This was our first time attempting a survey of this magnitude and the responses were overwhelming. In total, 128 participants contributed to our questionnaire on the past, present, and future of library education. We asked seven questions: five essay and two multiple...
BCLA Perspectives
Volume 9 (2017)
Survey question 1: What are the most valuable skills your education provided?
Here, we saw research and information retrieval and cataloguing jump to the top of the list. Some research and information responses were internet specific, some were broader. We have grouped them together. Other common responses receiving votes: Networking (3),...
Survey question 2: What subjects, skills, or courses do you wish had been a part of your curriculum? Why?
Although we anticipated that questions two and three might be too similar in the responses they produced, the results were far different. MLISers focused responses on management training and leadership, while techs were more interested in budgeting and software...
Survey question 3: What would you change about your program?
This question was more divisive than the others. Two issues stood out: online courses and theory. Both techs and MLISers were split on their desire for more/less theory, while most of the opinions about online courses came from techs. The most mentioned response was...
Survey question 4: How do you see library education evolving in the future?
This was a tough question to analyze. Admittedly, we could have chosen better wording to solicit more specific responses. As expected, most see a trend towards further use of technology at work and they think that library education will continue to reflect that. ...
Survey question 5: Any additional comments about your education experience?
Question five was intended as a grab bag – to solicit final thoughts after considering the preceding questions. The variety of responses made it impossible to graph; the feedback included everything from comments on the profession to people’s assessment of their own...
The Library Values Issue: A letter from the editors
We live in a time where the spread of censorship, exclusionary rhetoric, and “alternative facts” represent a real threat to intellectual freedom and other core values of librarianship. These values articulate the importance of diverse communities and the need for...
Embracing access and inclusion at the Downtown Eastside’s Carnegie Library
[ACCESS & INCLUSION] A Vancouver Foundation report published in 2012 highlighted isolation and loneliness as major issues facing the city of Vancouver. I was working as a Community Librarian at the time, keen on advancing the Community-Led Libraries model – and...
Canadian libraries in the 45th US presidency: An actionable guide
[ACCESS & INCLUSION] Libraries across North America have seen and contributed to a flurry of policy and advocacy efforts since the United States presidential election in November. Among this work have been impressive efforts in sharing resources for refugee...
TRC and VPL and Me: The journey we share and take alone
[ACCESS & INCLUSION] “Seven generations, seven generations” is a mantra I say to myself whenever I come across something new about Canada’s fractured history with Indigenous peoples. It seems like every day I learn another story about families split apart,...