Library and information science education in nigeria and its implications for standard training in a globalized era

TLDR: In this paper, the authors present a global insight on the evolution of the training and education for librarianship dating back to 1887 when Melvil Dewey championed the establishment of the first library school in the then Columbia College, USA.

Abstract: Advances in science and technology had tremendous impact on all facets of human endeavours and librarianship was not insulated. This is to the extent that the training, education and practice of librarianship have been permeated and indeed revolutionalised by these advances, especially with the application of ICT. However, the revolution has impacted disciplines, their practices and even countries, differently. Hence, the need to situate library education and training in Nigeria within the mainstream of other counterparts elsewhere in the world in this globalized era. The paper presents a global insight on the evolution of the training and education for librarianship dating back to 1887 when Melvil Dewey championed the establishment of the first library school in the then Columbia College, USA. The second library school was established in 1919 at the University College, London, while education for librarianship took on a professional character with the founding of the Graduate Library School at the University of Chicago in 1928. In Africa, the contributions of Carnegie Corporation and British government in the development of library education since the 1940s were phenomenal; evidenced in the establishment of the first regional library school in Ghana (1944), Pretoria (1948), Nigeria (1959), Uganda (1963), and Senegal (1963). The changing nature of LIS education, its training in the global era, and the associated challenges with their implications were the focus of the paper. Measures recommended include improvement on teaching/learning techniques, procurement of more teaching equipment and facilities/laboratories and ICT training for the educators. The paper concludes that there is the need to strengthen LIS schools’ curricular with rich, relevant and diverse contents to equip graduates with requisite education and skills for the present global era, to guarantee the continued relevance of their products to the society and indeed the ultimate survival of the librarianship profession.