LIS Educators

COVID-19 impacts on education

The impacts of COVID-19 mean that libraries and TAFEs and universities are closing or offering limited services, and this is affecting ALIA students and educators in several ways.
 
Industry placements
Diploma of Library and Information Services TAFE educators and students: 
An industry placement is an integral part of an ALIA accredited course. With libraries closing it may be difficult for educators and students to arrange industry placements at this time and so ALIA has offered the TAFEs providing our accredited courses a special arrangement:
 
• We recognise that many students currently studying an ALIA accredited course are working or volunteering in the library sector. If students have worked in the library sector in the last 3 years, we are prepared for this to count as an industry placement. 
• If students have not had any library work experience and are graduating in 2020, ALIA will accept that an industry placement is not possible, and the lack of this work experience will not be in breach of accreditation requirements. We will support this small group of students by issuing each student with a letter to state why an industry placement has not occurred.
 
The take up of this special arrangement is at the discretion of the individual TAFE which will need to abide by its own internal policies, procedures and regulations.
This special arrangement will be monitored and reviewed as required.
 
Industry placements
Undergraduate and postgraduate LIS course educators and students: 
ALIA is working with higher education educators on alternative pathways for those students needing to undertake an industry placement as part of their accredited course.
 
ALIA Student Award presentations
We know of cancelled, delayed or virtual graduation ceremonies. This means that we are not able to present ALIA Student Awards to recipients in person. In the short term we will send the award packs directly to the students, and there may be an opportunity  to present the award in person at a local ALIA event in the future. 
 
This information is accurate as of 5 January 2021 and will be updated as required. 
 

About LIS educators

Library and Information Science (LIS) educators employed in universities, TAFEs and private training organisations support ALIA’s role as the body which sets and maintains standards for entry into the library and information profession in Australia and negotiates international qualification reciprocity agreements . LIS educators play a vital role in ensuring that education for the profession produces graduates who provide excellent library and information services to benefit the nation and individual clients and who can respond to and meet the ever-changing information needs of a dynamic society.

LIS educators support UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 - quality education.

Professional pathways

Viv Barton, ALIA President has chosen education as the theme for her Presidential year, from May 2020 – May 2021.  The 'Professional Pathways' initiative was launched on 30 November 2020. 

Prior to this we have held focus groups, published an ALIA issues paper, carried out a survey of the sector, consulted with major employers and special interest groups, and produced The future of library and information science education in Australia discussion paper, which generated further feedback. 

Please do contact education@alia.org.au with any feedback or comments.

Course accreditation

ALIA's course accreditation process is concerned with ensuring the quality of LIS courses and their relevance to current and emerging library and information practice, representing and facilitating employer engagement with LIS education and providing student and new graduate input. Institutions seeking ALIA Course accreditation must be registered with the Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and or the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) as ALIA's course accreditation does not duplicate the role or processes of these regulatory authorities. ALIA Course accreditation forms the basis of our international professional reciprocity agreements.

Requirements for ALIA course accreditation:

b) Delivery of a satisfactory plan for addressing the recommendations of an Accreditation Panel (accreditation is usually on a five year cycle) and provision of satisfactory Annual Course Returns (ACR)
c) Organise a minimum of two course/ program Industry and Employer Consultation Standing Committee Meetings per calendar year. Meeting minutes are to be included with the ACR
d) Require all graduating students to complete an industry placement for a minimum ten days duration (or equivalent - negotiated with ALIA). ALIA Guidelines for Industry Placements: Diploma of Library and Information Services
e) Attendance by one nominated representative at the biennial face-to-face ALIA Higher Educators' Forum or attendance by one nominated representative at the annual face-to-face ALIA LT Educators' Forum
f) Nomination of one ALIA student award per accredited course and graduating year
g) Continued ALIA membership; and
h) Agreement to the right of ALIA to reassess the course on the occurrence of what in ALIA's view are exceptional circumstances. 
 
For information about ALIA's Course accreditation processes including joint ALIA accreditation for archives and records courses please email education@alia.org.au.
 

ALIA Student awards

ALIA provides an award to recognise the highest achieving graduating student from all ALIA Accredited Courses as a means of recognising excellence. Accredited institutions are eligible to present one student award per course and graduating year.

Students receive:

  • one year's personal membership which includes a subscription to the Association's news magazine INCITE
  • a one year subscription to the  Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association (JALIA) online  
  • a discount (to the value of $75) towards an ALIA Training course; and
  • an award certificate.

Awarded Students and their Institution are listed in the ALIA Annual Report.

Educators should complete the application form four weeks before a graduation ceremony or conferring in absentia and email it to education@alia.org.au

 

ALIA LIS Education, Skills and Employment Trend Report

This annual report provides an overview of LIS education over the last six years. 

Education policies

Education and qualifications

ALIA's role in the education of library and information professionals
Adopted 2005. Reviewed 2009, 2019.

Courses in library and information science
Adopted 2005. Reviewed 2009, 2019.

Employer roles and responsibilities in education and professional development
Adopted 1986. Amended 1996, 2006. Reviewed 2019.

Foundation knowledge, skills and attributes for information professionals working in archives, libraries and records management
Adopted 2014. Amended 2015. Reviewed 2020.

Foundation knowledge for entry-level library and information professionals
Adopted 1998. Amended 2009. Reviewed 2012. Amended 9 December 2014. Updated and adopted December 2020, previously known as 'The Library and Information Sector: Core Knowledge, Skills and Attributes'

Professional development for library and information professionals
Adopted 2005. Reviewed 2009, 2019.

FORMS

REFERENCES

Library Technician Education in Australia: State of the Nation Report (2010). In 2009 there was a major review of the course content of all institutions offering the Diploma of Library/Information Services qualification for Library Technicians. The report highlighted areas of good practice and provided a series of recommendations for enhancements to course content for the future. It also examined a number of critical issues that were likely to impact on library technician courses due to developments in the structure and funding of education in Australia, as well as changes within the Library Information Studies sector as a whole.

ALIA Course Accreditation Review (2013). The initial literature review and environmental scan prepared by Dr Gillian Hallam informed the consultation process and the discussion of the issues associated with professional accreditation.

ALIA LIS Research Environmental Scan (2014). The report, by Michael Middleton and Christine Yates, is an environmental scan of the research currently being conducted into LIS from 2005 to 2013.

ALIA Statement of support for the role of Course Coordinator in Vocational Education and Training 2019

Berney-Edwards, Simon, Brooker, Judy & O’Brien, Karen (2016) Developing an international quality assessment framework. Paper submitted to International Quality Assessment of LIS Education Programs 2016 IFLA Satellite Meeting Co-organized by the Section on Education and Training and Section on Library Theory and Research. 

Brooker, Judy (2015) To LT or not to LT, that is the question: The Australian Library and Information Association accreditation of library technician courses. Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2015 - Cape Town, South Africa in Session 169 - Education and Training with LIS Education in Developing Countries SIG and Library Theory and Research.

Fair Work Australia, Student Placements. Information on what is a vocational placement.

The Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) and related loans: a chronology, Carol Ey Social Policy Section Parliamentary Library 28 March 2018.

IBSA Discussion Paper: Library Qualifications Review 2014-15

Partridge, Helen L., Hanisch, Jo, Hughes, Hilary E., Henninger, Maureen, Carroll, Mary, Combes, Barbara, Genoni, Paul, Reynolds, Sue, Tanner, Kerry, Burford, Sally, Ellis, Leonie, Hider, Philip, & Yates, Christine (2011) Re-conceptualising and re-positioning Australian library and information science education for the 21st century [Final Report 2011]. Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Sydney, NSW.

Partridge, Helen L., Hider, Philip, Burford, Sally, & Ellis, Leonie (2014) Who are Australia’s information educators? Australian Library Journal, 63(4), pp. 275-291.

Partridge, Helen L. & Yates, Christine (2012) A framework for the education of the information professions in Australia. Australian Library Journal, 61(2), pp. 81-94.

Smith, Kerry, Hallam, Gillian & Ghosh, S. B. (2012) Guidelines for Professional Library/Information Educational Programs, International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), The Hague, Netherlands.