel of adjudicators. Meanwhile, watching the PowerPoint presentations of other groups and hearing the feedback of lecturers, allowed students to learn from one another. This facilitated the criticism and improvement of our own work, equating to self-evaluation, which is normally difficult to achieve at any level of provision.
On the whole, my expectations have been matched, or even outdone, by my experience. Some of the criticisms outlined above are simply due to the constraint of time, meaning that material cannot be covered in the depth preferred by students, lecturers and, crucially, employers. The course endeavours to be vocational to the utmost degree and succeeds, apart from pre-seen examination assessment which belongs in a purely academic world, and a need to increase the amount of cooperation between soon-to-be information professionals. Once these key issues have been addressed, I would recommend this course to both those within and outside of the information profession, as the commodity of information grows in value and skills in information management are required in every walk of life. Library and Information Management courses must aim to produce much more than well-educated graduates - namely, information professionals ready to don their cardigans and take on the challenges of the information society in the 21 st Century.
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