What to expect from library school graduates

Abstract

The issue of what can be expected from library school graduates is discussed. Library education programs have changed a great deal in the last 25 years, and they have become less homogeneous in some ways. In the mid-1960s and early 1970s, in response to demands by the school field, the curriculum in some schools expanded with the addition of courses in multimedia acquisition, organization, production, and use, and courses for school librarians in instructional design and program development, that would encourage the integration of school libraries into the instructional program of the school. In the past 10 years, very distinct changes have been sweeping library education programs. Radical curriculum changes to strengthen and enhance the involvement of libraries with technology applications and information dissemination have occurred. A review of curriculum changes across the range of library schools reveals that students have been moved far beyond knowing about technology to learning about its applications, and even the design of applications.