Exploring Education for Digital Librarians: Meaning, Modes and Models

Citation

Eva Hornung (2014), "Exploring Education for Digital Librarians: Meaning, Modes and Models", Library Review, Vol. 63 No. 1/2, pp. 157-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/LR-07-2013-0099

The latest volume in the “Chandos Information Professionals Series”, Exploring Education for Digital Librarians: Meaning, Modes and Models, is written by Susan Myburgh and Anna Maria Tammaro, two experienced academics in the field of Library and Information Studies (LIS). Their expertise in creating curriculum content over many years is accumulated in this book, which aims to provide a theoretical framework of education for a distinct new crop of information professionals: digital librarians.

Myburgh and Tammaro argue that in a digital information environment, we need to change our professional perspectives. Traditional LIS competencies and knowledge are no longer enough – we need additional skills. The challenges they identify are “[…] two broad knowledge domains: the creation and representation of knowledge on the one hand, and the information problems of individuals, communities and societies on the other, including their cultural composition, so that meaning can be made of information that is provided” (p. 257). New technologies allow for new ways of creating documents and of controlling the flow of information. For a digital librarian, this would mean an enhanced awareness of political, social, economic and historical contexts.

This is not a text offering a syllabus that interested parties can follow. Rather, as the authors emphasize in their introduction, the goal is to look at the philosophy guiding the information professional ' s role of connecting people and ideas. They have succeeded, in my view. The book has the structure of research project with the first few chapters setting the scene and looking at related research. This is followed by a theoretical framework and a treatise about curriculum design in general. Aims and outcomes are being presented and different teaching methods and pedagogical styles are explored. Then the content and structure of a hypothetical curriculum are outlined, followed by a look into the future. Some chapters are very short (around ten pages), but abstracts and keywords at the beginning of each chapter guide the reader. In a list of equal headers, some are larger and in italics (e.g. pp. 16/17), which makes reading somewhat confusing, but this is probably not the fault of the authors.

This is the first book I have come across that specifically looks at a curriculum for the education of digital librarians. It does more: it sets this into the historical context of education for our profession. Although it is arguably aimed more at academicians who are tasked with developing a curriculum in their LIS department, master ' s students might also find it valuable, as it has a substantial amount of references and notes. Practitioners could find inspiration in this book, as it outlines skills sets and roles that digital librarians will have, thus helping information professionals who are thinking about a career change. However, readers with some basic knowledge of philosophical terms and a familiarity with educational research would benefit the most. The authors explore areas such as epistemological frameworks for learning, the axiological position of the researcher and linguistics, for example, which at times might be overwhelming for professionals who do not have a research background.

Myburgh and Tammaro have started a new chapter on professional education with this well-written volume. I am certain it will contribute to the debate within the LIS community and help us create meaningful curricula for the education of digital librarians.