One of my projects as a GA last semester was to conduct a survey of other library schools in the US and Canada to see what those schools were doing in their Information Technology courses, with the hopes of redesigning our own core class. I closed the survey this week and in going through the responses for the prof, thought they were so interesting, I would post here.
(If you took the time to respond, and/or forwarded the survey to others, thank you!)
– Total number of responses: 23. No Pratt students were permitted to take the survey, though near the end of the semester I had asked some students in one of my classes to send me feedback.
– Most schools have a core Information Technology class (85%). Those that did not gave a variety of reasons why (self-chosen elective, not required when respondent attended library school, IT integrated into all course instruction). Generally, courses only lasted one semester or quarter.
– 40 – 45% of the courses at other schools either had no pre-requisites or like Pratt, had them in the form of admission requirements.
– The top five topics currently covered in the IT courses were the following
1. Web page coding languages
2. Web page design and usability
3. Database Management
4. Networking
5. Social Networking
RFID and contentDM (which are topics covered in our IT class) were on the lower end of this list.
– Most (71%) are satisfied with the level of instruction they received in their IT courses. (So something is being done right!) But – there is room for improvement. Respondents cited the following as aspects missing from their courses (that if present would have left them satisfied with their instruction and prepared for IT in libraries) and ways their courses could be improved:
1. Database Design
2. PHP/Back-end technologies
3. CMS
4. ILS/OPAC
5. Web 2.0
6. Web Page Design
7. XML
8. CSS
Some of these (web page design, ILS/OPAC) are already covered in the Pratt class.
One underlying thought throughout the survey was that different instructors at the same school would structure the course differently.
Some other comments I felt that were worth sharing:
“Clarion focused more on the theory of librarianship. I think they left it up to the student to work on those things that relate to their interest/field.” (Clarion University)
“Some people were so clueless and basic that the course was overwhelming for them. They should have had to take an ultimate basics class. There was a lot of stuff we were taught that I have never used – I graduated 4.5 years ago – that was useless and uninteresting and pointless. A stronger focus on webpages, web 2.0, using multiple applications, and other things would have been more helpful.” (Queens College)
“Some of the specific software mentioned may be the current norm, but learning to hand-code is still useful when you start using those tools.” (University of Maryland). (Upon reading this, thought of several students whose one complaint about Pratt’s course and one particular instructor was that you didn’t use Dreamweaver or other specific software. This statement was often my rebuttal – and it’s the truth. I appreciated the hand coding I learned in class because (a) sometimes your library just can’t afford the software, and (b) you’re able to spot mistakes easiest.)
“It is hard to adjust to various students levels and offer appropriate courses, but we do our best. Our students also take courses in Computer Science, which is part of our department.” (University of Hawaii)
“However, these classes are for all students of the iSchool, and not just LIS students, so sometimes the bridge between the technology and why it’s useful to know in a library setting is absent.” (University of Washington. To put this comment, and the others, in context, many library schools offer more than one degree in the Library/Information Science department. Pratt is a rarity in that we only offer one degree (the MLS), along with opportunities for dual degrees and specialized tracks. The commenter here from the UW iSchool is in a school that offers a BS in Informatics, an MSIM in Information Management, and a Ph.D. in Information Science, along with the MLS.)
And in the words of the late Walter Cronkite, “that’s the way it is.”
Posted by librariankate7578 
