The Australian Library Journal
volume 50 issue 1
John Levett
Note to contributors
We are often asked for a copy of ALJ's style manual, or guidelines to authors. We gave up on these a long time ago because they were honoured much more in the breach than in the observance. We used to quote John Shannon of 'aurora' fame: 'Don't get
it right; get it written' and it still seems to us that this is the best advice we can give to those who are nervous about matters of style. The Editor is happy to advise on proposals, drafts, synopses, and is happy to encourage those who have not
previously published to contribute. Contributions from students are also welcome, provided that it is recognised that a different readership from that of the academy might be involved. Recent graduates who wish to offer work based on a thesis or research
are also encouraged: one of the articles [and a very good one it is too] in the current issue is one such. Citation style seems to be of particular concern: we have no hang-ups about this; nor do we convert all citations, footnotes and endnotes to a common
format. Word processing packages are so good nowadays that it isn't worth the fiddling about. The primary concern, as always, is for the reader. From the editor's [and possibly the author's] point of view, the Harvard system is the simplest and most
straightforward; the endnote/footnote facility in Word is fiendishly clever, but also the most difficult for an editor to manipulate.
Editor
A dynamic profession: NVQs [National Vocational Qualifications] may impact on education for librarianship in Britain
Pat Gannon-Leary, Catherine Hare and Sandra Parker
The authors review the emergence and the implications of the UK system of National Vocational Qualifications, some less formal parallels of which have recently emerged in this country. The development is seen as one which affords greater flexibility
and opportunity to both employees and employers.
[Full-text]
Losing the quality battle in Australian education for librarianship
Ross Harvey
The author asserts that something is wrong with university-based education for librarianship in Australia. Librarianship does not have a clear disciplinary identity in universities. The lack of differentiation between the roles of technicians and
professionals clouds the issue. For these and other reasons, education for librarianship in Australia is suffering. Comparisons are made with the United States and Canada. Some suggestions for improving the quality of university-based education for
librarianship, based on increased co-operation among departments of information studies, are made.
[Full-text]
Evaluation of the ALIA (SA) Mentoring Group 1999: a grounded theory approach
Eleanor Jackson-Bowers, Julie Henderson and Mary O'Connor
An evaluation of the inaugural ALIA (SA) Mentoring Group was carried out in August 1999. The evaluation was qualitative in nature, using grounded theory methods. Focus group discussions were held, using a set of discussion guidelines, which consisted
of open-ended questions about participants' expectations, and experiences of the group-mentoring program. The main findings were that employment (or lack of it) remained a major pre-occupation of members, that the group was very effective in providing
social support, career development and a sense of professional identity, and that the group did not provide specific skill development. Recommendations for future groups included considering whether to provide skill development opportunities, providing a
greater variety of meeting topics and allowing for more socialisation time.
[Full-text]
Kormilda College: IT education towards tomorrow
Margaret Lambert
The author discusses the implementation of a College-wide IT strategy for indigenous students; she reviews the implications of an alliance with industry and discusses the issues involved in providing indigenous students with the IT skills necessary to
take them 'towards tomorrow'. This article is based on a paper prepared for the 'Learning IT. 2000' Conference at Surfers Paradise, Queensland 28-30 June 2000.
[Full-text]
Information Literacy Co-ordination: two dynamic approaches
Fiona Salisbury and Judith Peacock
The libraries of the University of Melbourne and Queensland University of Technology have two different approaches to co-ordinating information literacy. During 1999, each library reviewed various aspects of their co-ordination processes, the result of
which was the implementation of innovative approaches to managing their education and training programs. Although the libraries service the needs of parent universities with distinct educational agendas, they share a common focus concerning Information
Literacy objectives and issues. Each library has an extensive teaching and learning tradition and demonstrates a strong commitment to student learning outcomes. Furthermore, as multi-campus institutions, the development, co-ordination and management of
their education and training programs presents similar opportunities and challenges. However, each library has adopted distinctly different operational models. This paper presents an overview of the co-ordination models adopted by each library and analyses
their individual rationales, within the context of their organisations, for applying these models. It summarises the redevelopment and implementation processes undertaken, including operational initiatives, managerial strategies, staffing and resourcing
issues and evaluation and feedback methodologies, and analyses the success or otherwise of each model. It provides a critique of both approaches in terms of achievements, challenges and issues born as a result of each process. It also seeks to identify
future trends and improvements to be undertaken in subsequent reviews.
[Full-text]
'Open relationships, de-facto marriages, or shotgun weddings?': the convergence and integration of libraries and computing/information technology services within Australian universities
Richard Sayers
A complex change management process is currently underway in many Australian universities. It involves the convergence and/or integration of library, computing and IT services. The process has profound implications for reference and information
services and their clients, as evidenced by the recent increase in library literature both for and against integration. This paper identifies the issues driving convergence in universities, and the challenges this represents, investigates the impacts of
full integration on university libraries and their clients, and recommends strategies for the successful management of convergence and integration involving established reference and information services teams.
[Full-text]
Challenging the boundaries of graduate education for information professionals in Australia: Real world learning for a virtual information world
Niki Kallenberger and Ross Todd
Developments in Australia over the last ten years have challenged traditional approaches to the delivery of graduate education for the professions. The recent focus on lifelong learning, flexible learning, work-based learning, situated learning,
constructivist and contextualised learning have created rich opportunities to rethink the boundaries of time, place, space, approach and means to learning, and the roles of students in relation to these opportunities. This paper examines the dynamics of
shared responsibility for learning in the provision of graduate education for the library and information sector, as realised through a strategic collaboration between the State Library of New South Wales and the University of Technology, Sydney.
[Full-text]
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