Australia’s Place in Library and Information Science (LIS) Education: Evolution, Progress and Future Challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33178/hslj.2.1.5Keywords:
Australia, library and information science education, dissertation summaryAbstract
The study aimed to determine Australia's position within international Library and Information Science (LIS) education, whilst also examining its evolution, progress, and continuing challenges. The research involved a sample of nine Library and Information Science educators, working in the Republic of Ireland, who provided answers to a series of questions on global LIS education. The aim of the questionnaire was to determine whether Australia’s contribution to LIS education would be referenced and in what context. The name of the country under investigation was not disclosed to the sample, as deliberately prompting discourse on Australia would have potentially compromised the authenticity of the data. The study proved Australia is a formidable provider of LIS education, often ranking highly within key academic indicators such as research output, university rankings and educational programmes. The research shows this could not have been possible without the British and American influences on Australian library education since the late nineteenth century.
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