Persistence and change: issues for LIS educators in the first decade of the twenty-first century’

Considers the five ‘persistent issues’ relating to LIS education discussed in an article by Denis Grogan in 1983, to see whether they still apply in 2000, together with two additional issues that have emerged since that date. Although the issue of professional education for librarians in an academic institution has largely been resolved, there is a continuing debate on campus-based and distance learning modes of delivery the place of competency based, National Vocational Qualifications, delivered at the workplace. The issue of control by professional bodies has moved from being a matter of debate to one of continuing dialogue. The debate over the relative importance of theory versus practice, still rages, whilst the importance of fieldwork is still regarded as central to an LIS education. The nature and content of the ‘core curriculum’ appear to be in a constant state of flux. The two new issues identified were: The nature and extent of the information disciplines (the relationship between librarianship, information management and knowledge managent); and. The changing pattern of higher education in the UK and character of the student body (increase in numbers, modularization, and quality assessment).