Navigating the Parallel Universe: Education for Collection Management in the Electronic Age - collection of electronic and printed library resources

Library Trends, Spring, 2000 by Virgil L. P. Blake, Thomas T. Surprenant

Irrespective of the degree to which the access strategy is pursued in library/information science education, there is some agreement on the competencies, knowledge, and skills that library information service professionals should possess. "The profession requires individuals who can think conceptually and reason logically and who can use both knowledge and advanced technology to address the information needs of society" (Stueart, 1998, pp. 244-45). Vondran (1989) adds that library and information science professionals need "thinking skills which should be fluid and oriented toward problem solving; communication skills ... and learning skills which will provide the basic adaptive abilities necessary in a changing environment" (p. 28). This will necessitate different tactics to prepare library/information service professionals in general and those with a primary interest in collection development in particular.

The traditional concerns of library/information science education have been: (1) information retrieval: the organization of material so that it can be identified, obtained, and used; (2) intermediation: understanding user information needs, the publication of information, and brokering the matching of information and information need; (3) technology; (4) social context: the social, legal, political, and economic setting of the information environment; and (5) domain knowledge, knowing what the library/information center can offer (Van House & Sutton, 1996, p. 133). The concepts of intermediation, technology, social context, and domain knowledge are all concerns for those interested in collection development's place within the curriculum. There appears to be little sentiment for completely changing the curriculum of schools of library and information studies. Vondran (1989) advocates minor changes to reflect changes in the information environment. The University of Michigan's new School of Information seeks to "apply the rich traditions of the library profession to the larger, fundamental role of information in society" (Marcum, 1997, p. 35).

Library/information science education, however, does not exist in a vacuum. There are external factors that must be considered as we work toward a resolution of the issues challenging the profession in the information age. Foremost among these are the social shifts noted by Lester (1993). These are: (1) a more culturally/ethnically/linguistically diverse population; (2) an aging population; (3) an increasing variety in types of households featuring single parents and mixed families; (4) a work force characterized by serial careers, telecommuting, part-time and/or temporary workers, fewer benefits, and an increasing number of immigrants employed especially in scientific and technical fields; (5) a globalized economy; (6) new educational configurations with part-time students, older students, continuing education; and (7) the delivery of instruction via distance education (Lester, 1993, pp. 39-54). Paramount will be the increasing diversity of the library/information center user. Lester (1993) contends that library/information service professionals will "need to have an increased understanding of cultural diversity and the impact of a culturally diverse population on information behaviors" (p. 47). This, she adds, requires library/information service professionals "who can ensure cultural diversity in information products and services and who can approach information problems from the multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial, and multilingual users point of view" (p. 47). This will be as critical for those with collection development responsibilities as those with responsibilities in reference or related public services.