Current State of Education and Training for Librarians in Slovenia

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Current State of Education and Training for
Librarians in Slovenia

• Melita Ambroic
• National and University Library
• Ljubljana, SLOVENIA
• Zagreb, 10.-11.11.2000
  

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Content

• basic facts about Slovenian libraries, library
  staff and library information system
• forms of educating and qualifying library staff
• professional and continuing education
• Training and Educational Centre
• successes, problems and future plans
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Slovenian libraries in 1997 (1998)

• 915 (914) library administrative units
• 1,454 (1,436) service points
• 1 national library
• 148 (144) special libraries
• 60 main public libraries with 230 branch
  libraries and 9 bookmobiles with 576 stops
• 68 (72) academic libraries and
• 637 main school libraries with 300 branch
  libraries
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Library staff in 1997

• 2,384 library staff
• 280 (11.7) in special libraries
• 850 (35.7) in public libraries
• 343 (14.4) in academic libraries
• 133 (5.6) in national (and university)
  library
• 778 (32.6) in school libraries
• 1,914 (80) professional staff (at least
  secondary school and the professional exam)
  
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Library information system

• the libraries are integrated into a unified
  library information system
• the role of national library as a consulting,
  developmental and educational mediator
• COBISS (Co-operative On-line Bibliographic System
  and Services) managed by the Institute of
  Information Sciences in Maribor (IZUM)
• academic and research network (ARNES), financed
  by the state
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Forms of educating and qualifying library staff

• formal education (university study of
  librarianship)
• professional qualification process and entry
  qualifications (professional exams)
• professional training and continuing education
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1. University study of librarianship

• Undergraduate studies
• from study year 1964/65 on two-year, two-subject
  tertiary study - Pedagogic Academy, University of
  Ljubljana
• from study year 1987/88 on four-year,
  single-subject and two-subject university study
  of librarianship - Faculty of Arts, University of
  Ljubljana
• regular and part-time study
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Undergraduate studies

• eight semesters, the ninth semester (half a year)
  is meant for writing the diploma thesis
• single subject study 2,830 hours/year of
  lectures, seminars and practical work
• two-subject study 1729 hours/year (library
  science)
• after graduation the students acquire the degree
  Bachelor of Library Science
• regular and part-time study
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Post-graduate studies

• masters study from 1994/95, in cooperation with
  the Department of Sociology
• independent masters study from 1997/98
• three specialisations
• library science
• information science
• book marketing
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Masters studies

• four semesters (two-year)
• entry qualification candidates who completed an
  undergraduate course in librarianship and also
  graduates of other neighbouring disciplines
• average grade of studies and diploma at least
  very good
• knowledge of two foreign languages
• (at least 2 years of praxis and an adequate
  professional or research title)
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Masters studies

• each post-graduate student has an individual
  study programme
• 4 basic subjects and 2 special subjects
• masters thesis
• public oral defense
• academic title Master of Library Science
• yearly enrolment quota 15 candidates
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Doctoral studies

• an individual study in consultation with a mentor
  while writing a disertation
• public oral defense
• academic title Doctor of Library Science
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Students 1999/2000

• total 353 (100)
• regular students 286 (81)
• two-subject study 149 (42)
• single-subject study 204 (58)
• first study year 59 (17)
• second study year 78 (22)
• third study year 74 (21)
• fourth study year 81 (23)
• graduates 61 (17) 13

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2. Professional (entry) qualifications

• on the job training for novices
• a qualification programme under the control of
  mentor
• a test of professional qualification s.c.
  professional exam (since 1951)
• professional exam is the first step in a
  professional career
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Professional exam

• A passed professional exam means on one hand
  proof of successful completion of qualification
  at the working place (from a 6 months to 12
  months) and on the other acquiring of
  starting-point professional title, a basis for
  later advancement.
• Different legal regulations for the school
  librarians (Ministry of Education)
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3. Professional training and continuing education
programmes

• various institutions and organisations
• National and University Library (NUK)
• Institute of information science (IZUM)
• Maribor
• Ministry of Education
• library associations and their union
• bigger libraries, etc.
  
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Yearly programmes

• the yearly educational programmes of NUL, IZUM
  and ME are planned and systematically prepared
  and realised
• NUL Educational Centre
• Ministry of Education Department of Continuing
  Professional Education
• courses for school libraries, especially in
  biblio-pedagogic advancement
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IZUM, Maribor

• Courses on the use of COBISS software
• courses on the use of word processors, electronic
  mail and internet
• courses on managing OpenVMS computer systems
• courses on the use of a PC and Windows
  encironment and use of MS Office programmes
  (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
• courses on composition of HTML documents etc.18

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NUK, Ljubljana

• Educational Centre (since 1991)
• 2000 Project of OSI, NLP - Budapest
• ECs Programme Committee
• ECs Professional Board
• ECs administrative structure
• - head
• - professional assistant
• - part-time assistant / student
• Altogether in 1999 1.65 FTE 19

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Continuing education

• The use of information sources on the internet
• constructing ones own home-page
• the use and accessing data on CD-ROMs (locally
  and remote)
• the use of electronic publications
• evaluation and relevance of library catalogues
• library statistics and performance measurement
• marketing, financial management, fund raising
• conducting workshops and semminars
• etc.

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Future plans - new themes

• - library management (MIS, quality assurance,
  TQM, performance assesment, HRM, strategic
  planning, funding strategies
• - library marketing (service marketing, library
  image, public relations)
• - training librarians how to train users, help
  and advice them in information sources use
• - educating ethnic librarians
• - educate librarians who are and how to serve
  phisically omitted users

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• melita.ambrozic_at_nuk.uni.lj-si