The learning context
المؤلف:
Gillian Hallam & Clare Glanville
المصدر:
Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Assessment
الجزء والصفحة:
P243-C21
2025-07-15
447
The learning context
For many years, the Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies (GDLIS) was offered by the School of Information Systems in the Faculty of Information Technology at QUT as an entry-level course for library and information professionals. The academic staff are mindful of the enormous range of employment opportunities available to 'information professionals'. The landscape is extensive, from the broad levels of academic libraries, public libraries, state and national libraries, through to the narrower levels of special libraries and information centres, such as law libraries, health and medical centres, music libraries etc. Opportunities also exist beyond this more traditional library context, with career avenues available within knowledge management, records management, Internet and intranet development and so on. The world of libraries and information agencies in the 21st century is highly dynamic, with technology driving innovative developments in the management and use of information. These factors impact directly on the academic programs which provide the education and training for new graduates entering the library and information services (LIS) sector. While some traditional elements of librarianship remain important, the desired skill set for information professionals is rapidly expanding into new areas of knowledge. These factors have been drivers for the development of the new Master of Information Management (MIM) program.
The GDLIS course was offered as a two semester full-time study program (with part-time study options) in a face-to-face teaching and learning mode, with seven core units and one elective unit to be completed. The MIM has a total of 12 units, so is a three-semester full-time course. As the entry-level courses are recognized by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), graduates are eligible for professional membership of ALIA upon graduation. On average, enrolments sit around 60 FTE, with a fairly even split between full-time and part-time students. The student cohort is an interesting one, with a wide diversity in academic background, employment history, personal interests and life experiences.
ITN338 Information Resource Provision was a core unit in the GDLIS, offered to students in their second semester of study. Information resource provision is regarded as an exciting and challenging area of library management: it involves an understanding of the issues that are central to the selection, acquisition and evaluation of information resources and the provision of access to them. To work effectively in this field, graduates need to have an understanding of the publication and distribution of information resources in different formats and media, together with an appreciation of the diverse information needs of clients in a range of different types of information agency. It is also important that they recognize the impact of legal and ethical issues on policy development in a rapidly changing information environment.
The unit ITN338 therefore aimed to develop the students' understanding of the key issues involved in developing and managing a library collection, to become familiar with the methods and tools used in the selection and acquisition of, and provision of access to information resources and to develop skills in evaluating a resource collection. While the principles of traditional collection management may continue to underpin the area, it is, at the same time, an area that is constantly changing. It is therefore that important that the curriculum is continually updated to reflect the evolving issues and challenges impacting on the field. The unit further sought to develop the students' generic capabilities of oral and written communication skills, critical thinking, teamwork skills and reflective practice.
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