Digital Library Education: the Current Status

Abstract

In this paper, we review and examine the current status of digital library education and compare the range of provision with that found in earlier studies [1, 2, 3]. It is found that the number of institutions offering programmes or courses in digital library education is still increasing. About 43% of these programmes or courses are stand–alone rather than integrated with wider material. The curriculum design and focused teaching areas appear more systematic and comprehensive than in earlier studies. Over half the institutions examined in this study have posted their detailed course information on-line. Most courses offered are now based on a combination of theory and practice, and are available at different levels. There are increasing opportunities for funding for developing new initiatives in digital library education. However, since digital library education is still at an early stage, an optimized model of best practice in digital library education has not yet emerged.