A survey of networking education in North American library schools - Libraries and the Internet: Education, Practice & Policy

Library Trends, Spring, 1994 by Constance Wittig, Dietmar Wolfram

<< Page 1 Continued from page 3. Previous | Next

Using the Internet to access more established technologies in the curriculum--e.g., commercial database vendors such as Dialog and BRS--has also been quickly incorporated, undoubtedly due in part to reduced telecommunications charges. Other information services, not directly associated with the Internet--namely videotex services such as Compuserve and Prodigy--were also reported by a small number of schools.

The range of courses in which networking topics are included is quite large, having found its way into both traditional core courses and specialized courses. Table 2 summarizes the courses in which networking concepts and/or tools are covered. Typically, such topics are found in the more technology-oriented or information science-oriented courses. However, the relatively large number of schools reporting courses like Information Sources and Services (twenty), and Special Libraries and Information Centers (sixteen) gives a clear indication that many of the responding schools view networked resources as important in several areas of the curriculum. It should be noted that the courses with the highest tallies generally reflect more mainstream courses. For example, courses in library automation and online information retrieval may be offered more frequently and by more programs than specialized courses in telecommunications/ networking. It may also be the case that some courses listed in the questionnaire may not correspond to courses offered at all library schools. One respondent indicated that the courses listed in the questionnaire did not "map" well to their curriculum.

Table 2.
Courses in Which Networking Concepts/Tools are Taught
                                                     Programs
Course                                               (n = 36)
Library Automation                                      29
Online Information Retrieval                            28
Information Technology                                  22
Bibliographic Control                                   20
Information Science                                     20
Information Sources and Services                        20
Special Libraries and Information Centers               16
Management                                              12
Government Documents                                    10
Telecommunications/networking                            8
School Libraries/media Centers                           7
Public Libraries                                         4
Specialized Information Sources and Services             3
Collection Development and Management                    2
Microcomputer Applications                               2
Academic Libraries                                       1
Economics of Information                                 1
Indexing                                                 1
Information Industry                                     1
Information Policy                                       1
Issues in Information                                    1
Serials Management                                       1
Systems Analysis and Design                              1

Featured White Papers

A survey of networking education in North American library schools - Libraries and the Internet: Education, Practice & Policy

Library Trends, Spring, 1994 by Constance Wittig, Dietmar Wolfram

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Reference

Most Popular Articles in Reference

Most Popular Publications in Reference