This paper describes the situation of library and information education in the six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), located in the Middle East. Data were collected through a mailed instrument from six schools located in three countries of the region that offer degree programs. Five of the six programs are essentially…

The changing environment of academic libraries in Pakistan demands new competencies for future academic librarians. This study defines and validates competencies for entry-level professionals keeping in view the needs of the next five years. Top-level library managers of selected universities and post-graduate level colleges participated in the…

Based on the concept of the NORDIC academic cooperation model (NorFa), in 1998-2000 Danish and international information scientists initiated a co-operative effort to build an education and research network among LIS institutions in South Africa. The paper reports the successful completion of the project, with 20 MA and Ph.D. students selected…

Formal library and information science (LIS) education in Thailand was initiated in 1951 at Chulalongkorn University, when Fulbright Foundation scholars developed basic courses that evolved into a degree programme in 1959. Since then, a variety of LIS programmes, both undergraduate and postgraduate, has been developed by many institutions,…

Presents the results of a research project investigating teaching and learning methods in information science in the United Kingdom. An overview of the forces leading to the higher profile of teaching in universities is presented. A literature review was undertaken to identify articles in professional and scholarly academic journals on teaching…

Presents the collective judgments of a group of academics from North America, Southeast Asia and the Arabian Gulf region, as well as leading practitioners from the Arabian Gulf region, about the content of graduate degrees in information studies. The participants generally agreed about the content of the curriculum of information studies. The most…

This paper describes the development of library and information science education (LIS) in the Baltic and Nordic countries and gives a brief overview of the historical and present connections of these countries. The similarities and differences between the Baltic countries as well as the Nordic and Baltic higher education systems are described.…

In this paper we report upon the Virtual Economy (VE), an Internet simulation which operated for the first time in Spring 2000 involving students at Indiana University, USA and at Napier University, Edinburgh, UK. During 2001, the VE was extended to include participants from other institutions. The main thrust of the project was to encourage…

Preparation for entry into the information professions has always been through a combination of academic study and practical training. Broadly speaking there is probably general agreement about the knowledge and understanding which the new entrant to the profession needs to acquire. There is less clarity regarding the skills which are required if…

This study follows three sixth grade primary school students as they access, interpret, and use information found on the Web for a class assignment. Discusses information seeking behavior, information interpretation skills, and information utilization, issues that educators must address to successfully integrate the Web into the classroom.…

Assesses the present condition of the emerging specialism of information society studies. Topics include the information economy; information technology; the information explosion; the Japanese version of information society; information society as social democracy; sociology and information science; scholarly journals; and the need for…

Discussion of the scope of information society studies focuses on a syllabus for an ideal module in information society studies, comprising aims, learning outcomes, attained skills, and indicative content. Considers critical thinking, theoretical sensitivity, and an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates history. (Author/LRW)

This paper describes one lecturer's experience of teaching the information society, addresses some of the concerns expressed by those who teach in the area, and examines the problems that tend to restrict the learning and teaching environment and methods. Uses a Bernsteinian model of framing and a Panglossian perspective of optimism. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the provision of Internet-based distance learning courses in the library and information science field and investigates the current market situation for online courses. Highlights include types of courses, including self-instruction courses, short credit courses, and full degree programs; Web site characteristics; technical issues;…

Describes use of a follow-up study and newspaper scanning techniques to collect data to review and revise the Library and Information Science curriculum at the University of Zululand (South Africa). Includes a case study of graduates that investigated whether their training was adequate and a scan of job advertisements. (Author/LRW)