A Quarter Century of Progress in Library and Information Education

Abstract

Looks back over 25 years of professional library and information science education to compare the class of 1970 at Loughborough University with the class of 1996 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. The survey is based entirely on the author's impressions, memories and recent observations. The most obvious differences were seen to be: the courses, qualifications and teaching staff involved; methods of assessment used; teaching that is still essentially vocational but is no longer as practically oriented; fundamental changes to the student body, notably in age range, ethnic and social backgrounds; a more diverse age profile for both full time and distance learning students; changes in relative performance and overall quality of library students entering the profession; increase in the ratio of men to women; increased diversity of financial support for students; increasing disparity between relatively prosperous and poverty stricken students; and a tendency for students to take a more pragmatic and far reaching view of their career objectives. Concludes that modem library students will have a harder and more challenging working life than the author and his contemporaries but, for the best and most committed, there will be many more opportunities.