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Working with the citizens: planning the new Helsinki Central Library

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Figura 1. Serveis de planificació per a la biblioteca

This paper looks at Helsinki’s new city library, the Helsinki Central Library Oodi, which was launched by the Finnish Ministry of Culture in 1998 and will be opening its doors in December 2018. Located in the heart of the city opposite Parliament House, the Library has become one of the flagship projects celebrating the centenary of Finland’s independence. This paper focuses on the practices of citizen participation which have been key in the planning of the Library since its very beginnings, and considers how including the citizens and library users in planning the Library’s new services and functions has promoted grass roots democracy, openness, and a feeling of ownership of the new library.

Preferences for course delivery in library and information science programs: a study of master’s students in Canada and the United States

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Table 2. Delivery Preferences for LIS Core Content Areas (n=891)

Objectives: This paper reports on Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students’ preferences for course delivery (online, blended or face-to-face) and how their preferences differ based on demographic variables. This research is part of a bi-national study that investigated the motivations and experiences that MLIS students had with online education, while completing their graduate degree in an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited institution.

Methodology: The study used an online survey to gather data from Master’s degree students enrolled in LIS programs accredited by ALA, a professional association which accredits programs in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The online questionnaire was administered with the assistance of the administration and their student associations of LIS programs. Thirty-six programs from Canada and the US were represented by the 1,038 students who responded to the online survey. Respondents who had taken and completed at least one online course constituted the sample (n=910) that was used for analysis and the reporting of the results.
— Results: The findings show that there were five statistically significant indicators associated with preferred instructional delivery for MLIS core courses: age (generational cohort), employment status, metro status, commute distance, and program modality. The results show that younger students who had part-time employment, resided in urban areas, and lived closer to the campus showed greater preference for a course delivery mode that required some form of in-person instruction (face-to-face or blended) than their older peers who had full-time employment, resided in rural areas, and lived farther from campus.

The e-portfolio as a facilitator of a diversified and reflective information competence*

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Impact of the e-portfolio/PLE on the four dimensions of the IFLA/GREAV Information Competency.

Objective: This paper identifies and analyses the categories of knowledge involved in the acquisition of information competence in a formal education setting, examining how this is enhanced by the use of a mixed e-portfolio/PLE. Our focus is on how the use of e-portfolios can help students develop systems of strategic or conditional knowledge.
— Methodology: This qualitative study uses a semi-structured interview and attributes categories by inter-rater reliability coding and the organization of codes for quantitative representation. The interviewees were students from the Faculty of Education at the Universidad Católica de Temuco in Chile. The competences and categories are adapted from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
— Results: In higher education, there is often a focus on declarative and procedural learning, while more transversal, meta-cognitive competences are neglected. The use of e-portfolios helps students acquire the competences to assume greater control of their learning. For this reason, we have analysed the nature and volume of the content involved in the treatment of information competence through the use of mixed e-portfolio/PLE models and the importance of strategic processes in students’ acquisition of transversal knowledge. We have also extended the IFLA system of categorization to include those processes of reflection and planning that show how students develop systems of strategic knowledge.

Change and Innovation in European Library and Information Science Education

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This review article examines current trends and developments in higher education and considers how library and information science institutions have responded to these. The contribution of LIS institutions to innovation and change in Europe is examined through institutional case studies in the following institutions: the Institute of Information Science and Information Systems, University of Graz, Austria; the Institute of Information Studies of Tallinn University, Estonia; the Department of Library Science and Information Systems, the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece; the Faculty of Communication of Vilnius University, Lithuania; and the Swedish School of Library and Information Science, University of Borås, Sweden. This paper follows up the study conducted in 2003 by Virkus and Wood (2004, 2005), who analyzed trends and developments in higher education and the responses to these by LIS institutions. The findings of the study are used to identify the main challenges for LIS education.

Rethinking Library and Information Studies in Spain: Crossing the boundaries*

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Espanya. Les Ciències de la Informació estan adscrites a altres disciplines (facultats / departaments)

Objectives: The main objectives of this paper are to provide an overview of the current state of studies in library and information science in Spanish universities and to discuss the challenges this discipline is facing and the strategies that might strengthen the position of LIS-related studies and professional practice. But the paper also reconsiders why LIS in Spain is crossing the boundaries in two ways. First, it examines interdisciplinarity in LIS and identifies some of the travel companions LIS has made on its journey across the boundaries; and second, it analyzes the negative social repercussions LIS has experienced. Finally, the paper proposes initiatives to mitigate the low visibility of LIS education and the profession as a whole.

Methodology: Data were gathered from the official agencies the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (National Institute of Statistics, INE) and the Red de Centros y Departamentos de Información y Documentación (Network of University Centres and Departments of Information and Documentation, RUID). Further data were obtained from the annual reports of Spanish universities.

Results: We describe the current situation of undergraduate courses, master’s degrees and doctoral programmes. Among other observations, we note the general decrease in the demand for LIS undergraduate studies and we propose that the increase in postgraduate studies is unsatisfactory. Finally we reflect on the challenges that these studies are currently facing in this country and suggest strategies that may be used to strengthen the position of both LIS education and the profession as a whole.

Assigning metadata to EPUB3 digital ebooks. Part 1: EPUB3 specifications for metadata

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Objectius: descriure els mecanismes i la funció de les metadades internes i descriptives en el format EPUB3 segons els estàndards vigents i les bones pràctiques difoses per la indústria editorial, i identificar un conjunt de recomanacions especialment orientades a petits editors o autors que s’autoediten les obres.

Metodologia: l’article és descriptiu i instructiu, ja que a partir de l’explicació de l’estructura interna d’un llibre en format EPUB3 s’expliquen els diferents elements de metadades, els estàndards corresponents, la seva estructura i els possibles valors. El conjunt de propostes s’exemplifica a partir d’un cas d’estudi.

Resultats: el format EPUB disposa de mecanismes de descripció del context, el contingut i l’estructura dels llibres que emulen, en origen, els instruments específicament orientats a la catalogació, una mostra de la consolidació del model de metadades en origen. Els autors recomanen especialment la inclusió dels cinc elements de metadades obligatoris, tres dels quals (identificador, títol i idioma) dins l’esquema Dublin Core i dos segons un esquema propi, per descriure la data de la darrera modificació i la durada dels mitjans audiovisuals inclosos.

Library and Information Education in Europe: an overview

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The article describes the current situation of Library and Information Science (LIS) education in the European Union. European centres offering LIS-related programmes were identified using an IFLA directory and were classified in eight disciplines. The characteristics of the undergraduate and graduate programmes offered by these schools and departments, and any experience of domestic or international collaboration, were recorded through visits to their websites. The results show the absence of a common European approach to LIS education and a very low level of activity in domestic or international partnerships. Most undergraduate degrees combine a grounding in general culture with courses in technology, languages and practical training. In many cases there are no clear differences between undergraduate and graduate programmes; the programmes have similar names and no target audiences are specified. In addition to the general postgraduate degrees in librarianship and archive studies, most programmes revolve around digital curation, business information services and data analytics.

New career opportunities and their impact on Library and Information Science degrees, an exploratory study

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In the USA and Canada, there has been considerable effort on the part of program providers of professional degrees in Library and Information Science to expand job opportunities for graduates of their programs beyond the traditional placement in libraries. This has led to the development of specializations in topics such as Data Curation and Data Analysis. In other cases, new degrees in Information Management and Knowledge Management have been developed and offered in the effort of improving job placement results of graduates. Expanding placement opportunities for graduates of programs educating information professionals is often referred to as developing alternative career opportunities to the traditional jobs for information professionals in libraries and related organizations such as archives and museums. Such programs often focus on the broader term information and promote education and research for the information professions beyond the traditional LIS professions in libraries and related institutions. A number of schools no longer offer LIS degrees, but offer degrees in Information instead. This paper examines the patterns of name changes found in degrees and programs in schools with American Library Association accredited programs and presents an analysis of the reported impact on alternative and/or new career opportunities on the graduates specifically with Information Management degrees. Suggestions are made for further research needed to determine the success of these new degrees as well as issues related to the relevance of accreditation of programs by the American Library Association in the context of the changes taking place in LIS education.

The Filmoteca de Catalunya: conservation and dissemination of film culture

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Figura 1. Seu de la Filmoteca de Catalunya a Barcelona

La Filmoteca de Catalunya té com a missió principal recuperar, conservar, investigar i difondre les pel·lícules i les obres audiovisuals, així com els materials, documents, equips i qualsevol altre element que sigui d’interès per a l’estudi del cinema i l’audiovisual en general, i del cinema català en particular. En essència, conservar i difondre la cultura cinematogràfica. Es descriuen les àrees que contribueixen a aquesta fita i es reflexiona sobre la necessitat d’oferir un servei fiable i professional a la ciutadania, les institucions i les empreses amb interessos en el sector cinematogràfic.

The digital restoration of film

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Aquest article tracta sobre la conservació i la restauració de pel·lícules amb tecnologies digitals. Les pel·lícules, com a expressió de la memòria col·lectiva, formen part del patrimoni comú de la humanitat, i mereixen ser preservades i difoses. Per això, la qüestió de la preservació dels materials cinematogràfics està guanyant pes, sobretot si tenim en compte la fragilitat estructural i la curta durada de l’estoc de pel·lícules.

L’estat actual del mitjà audiovisual és de transició: a poc a poc l’element analògic i fotoquímic és substituït pel sistema digital. I això influeix molt en les pràctiques de producció i distribució del cinema, i també en els debats teòrics sobre el mitjà: els criteris d’arxivament i els processos de restauració no són una excepció a aquesta lògica.