The Education of Community College Librarians
The library schools have a role to play, in being continually aware of changes taking place in general education and business, and in every phase of social, cultural, and educational development. They should be alert to changes, to interests, and to the needs and ever ready to make changes in library education which will be responsive to these needs.1 THIS STATEMENT by Martha Boaz, dean of the School of Library Science, University of Southern California, seems a fitting prefatory statement for this article on education for community college librarianship. What role if any, library schools should play in the education of community college librarians has been a matter of speculation and debate. Some educators would contend that the preparation of community college librarians is sufficient in its present form; that is, the pursuit of a masters of library science degree with academic library emphasis. Others would contend that although this preparation may have been sufficient for the 1950-70 period when this institution was developing and experiencing rapid growth, with the 1970's, the community college has established itself as a viable and responsive institution in the higher educational spectrum. These educators would contend that a significant change in the educational preparation of community college librarians is in order, in fact, over-due. A. M. Cohen and F. B. Brawer wrote:
Update in Education for Community College Library Administrators.
A nationwide survey of the educational preparation of the chief administrators of learning resource centers in public comprehensive two-year community colleges revealed that they valued their preparation in the basic library science courses, and recommended those for future directors. They did recommend strengthening certain areas, and agreed that they were not well prepared in audio-visual subjects. Suggested additional courses which they perceived as being useful for expanded duties in new administrative roles in omni-media centers could suggest new curriculum content to meet new educational needs.
Teaching Information Retrieval Using Telediscussion Techniques.
This paper concerns an experiment in teaching a graduate seminar on Information Retrieval using telediscussion techniques. Outstanding persons from Project INTREX, MEDLARS, Chemical Abstracts, the University of Georgia, the SUNY biomedical Network, AEC, NASA, and CDC gave hour-long telelectures. A Conference Telephone Set was used with success. Student diaries and an observer provided part of the background material for this paper. Recommendations include suggestions that the course be given once a week in two and one-half hour sections, with discussion of the telelecture both preceding and following the presentations; that alternate weeks be devoted to classroom lectures on theory; and that there be an exchange of personal information between the speaker and the students before the lecture. (Author) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO. DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. TEACHING INFORMATION RETRIEVAL USING TELEDISCUSSION TECHNIQUS