LIS+Education

=Library and Information Studies Education= Small islands have distinctive characteristics that distinguish them from larger states. As a result of the “population sizes and geographic spread” of small islands “there are different patterns of interactions among and between the various social strata” (Pillay & Elliot, 2005, p. 88). As a result, the way that libraries are run and librarianship is taught differs from what occurs in larger states.

** The Field of Small Island Education ** Specifically within the Pacific Island region there are several universities that serve the small state population. One of the largest of these institutions is the University for the South Pacific (USP). It is a regional institution that serves 12 island nations within the Pacific. The University was established in 1968 and serves countries within the Pacific Island region, which include the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu (Jones, 2003). The total population that is served by USP was approximately 1.3 million as of 2003 (Jones, 2003). The USP is made up of three campuses, 14 centres and 9 sub-centres so that each country has at least one centre which can provide technical services to students (Jones, 2003).

As the field of education changes with the advancement of technology, academic institutions have had to reform how they operate as well. USP has had to change how it provides instruction and resources to its students. When discussing education reform within small island states Pillay and Elliot note that “there is an increasing pressure on small island states to reconceptualize educational policies, education management practices and curriculum to address the emerging issues caused by global economic, social and cultural changes” (2005, p. 87). However, these demands have “generated increasing demands on limited available resources” (Pillay & Elliot, 2005, p. 87). Often, the methods of reforming education have come from advisers who do not reside within a small island nation. Unfortunately, advisors and other consultants can have a large state bias when making recommendations to small island education programs (Coyne & Bray, 1999). Because of the characteristics of these states, their education and other “development needs should be considered differently from [the] development of large states” (Pillay & Elliot, 2005, p. 88).

**Academic Institutions That Offer LIS Education**
 * USP offers two programs about librarianship, both of which are offered only through distance education. These are the Certificate in Basic Skills in Library/Information Studies and the Diploma in Library and Information Studies (Williams, 1998).
 * University of Papua New Guinea offers Certificate, Diploma and Bachelor’s Degree programs, which are offered in-class (Williams, 1998).
 * Training courses on librarianship are offered through The Solomon Islands College of Higher Education and the Fiji Institute of Technology, but Williams notes that these courses are not in depth (1998).
 * Some individuals choose to pursue LIS education at other institutions. Specifically in relation to the Pacific Islands, some go abroad to study in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Canada or the United States (Williams, 1998.)

**LIS Education** Williams argues that “if libraries, archives, audiovisual collections and information service centres are to survive and be sustained, the availability of trained staff is essential” (1998, p. 29). While LIS education is available within the Pacific Island region, it has to reconcile remaining technologically as up to date as possible with addressing the needs of its students and the realities of the libraries that exist within the region.

**Reality of Small Island Libraries.** Jones notes that many libraries in the Pacific region face problems which can include a heavy reliance on manual library systems for cataloging and circulation services, poor library facilities, staffing issues with libraries being either understaffed or staffed with individuals who are inexperienced or not adequately trained, underfunded collections, a lack of technological resources (2003). Williams mentions various issues that need to be addressed LIS education within small islands, including the “skills needed to operate as a one-man operation library” (1998, p. 29). Also, education must address the role that the librarian can play within the community and current “narrow view held by many people of the role of libraries” (Williams, 1998, p. 29).

To address some of these problems, USP includes LIS courses that “emphasize conventional library skills” like cataloging and collection building (Jones, 2003, p. 2). Other courses address the realities of working within a small island library, which can include libraries that are poorly developed, under-financed, understaffed, have insufficient facilities, inadequate collections, and a lack of access to digital information and the Internet (Jones, 2003).

**Adapting LIS Course Instruction.** Jones notes that in past years LIS education courses were delivered differently. Previously course information was provided through packages that included print materials supplemented with audio and visual materials (2003). Things have changed largely as a result of the introduction of Information Communications Technology (ICT’s) and the availability of Internet throughout the regions covered by USP. Courses are now being taught with support from PowerPoint tutorials, videos, audio-graphics, video conferencing and email. Although it is a small number, there are libraries that are working towards automating their library systems and providing access to digital information (Jones, 2003). Librarianship programs are responding to this change, in part by how they offer LIS education.

** Needs of Students. **There are drawbacks to having the courses offered only through distance education. Some of these are experienced by the students as a result of how the courses are offered and some are issues that must be dealt with by the institutions’ administration:
 * There are problems associated with the geographical size of the region USP covers, largely because of the cost that stem from it (Jones, 2003).
 * Sending mail and course information can be made difficult by the delivery system as it can be “erratic and slow” (Jones, 2003, p. 3).
 * There are also issues as a result of the various time zones that USP covers which affects class scheduling (Jones, 2003).
 * As well, although each country has at least one Centre, many students are unable to access it because they live on a remote island (Jones, 2003).
 * There are also issues with a lack of available technical support for the centres (Jones, 2003).

Another large problem for both students and the academic institution is language. One drawback of the current distance education courses is that they are currently offered in English despite the fact that English is not the first language of most of the students, who come from a variety of language and cultural backgrounds (Jones, 2003). There is not only a huge variety of languages that are represented through the students but not all of the countries teach English beginning in elementary school. As a result, English is rarely the first language of the students and English proficiency varies greatly between students from different countries (Jones, 2003). One of the ways these issue presents itself is through audio satellite transmission tutorials. In the tutoring sessions the tutor and students can hear but not see each other. Jones notes that problems can arise because of students who are intimidated by the technology that is used for the process. Aside from confidence issues the program has also encountered difficulties arising from student living in remote areas who are unable to access the tutorials, poor Internet connections that disturb the tutoring sessions, and communication issues because students may be unable to understand their instructors accents and vice versa.

**Moving Forward** Because of these issues, the library education programs offered must “cater to the realities of libraries in the region” (Jones, 2003, p. 6). As a result, some of the courses that are offered would seem outdated by other LIS education programs. Nevertheless, some libraries are slowly advancing as a result of increased access to the Internet and other ICT’s. USP’s LIS programs try to incorporate as much technology as possible into the LIS courses they offer, but problems are encountered because of students’ lack of confidence in using computers, especially among “regional students who have had less or no exposure to computers” (Jones, 2003, p. 7). USP aims to promote change within the regions libraries while also training students to adapt to changes that occur within libraries and information centres.

**References**

Coyne, G., & Bray, M. (1999). External aid and education in small states: Structural issues, and insights from a World Bank assisted project in Solomon Islands. //Asia Pacific Journal of Education//, //19//(1), 31. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.

Jones, P. H. (2003). Shaping Oceania's libraries: library training as an agent for change. //IFLA Conference Proceedings//, 1-10. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.

Mayo, P., Pace, P. J., & Zammit, E. (2008). Adult education in small states: the case of Malta. //Comparative Education//, //44//(2), 229-246.

Pillay, H., & Elliott, B. (2005). Looking through old lenses to understand the emerging new world order: implications for education reform in small island states. //Journal of Research in International Education//, //4//(1), 87-106. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.

Schniederjurgen, Axel (Ed.) (2007). //World Guide to Library, Archive and Information Science Education.// The Hague: IFLA Publications.

The University of the South Pacific. (December 10, 2010). //Certificate in basic skills in library/information studies.// Retrieved from []

The University of the South Pacific. (December 10, 2010). //Diploma in library/information studies.// Retrieved from []

Williams, Esther B. (1998) Information needs in the Pacific Islands: Needs assessment for library, archive audiovisual collection and ICT development in the Pacific Islands. UNESCO. . Retrieved from @http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001465/146521eb.pdf

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