Gillian C. Hallam

Educating the Millennial Generation for evidence based information practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider how library education can best incorporate the professions emerging interest in evidence‐based practice (EBP) whilst ensuring that the educational experience is meaningful to the contemporary library student.Design/methodology/appraoch – A learning and teaching model developed by the Queensland University of Technology will be presented as a case study on how the library education curriculum can be developed to incorporate a focus on EBP whilst catering to the unique learning style of the millennial student.Findings – To effectively meet the needs of the millennial student, library educators must develop their curriculum to include a real world activities and perspective, be customisable and flexible, incorporate regular feedback, use technology, provide trusted guidance, include the opportunity for social and interactive learning, be visual and kinaesthetic, and include communication that is real, raw, relevant and relational.Originality/value – This pa...

ePortfolio use by university students in Australia: a review of the Australian ePortfolio Project

In October 2008, the Australian Learning and Teaching Council released the final report for the commissioned project ‘ePortfolio use by university students in Australia: Informing excellence in policy and practice’. The Australian ePortfolio Project represented the first attempt to examine the breadth and depth of ePortfolio practice in the Australian higher education sector. The research activities included: surveys of stakeholder groups in learning and teaching, academic management and human resource management, with respondents representing all Australian universities; a series of focus groups and semi‐structured interviews that sought to explore key issues in greater depth; and surveys designed to capture students’ pre‐course expectations and their post‐course experiences of ePortfolio learning. Further qualitative data was collected through interviews with ‘mature users’ of ePortfolios. Project findings revealed that, while there was a high level of interest in the use of ePortfolios in terms of the potential to help students become reflective learners who were conscious of their personal and professional strengths and weaknesses, the state of play in Australian universities was very fragmented. The project investigation identified four individual, yet interrelated, contexts where strategies may be employed to support and foster effective ePortfolio practice in higher education: government policy; technical standards; academic policy; and learning and teaching. Four scenarios for the future were also presented with the goal of stimulating discussion about opportunities for stakeholder engagement. It is argued that the effective use of ePortfolios requires open dialogue and collaboration between the different stakeholders across this range of contexts.

Education for library and information service

The Australian context for library education is introduced by a review of the historical perspectives of education for the LIS sector in this country, moving from the apprenticeship model to that formal education. The chapter also explores the need for standards of professional education, achieved in Australia through the course recognition process undertaken by the professional association. As each educational institution submits an annual course return, an analysis of the data on the student cohort and the staffing situation is presented, framed by the changing environment of education in Australia. The predominant, recurrent issues are discussed: the scope of the curriculum, the perceived gulf between research and practice, and the need for career-long learning. The chapter concludes by reinforcing the idea that the future of effective and relevant LIS education is a matter for all people involved in the profession to work together to ensure that the profession does have a real future.

Evaluation of transitional mentoring for new library and information professionals : What are the professional and personal outcomes for the participants?

Purpose – To present the findings of the comparative evaluation of two transitional mentoring programs developed for new library and information professionals in Australia, one as a group program and the other with pairs of mentors/mentees.Design/methodology/approach – The research project involved an initial review of the literature. A comparative study was undertaken, with a survey approach to collect data from the participants in the transitional mentoring programs. The study obtained data about three key areas: career‐related, learning‐related, and professional development.Findings – It was found that participants had a high level of satisfaction with both the programs and both mentor and mentee reported positive career, learning and personal development outcomes.Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to one year of transitional mentoring activity for one professional field in Australia. It would be beneficial to continue the study over a longer period of time to collect further dat...

The right person, in the right job, with the right skills, at the right time: A workforce‐planning model that goes beyond metrics

Purpose – The paper aims to describe a workforce‐planning model developed in‐house in an Australian university library that is based on rigorous environmental scanning of an institution, the profession and the sector.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a case study that describes the stages of the planning process undertaken to develop the Librarys Workforce Plan and the documentation produced.Findings – While it has been found that the process has had successful and productive outcomes, workforce planning is an ongoing process. To remain effective, the workforce plan needs to be reviewed annually in the context of the librarys overall planning program. This is imperative if the plan is to remain current and to be regarded as a living document that will continue to guide library practice. Research limitations/implications – Although a single case study, the work has been contextualized within the wider research into workforce planning.Practical implications – The paper provides a model that can...

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice: Whose Responsibility is it Anyway?

For evidence based library and information practice (EBLIP) to underpin and enhance industry practice, library and information professionals need to be willing to develop the skills and knowledge essential for EBLIP and to be motivated to use these within the context of their day-to-day work. Whilst current LIS education can help to foster the birth of a new breed of evidence based information professional, ultimately it is up to the new professional working in industry to put into place the skills they have learned during their academic studies. It is also the responsibility of those professionals who have been in industry for some time, and who have not had the opportunity to learn about evidence based practice (EBP) via their formal library studies, to develop the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding of EBP by undertaking professional development activities.

Different approaches: Common conclusions. The skills debate of the twenty-first century This paper was originally published in Continuing Professional Development – Preparing for New Roles in Libraries: A Voyage of Discovery, edited by Paul Genoni and Graham Walton (IFLA Publications 116, K. G. Saur, 2005) and is reproduced here with the kind permission of IFLA and K. G. Saur.

This paper presents the findings and analysis of research undertaken in both the United Kingdom and Australia to identify the range of knowledge and skills required by library and information professionals to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. In the United Kingdom, the Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals has developed a new qualifications framework and revised the body of professional knowledge for information professionals. In Australia, the research has focused on the two complementary and intertwined strands of discipline knowledge and generic capabilities. The issues that arise from the two projects are relevant to all sectors of the library and information profession, to stimulate discussion about possible strategies for workforce planning. Career-long learning has become an imperative for information professionals, with the research findings highlighting the importance of a collaborative approach to professional development, to involve the individual, the educators, the employers and the professional associations.

Designing a Specialist Post-graduate Qualification and Continuing Professional Development Structure for the Health Librarian Workforce of the Future

Through a grant received from the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), Health Libraries Australia (HLA) is conducting a twelve-month research project with the goal of developing a system-wide approach to education for the future health librarianship workforce. The research has two main aims: to determine the future skills, knowledge, and competencies for the health librarian workforce in Australia; and to develop a structured, modular education framework for specialist post-graduate qualifications together with a structure for ongoing continuing professional development. The paper highlights some of the drivers for change for health librarianship as a profession, and particularly for educating the future workforce. The research methodology is outlined and the main results of the second stage of the project are described together with the findings and their implications for the development of a structured, competency-based education framework.

New Pathways to Learning: The Team Teaching Approach. A Library and Information Science Case Study

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) challenges its teachers to provide innovative and dynamic learning environments that foster excellence in student learning. This paper discusses how the Faculty of Information Technology is using collaborative teaching and learning strategies to meet this challenge. The paper explores how team teaching and learning is being implemented within the Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies. The core unit ITN336 Information Resources is used as a case study. The paper discusses the practical implications of incorporating team teaching into a units curriculum and how it impacts on the teaching and learning process. Student attitudes towards team teaching are explored. The paper concludes by discussing how team teaching is not just a technique that can be applied to divide the labour within a unit, rather it is a creative and thoughtful mechanism for fostering a dynamic studentcentred learning environment.

Adaptive technology for people with physical disabilities using information and communications technology

This chapter explores assistive technology and its implications for people with disabilities. Using the Australian experience as a foundation, the authors discuss assistive technology and disability; how assistive technology facilitates ICT use; how libraries can promote assistive technology; and how libraries can select assistive technology that will be used by their patrons.