KALIPER PLUS 3: Indicators of Change in LIS Research and Education

1
KALIPER PLUS 3 Indicators of Change in LIS
Research and Education

• Joan C. Durrance, Professor
• University of Michigan
• School of Information
• Durrance_at_umich_dot_edu

2
Background

• Williamson Report (1923) first examination of
  education for librarianship and was quite
  negative about the fields state
• Brought about major changes, including the
  development of the first standards for library
  education
• KALIPER most extensive examination of LIS
  curriculum since the Williamson Report

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Components of KALIPER

• Backing of Kellogg Foundation
• Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee
• 5 teams of scholars (both junior and senior)
• Broad Involvement of LIS Programs in survey and
  other components
• Focus both on Kellogg-funded Schools and other
  innovating LIS Programs
• Dissemination to a broad academic and
  practitioner community

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Methodological Concerns

• Logistical difficulties with standardizing data
  collection techniques/instruments, and methods of
  analyses
• Data not always available for same time periods
  for all schools, nor were same data formats or
  types
• Not all themes reflect experience at every school
• KALIPER Study, however, identified trends,
  trend-setters, early adopters, and field consensus

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Data Collection Components

• Survey of deans and directors about factors that
  affect curriculum change
• Case studies of 26 schools regarding how their
  curriculum has changed
• Confirming Interviews with deans/faculty at 7
  additional schools to determine if the Projects
  preliminary findings reflect their experience

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Case Study Approaches

• Starting with deans survey themes, Teams
• examined schools curricula and curriculum review
  processes,
• identified factors that influenced change in
  particular programs,
• examined positioning of the school within the
  university, etc.
• Synthesized findings.
• Project leaders worked with scholars to develop a
  set of trend statements

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KALIPER Aggregate Findings

• Aggregate findings suggest that the majority of
  schools are undergoing significant change.
• Some schools are in periods of greater flux than
  others,
• Areas targeted for change vary from school to
  school
• The 6 trend areas were derived from the aggregate
  findings.

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KALIPER Trend Summary

• Focus on broad-based information environments.
• User-centered core.
• Interdisciplinary approaches
• Information technology
• Structural curricular changes
• Format changes and increased flexibility
• New degrees, especially undergraduate

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Additional Trend Expanded Research

• Information Technologies
• Information/Knowledge value and nature
• Information systems and access
• Human Information Behavior and Interaction
• See Broad Categories of LIS Research

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Dissemination of KALIPER Results Designed to
Reach a Broad Audience

• Multiple methods used to disseminate KALIPER
• Widespread distribution of the KALIPER Executive
  Summary (10,000 copies)
• Presentation at conferencesALISE, the American
  Library Association, American Society of
  Information Science Technology international
  conferences.
• KALIPER focus on the ALISE website
• Articles in books and journals,
• Newspaper articles.

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Post KALIPER Trends

• User-centeredness continues. Seen especially in
  LIS and HCI
• Expanded interdisciplinary research
• Increasingly recognized for technology skills and
  leadership
• Distance Education delivery has more than
  tripled.
• New degrees emerging
• Convergence of domains
• Considerable increase in numbers of Information
  Schools.

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Post KALIPER Influences

• KALIPER findings have been
• incorporated into articles that discuss
  curricular change
• used in curricular revision in various schools
• discussed and debated by librarians
• used as the basis for new KALIPER studies in
  other countries
• incorporated into courses in LIS programs.
• KALIPER HAS
• Influenced the ways LIS is framed.
• Helped archives programs gain momentum as the
  result of a special KALIPER archives study.

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Factors that Influence Program Viability

• Curriculum innovation and quality
• Interdisciplinarity, leadership, and
  connectedness to other innovators
• Extent of campus visibility
• Faculty ability to recognize and respond to
  current problems
• Enrollment size and program configuration
• Information infrastructure
• Quality and nature of research
• Ability to attract internal and external funding
• Domain expansion

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Examples of Changing LIS Programs

• University of North Carolina School of
  Information Library Science
• http//ils.unc.edu/
• University of Illinois Graduate School of Library
  and Information Science
• http//alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/

15
Examples of Changing LIS Programs

• University of California, Los Angeles. Graduate
  School of Education Information Studies.
  Department of Information Studies
• http//is.gseis.ucla.edu/
• Rutgers University School of Communication,
  Information and Library Studies (SCILS).
  Department of Library and Information Science
• http//www.scils.rutgers.edu/

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Examples of Information Schools (Formerly LIS
Programs)

• Syracuse University. School of Information
  Studies
• http//istweb.syr.edu/
• University of Michigan School of Information
• http//www.si.umich.edu/
• University of Washington Information School
• http//www.ischool.washington.edu/

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Schools from LIS Tradition Organized to Achieve
Convergence-moving toward a common understanding
of Information Domain

• Michigan
• Washington
• Syracuse
• Pittsburgh
• Drexel
• University of North Carolina

• University of Texas
• Florida State University
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Rutgers
• Buffalo
• University of California-Los Angeles

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Convergence Activities Thru the Computing
Research Association

• An international umbrella group of Information
  Schools including a number of schools from
  LIS/Information 
• http//www.cra.org/Activities/itdeans/
• Members include programs from computer science,
  information technology, and library information
  science
• Total members as of Oct 2003 50

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Moving Toward Intellectual Convergence
Library Information Science
Computer Science
New Programs
Information Domain
Medical Informatics
Management Information Systems (Business)
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Conclusions

• Post-KALIPER trends continue those seen in
  KALIPER.
• LIS description a vibrant, dynamic, changing
  field that contributes to shaping the emerging
  information discipline
• Convergence continues and has been aided by
  organized efforts
• Convergence results wider audiences for LIS
  concepts a broadened knowledge base.
• Shortage of new interdisciplinary PhDs for LIS
  Information programs