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University of Cape Town
Library and Information Studies Centre

Bridging the theory-practice gap in
LIS education: a UCT experiment
Jaya Raju & Gwenda Thomas
15th LIASA Annual Conference: libraries in dialogue for
transformation and innovation, Cape Town International
Convention Centre, Cape Town, 8-11 October 2013
Bridging the theory-practice gap in LIS education: a UCT experiment - Jaya Raju & Gwenda Thomas
Overview
• Introduction
• Purpose of the paper
• Methodological approach
• Conceptual framework: theory and practice in higher education
• Bridging the theory-practice gap in LIS education: UCT Libraries
• Bridging the theory-practice gap in LIS education: LIS School at UCT
• Lessons, the way forward and conclusion

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Library and Information Studies

3
Introduction
• Recurrent tension between theory and practice in
LIS – well documented (Chu 2010; Lynch 2008)
• “Inclusive” rather than a dichotomous
conceptualisation of relationship between theory
and practice is a “holistic necessity for
professional development” (Stigmar 2010)

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Library and Information Studies

4
Introduction
• LIS graduates entering a world of work (higher
education) - transformed by “the revolution in
scholarly communication”
• These changes have dramatically affected all
aspects of academic library operations (Davis &
Moran 2005)
• Do LIS schools “really understand the
increasingly complex … academic libraries … in
the digital environment…? (Barthhorpe 2012)
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5
Purpose of the paper
• Universities globally restructuring themselves for
efficiency purposes in a highly competitive higher
education environment (Raju 2013)
• UCT LIS School: organisational locus within the
university libraries; academic home in the
Humanities Faculty
• Paper uses a conceptual framework to mount a
critical evaluation of the implementation of this
model
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6
Methodological approach
• Evaluative approach
• Evaluation as a research tool aims to assess the
“impact of social interventions” within a particular
“social context” (Babbie 2013)
• ‘Evaluation indicators’ drawn from the experiences
of Executive Director of UCT Libraries and the
Head of the LIS School at UCT - qualitative element
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

7
Theoretical framework: theory and
practice in higher education
theory

practice

theory and practice

Theory and practice: from segregation to integration (Source: Stigmar 2010)

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Library and Information Studies

8
Bridging the theory-practice
gap in LIS education: UCT Libraries

A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

9
LIS education at UCT: past & present
• UCT School of Librarianship established in 1939
• University Librarian was head of the Library and the
Library school until the mid-1970s
• Senate decision to close the school in 2011
• LIS education re-established in 2012 as the Library
and Information Studies Centre (LISC) with a three
year window of opportunity
• LIS School located organisationally in the UCT
Libraries & offers its qualifications through the
Humanities Faculty
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10
Re-establishing the partnership
• The organisational model facilitated the way for a close
relationship between academic project and practice
• Vision developed over two years to grow the next
generation of librarians able to enter the workplace with
a sound understanding of scholarly communication
systems, associated specialisations and contemporary
issues
• Resulted in some tough exchanges and debates to
recognise and respect what was expected of both the
Libraries and the LIS school – the social intervention and
social context of the partnership
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

11
UCT Libraries & the Library School:
challenges of a new social context
• Quality of the graduates needs to improve to meet the
workplace requirements as determined by the
practitioners
• The student cohort would need to grow over the next 3
years and attract a different calibre of student if the LIS
school is to be sustainable
• Student, academic and practitioner research productivity
would need to increase
• National imperative to produce the next generation of
academic librarians
• Urgent need to address the theory-practice gap in LIS
education
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12
Academic libraries are located in a
new ‘social context’
• Academic Libraries are framed in & defined by all the
cross-cutting influences of the knowledge economy &
globalization;
• They have become “unhinged” from their traditional
frame of reference based on functions (user
services, acquisitions, cataloguing);
• Academic libraries find themselves between two
missions:
-an old traditional order focused on functions
-a new transformational order shaped by
globalisation, the knowledge economy, user
expectations and institutional priorities
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13
Towards a transformational mission
for librarians
• R. David Lankes in “The Atlas of New Librarianship” (2011)
advances that the new mission of librarians is:
“to improve society by facilitating knowledge creation in
their user communities.”
• Shift from an old traditional order where library missions
were function-based to a new mission shaped by 3 drivers
of transformation:
- knowledge creation
- people and skills
- using knowledge & skills to improve society to the
benefit of all communities
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Library and Information Studies

14
The “three pillars” of transformation are
shaping the mission of academic libraries
PILLARS

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

• LIS schools to LIS departments
ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

PILLAR 1: KNOWLEDGE & INNOVATION
Facilitate knowledge creation

PILLAR 2: PEOPLE
People & skills development

Academic library as a “commons” within the
user community where knowledge is
produced/created

USER COMMUNITIES
Foremost, libraries are communities of users,
physical or virtual
ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS
Librarians as facilitator, liaison, connector &
disseminator of universal body of knowledge

PILLAR 3: SOCIAL GOOD
Improve society

NATION & CITIZENS
Body of Knowledge disseminated & used to
bring benefit to all in society

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Library and Information Studies

15
Scholarly communication system:
core to the academic enterprise
• Scholarly communication is more than scholarly
publishing
• It is sustained by both formal and informal networks
• Scholars develop ideas, exchange information, build
and mine data, cite and give credit, certify
research, publish findings, disseminate results and
preserve outputs
• It is a vast and changing system
• Central to the academic enterprise and therefore,
• Central to the work of academic librarians
∼ACRL 2012∽

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16
Towards scholarly communication
librarianship: a new social context
• Journal of scholarly communication & librarianship launched in 2012
• Recognises increasingly prominent role of librarians in shaping
future of scholarly communication
• Scholarly communication librarianship is becoming a core service
area for academic librarians
• Important that there is an institutional and intellectual home that
becomes the centre for policy, direction and procedure to bring
stakeholders together – librarians, academics, technologists,
publishers and research funders
• Scholarly communication librarianship is the “new librarianship” in a
new social context
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17
A school of choice in Africa for
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18
Through the transformation lens: a
reality check
Transforming academic libraries in the global context
Higher Education within the context of a
transforming South African society and economy

SA academic libraries in a context of cross-cutting
influences
Global impact of new mission for academic libraries
National imperatives to transform South African society
Institutional strategic priorities and outcomes
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Library and Information Studies

19
HEIs Strategic outcomes: advancing
transformation of South African society
Strategic priorities

Critical success factors

Pillar 1: People & skills
Produce next generation of academics for SA
& the rest of the continent

• Graduate & train next generation of academics for SA,
the continent & beyond
• Grow number of academics with PG qualifications

Pillar 2: Knowledge creation
Establish HEIs as leading, globally
competitive, research-led institutions but
with a competitive edge rooted in the African
continent

• Strengthen research & make SA globally competitive
•Grow the body of African knowledge
• Grow faculty research productivity
• Increase research oriented degrees
• Grow research intensive teaching-learning
• Successful student education & graduation

Pillar 3: Improving society
Transformation in broader society to improve
the quality of life for all communities across
South Africa, & beyond

• Diverse & talented workforce within an inclusive &
nurturing institution
• Deliver on high level knowledge & skills requirements of
marketplace
• Graduates who are critical thinkers & leaders &
confident users of information

A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies
UCT Libraries: the challenge of the
new social context
• Transformational mission has placed Libraries &
LISC at intersection of new librarianship and
national imperatives for South African higher
education
• LIS School required to frame its curricula to
embrace and advance scholarly communication
librarianship
• Libraries are confronted with the demands and
complexities of technologies, digital environment
and scholarly communication system
A school of choice in Africa for
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21
Role of the educator in scholarly
communication librarianship
• New graduates have to be equipped for jobs in
academic libraries
• Educators need to understand the complexities of:
•
technologies
•
digital environment
•
scholarly communication system
• Curricula should include more content about
IPR, publishing, data management to produce
graduates who offer relevant services, lead
discussions and conduct useful research
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

22
UCT Libraries: the challenge of the
transformational mission
• Advance research and scholarship by:
develop the research workforce
partnering & engaging with
researchers & scholars in the
production, dissemination &
presentation of knowledge
provide support at all stages of the
research cycle from idea generation
to research process & publication
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Library and Information Studies

23
Roles and skills required to advance
research & scholarship
• Building new research information infrastructure
• Optimising researcher access to resources
• Developing digitisation strategy as integral part of
supporting unique and distinctive collections (large
scale digitisation as well as physical preservation)
• Being a responsible steward of unique and local
collections
• Playing an integral role in integrating special
collections in curricula
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Library and Information Studies

24
Roles and skills required to advance
research & scholarship
• Investing in institutional repository development &
open access hosting
• Developing digitisation strategy to sustain local and
unique collections
• Providing leadership in research data management
services
• Providing leadership in metadata creation and
management
• Develop specialist skills in financial management,
statistics, web design, spatial planning and project
management
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Library and Information Studies

25
Bridging the theory-practice gap: the
LIS School at UCT
• 2012 - radical review of teaching and research
programmes
• Firmly located within a strategic framework
• Curriculum renewal informed by trends re-defining
the LIS sector
• progamme enriched by dove-tailing
epistemological grounding with application input
from specialist practitioners from UCT Libraries
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

26
Bridging the theory-practice gap: the
LIS School at UCT
• Seamless access to expertise from Library
specialists without any budgetary implications for
the School
• Positively influenced qualification outcomes and
quality of entry-level graduates being produced
• Curriculum designers - a close-up view of
knowledge, skills and competencies required of
practising professionals in a digital age information
environment
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

27
Bridging the theory-practice gap: the
LIS School at UCT
• School’s research too benefitted from its inclusive
relationship with UCT Libraries
• Proximity of the School to a practising
environment transformed by technology - has
impacted on the School’s research agenda
• Steadily increasing registrations for research
degrees focusing on new areas in scholarly
communication in the digital environment
• Cohort and team research projects
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

28
Bridging the theory-practice gap: the
LIS School at UCT
• Champion to recognise the work and contribution of
the LIS School
• Not just ‘a bed of roses’ - challenges
• Two different worlds informed by different priorities
and with philosophical differences in our approaches
• Respect for each other’s space, expertise and working
cultures
• Inclusive working relationship between the two
domains
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

29
Bridging the theory-practice gap: the
LIS School at UCT
• LIS School - significant strides
• Student registrations and throughput rates
• Exceeded projections in the School’s business plan
on which its budget allocation is based
• Robust marketing and branding
• Attracting young graduates who have just
completed bachelor degrees
• Budget and other support from UCT Libraries
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

30
Lessons, the way forward and
conclusion
• Inherent tension between LIS practitioners and
educators/theory and practice - likely to continue
• But “LIS educators and practitioners working
together can ensure that tomorrow’s professionals
will be well prepared to enter the field” (Davis and
Moran 2005)
• Evaluative accounts - drawn qualitatively from
respective ‘head’ roles - does, despite inherent
challenges, point to a positive trajectory
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

31
Lessons, the way forward and
conclusion
• Lesson from this unique experiment:
theory and practice, in any professional discipline, are best
conceptualised ‘inclusively’ rather than ‘dichotomously’

• Whatever our prevailing ‘social contexts” in the
institutions we find ourselves
LIS educators and practitioners should make a tangible
effort to bridge the theory-practice divide

• “Theory and practice vitally interact, and one renews
the other” – theory and practice are “tied inseparably
to each other” (Boyer 1990)
A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

32
Thank you!
Jaya Raju & Gwenda Thomas
Library and Information Studies Centre/UCT Libraries
University of Cape Town
jaya.raju@uct.ac.za/gwenda.thomas@uct.ac.za

A school of choice in Africa for
Library and Information Studies

33

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Bridging the theory-practice gap in LIS education: a UCT experiment - Jaya Raju & Gwenda Thomas

  • 1. University of Cape Town Library and Information Studies Centre Bridging the theory-practice gap in LIS education: a UCT experiment Jaya Raju & Gwenda Thomas 15th LIASA Annual Conference: libraries in dialogue for transformation and innovation, Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, 8-11 October 2013
  • 3. Overview • Introduction • Purpose of the paper • Methodological approach • Conceptual framework: theory and practice in higher education • Bridging the theory-practice gap in LIS education: UCT Libraries • Bridging the theory-practice gap in LIS education: LIS School at UCT • Lessons, the way forward and conclusion A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 3
  • 4. Introduction • Recurrent tension between theory and practice in LIS – well documented (Chu 2010; Lynch 2008) • “Inclusive” rather than a dichotomous conceptualisation of relationship between theory and practice is a “holistic necessity for professional development” (Stigmar 2010) A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 4
  • 5. Introduction • LIS graduates entering a world of work (higher education) - transformed by “the revolution in scholarly communication” • These changes have dramatically affected all aspects of academic library operations (Davis & Moran 2005) • Do LIS schools “really understand the increasingly complex … academic libraries … in the digital environment…? (Barthhorpe 2012) A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 5
  • 6. Purpose of the paper • Universities globally restructuring themselves for efficiency purposes in a highly competitive higher education environment (Raju 2013) • UCT LIS School: organisational locus within the university libraries; academic home in the Humanities Faculty • Paper uses a conceptual framework to mount a critical evaluation of the implementation of this model A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 6
  • 7. Methodological approach • Evaluative approach • Evaluation as a research tool aims to assess the “impact of social interventions” within a particular “social context” (Babbie 2013) • ‘Evaluation indicators’ drawn from the experiences of Executive Director of UCT Libraries and the Head of the LIS School at UCT - qualitative element A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 7
  • 8. Theoretical framework: theory and practice in higher education theory practice theory and practice Theory and practice: from segregation to integration (Source: Stigmar 2010) A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 8
  • 9. Bridging the theory-practice gap in LIS education: UCT Libraries A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 9
  • 10. LIS education at UCT: past & present • UCT School of Librarianship established in 1939 • University Librarian was head of the Library and the Library school until the mid-1970s • Senate decision to close the school in 2011 • LIS education re-established in 2012 as the Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC) with a three year window of opportunity • LIS School located organisationally in the UCT Libraries & offers its qualifications through the Humanities Faculty A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 10
  • 11. Re-establishing the partnership • The organisational model facilitated the way for a close relationship between academic project and practice • Vision developed over two years to grow the next generation of librarians able to enter the workplace with a sound understanding of scholarly communication systems, associated specialisations and contemporary issues • Resulted in some tough exchanges and debates to recognise and respect what was expected of both the Libraries and the LIS school – the social intervention and social context of the partnership A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 11
  • 12. UCT Libraries & the Library School: challenges of a new social context • Quality of the graduates needs to improve to meet the workplace requirements as determined by the practitioners • The student cohort would need to grow over the next 3 years and attract a different calibre of student if the LIS school is to be sustainable • Student, academic and practitioner research productivity would need to increase • National imperative to produce the next generation of academic librarians • Urgent need to address the theory-practice gap in LIS education A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 12
  • 13. Academic libraries are located in a new ‘social context’ • Academic Libraries are framed in & defined by all the cross-cutting influences of the knowledge economy & globalization; • They have become “unhinged” from their traditional frame of reference based on functions (user services, acquisitions, cataloguing); • Academic libraries find themselves between two missions: -an old traditional order focused on functions -a new transformational order shaped by globalisation, the knowledge economy, user expectations and institutional priorities A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 13
  • 14. Towards a transformational mission for librarians • R. David Lankes in “The Atlas of New Librarianship” (2011) advances that the new mission of librarians is: “to improve society by facilitating knowledge creation in their user communities.” • Shift from an old traditional order where library missions were function-based to a new mission shaped by 3 drivers of transformation: - knowledge creation - people and skills - using knowledge & skills to improve society to the benefit of all communities A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 14
  • 15. The “three pillars” of transformation are shaping the mission of academic libraries PILLARS CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS • LIS schools to LIS departments ACADEMIC LIBRARIES PILLAR 1: KNOWLEDGE & INNOVATION Facilitate knowledge creation PILLAR 2: PEOPLE People & skills development Academic library as a “commons” within the user community where knowledge is produced/created USER COMMUNITIES Foremost, libraries are communities of users, physical or virtual ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS Librarians as facilitator, liaison, connector & disseminator of universal body of knowledge PILLAR 3: SOCIAL GOOD Improve society NATION & CITIZENS Body of Knowledge disseminated & used to bring benefit to all in society A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 15
  • 16. Scholarly communication system: core to the academic enterprise • Scholarly communication is more than scholarly publishing • It is sustained by both formal and informal networks • Scholars develop ideas, exchange information, build and mine data, cite and give credit, certify research, publish findings, disseminate results and preserve outputs • It is a vast and changing system • Central to the academic enterprise and therefore, • Central to the work of academic librarians ∼ACRL 2012∽ A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 16
  • 17. Towards scholarly communication librarianship: a new social context • Journal of scholarly communication & librarianship launched in 2012 • Recognises increasingly prominent role of librarians in shaping future of scholarly communication • Scholarly communication librarianship is becoming a core service area for academic librarians • Important that there is an institutional and intellectual home that becomes the centre for policy, direction and procedure to bring stakeholders together – librarians, academics, technologists, publishers and research funders • Scholarly communication librarianship is the “new librarianship” in a new social context A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 17
  • 18. A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 18
  • 19. Through the transformation lens: a reality check Transforming academic libraries in the global context Higher Education within the context of a transforming South African society and economy SA academic libraries in a context of cross-cutting influences Global impact of new mission for academic libraries National imperatives to transform South African society Institutional strategic priorities and outcomes A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 19
  • 20. HEIs Strategic outcomes: advancing transformation of South African society Strategic priorities Critical success factors Pillar 1: People & skills Produce next generation of academics for SA & the rest of the continent • Graduate & train next generation of academics for SA, the continent & beyond • Grow number of academics with PG qualifications Pillar 2: Knowledge creation Establish HEIs as leading, globally competitive, research-led institutions but with a competitive edge rooted in the African continent • Strengthen research & make SA globally competitive •Grow the body of African knowledge • Grow faculty research productivity • Increase research oriented degrees • Grow research intensive teaching-learning • Successful student education & graduation Pillar 3: Improving society Transformation in broader society to improve the quality of life for all communities across South Africa, & beyond • Diverse & talented workforce within an inclusive & nurturing institution • Deliver on high level knowledge & skills requirements of marketplace • Graduates who are critical thinkers & leaders & confident users of information A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies
  • 21. UCT Libraries: the challenge of the new social context • Transformational mission has placed Libraries & LISC at intersection of new librarianship and national imperatives for South African higher education • LIS School required to frame its curricula to embrace and advance scholarly communication librarianship • Libraries are confronted with the demands and complexities of technologies, digital environment and scholarly communication system A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 21
  • 22. Role of the educator in scholarly communication librarianship • New graduates have to be equipped for jobs in academic libraries • Educators need to understand the complexities of: • technologies • digital environment • scholarly communication system • Curricula should include more content about IPR, publishing, data management to produce graduates who offer relevant services, lead discussions and conduct useful research A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 22
  • 23. UCT Libraries: the challenge of the transformational mission • Advance research and scholarship by: develop the research workforce partnering & engaging with researchers & scholars in the production, dissemination & presentation of knowledge provide support at all stages of the research cycle from idea generation to research process & publication A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 23
  • 24. Roles and skills required to advance research & scholarship • Building new research information infrastructure • Optimising researcher access to resources • Developing digitisation strategy as integral part of supporting unique and distinctive collections (large scale digitisation as well as physical preservation) • Being a responsible steward of unique and local collections • Playing an integral role in integrating special collections in curricula A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 24
  • 25. Roles and skills required to advance research & scholarship • Investing in institutional repository development & open access hosting • Developing digitisation strategy to sustain local and unique collections • Providing leadership in research data management services • Providing leadership in metadata creation and management • Develop specialist skills in financial management, statistics, web design, spatial planning and project management A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 25
  • 26. Bridging the theory-practice gap: the LIS School at UCT • 2012 - radical review of teaching and research programmes • Firmly located within a strategic framework • Curriculum renewal informed by trends re-defining the LIS sector • progamme enriched by dove-tailing epistemological grounding with application input from specialist practitioners from UCT Libraries A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 26
  • 27. Bridging the theory-practice gap: the LIS School at UCT • Seamless access to expertise from Library specialists without any budgetary implications for the School • Positively influenced qualification outcomes and quality of entry-level graduates being produced • Curriculum designers - a close-up view of knowledge, skills and competencies required of practising professionals in a digital age information environment A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 27
  • 28. Bridging the theory-practice gap: the LIS School at UCT • School’s research too benefitted from its inclusive relationship with UCT Libraries • Proximity of the School to a practising environment transformed by technology - has impacted on the School’s research agenda • Steadily increasing registrations for research degrees focusing on new areas in scholarly communication in the digital environment • Cohort and team research projects A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 28
  • 29. Bridging the theory-practice gap: the LIS School at UCT • Champion to recognise the work and contribution of the LIS School • Not just ‘a bed of roses’ - challenges • Two different worlds informed by different priorities and with philosophical differences in our approaches • Respect for each other’s space, expertise and working cultures • Inclusive working relationship between the two domains A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 29
  • 30. Bridging the theory-practice gap: the LIS School at UCT • LIS School - significant strides • Student registrations and throughput rates • Exceeded projections in the School’s business plan on which its budget allocation is based • Robust marketing and branding • Attracting young graduates who have just completed bachelor degrees • Budget and other support from UCT Libraries A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 30
  • 31. Lessons, the way forward and conclusion • Inherent tension between LIS practitioners and educators/theory and practice - likely to continue • But “LIS educators and practitioners working together can ensure that tomorrow’s professionals will be well prepared to enter the field” (Davis and Moran 2005) • Evaluative accounts - drawn qualitatively from respective ‘head’ roles - does, despite inherent challenges, point to a positive trajectory A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 31
  • 32. Lessons, the way forward and conclusion • Lesson from this unique experiment: theory and practice, in any professional discipline, are best conceptualised ‘inclusively’ rather than ‘dichotomously’ • Whatever our prevailing ‘social contexts” in the institutions we find ourselves LIS educators and practitioners should make a tangible effort to bridge the theory-practice divide • “Theory and practice vitally interact, and one renews the other” – theory and practice are “tied inseparably to each other” (Boyer 1990) A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 32
  • 33. Thank you! Jaya Raju & Gwenda Thomas Library and Information Studies Centre/UCT Libraries University of Cape Town jaya.raju@uct.ac.za/gwenda.thomas@uct.ac.za A school of choice in Africa for Library and Information Studies 33

Notes de l'éditeur

  1. Providing research support one step at a time