Jan. 17, 2000
Contact: Teressa Tignor Gilbreth
Information Specialist
(573) 882-9144
[email protected]
MU GRANT HELPS LIBRARIANS COPE WITH DEMANDS OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION
by Kristi Thompson
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- In the olden days, about 10 years ago, gathering information was quite a chore. To find a book, you pored over drawer after drawer in a card catalog. To find a magazine, you thumbed through heavy, dusty index volumes. And you probably had to walk uphill barefoot in three feet of snow to get to the library in the first place.
These days, things are a little different at the local library. Card catalogs have been computerized, and much of the information consumers once sought on paper is now available in cyberspace. But with new technology comes new frustrations; learning how to use electronic information resources is a challenge for consumers and librarians alike. With classes that begin Jan. 18, the College of Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia is helping future librarians understand and cope with the demands of electronic information systems in the public library setting.
In two separate classes, graduate students in the college's School of Information Science and Learning Technologies will learn how the Internet has changed information services and library instruction. The Web-based classes are funded through a $127,611 grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
"Electronic communication has changed the library as an institution, but the library can evolve its purpose and function to provide access to information whether it's in print or electronic," said Bryce Allen, who authored the grant proposal and will instruct one of the courses. "We hope that these classes will give students and practitioners the tools necessary to make that transition smoothly."
The college will implement a second phase of the grant to offer continuing education credit to practicing librarians. These abbreviated courses will cover the same material as the student courses but will offer a more practical applied approach.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: If you would like to interview a student participating in these Web-based courses for a feature or local story, please contact Bryce Allen at (573) 882-9545 or [email protected].
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