Rapidly evolving societies require transformations in the library and information science field. As this area develops, the library profession has adapted and renewed itself, and the list of its competencies expands ensuring their compliance with the levels of development of specialists in response to the challenges of the time. As a result, research and foresight sessions are conducted in many countries across the globe; their purpose is to determine trends in library and information education, the role of librarians and libraries in the future.

Library education varies from country to country – some countries can have two levels for LIS (both bachelor’s and master’s programs) and others can have one level. The same difference can be seen in education standards and law regulations in the education field. One of the recent projects – Map of LIS Schools/Programs conducted by the IFLA Section on Education and Training (SET) working group for Building Strong LIS Education shows the diversity of these programs.

In March 2024, SET launched a brief survey on the Global Trends in LIS Education. 118 LIS professionals, educators and students from 41 countries participated in this survey. The aim was to determine the most important LIS education and training topics across the globe – those that would best prepare new and emerging library and information professionals. The top 5 topics include:

  • New professional competencies and new profession specializations in the LIS field
  • AI and LIS education
  • Local and international LIS education standards, guidelines, and accreditation
  • Data science in LIS education
  • Equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in LIS education

The survey results as well as the IFLA Trend Report 2024 reflect demands to the LIS programs aimed to support and inform new and emerging library workers and leaders.

These changes require library workers and leaders to be one step ahead of library users – whether it is new technologies or new knowledge or even new changes in society. Library workers foresee challenges in various fields in order to meet information needs of patrons and users.

Author: Albina Krymskaya, Chair, IFLA Section on Education and Training