‘I’ is for ‘Information’^*

^*This is an opinion piece, which should in no way be taken as a reflection of the views of my employer. Nothing written here is intended – or should be taken – as a criticism of any particular university, school or educator. The intention of this article is to start a conversation about the broader information profession, the professionals we produce and how we educate them. Some examples are provided for this purpose and should not necessarily be seen as solutions. While the focus is university education, because that is the sector in which I work, the argu- ments are equally applicable to the TAFE sector.

Abstract

Education for the information profession in Australia is overdue for a serious debate and discussion about how well we are meeting the needs of the information professionals that we are educating. This article highlights some issues that have evolved as a result of the expanding information landscape, and offers potential opportunities that could be leveraged to provide the information professionals of the future with the breadth and depth of knowledge they will need to successfully operate in the information society.

Keywords:

• Library and information science
• education
• educators
• Australia

Acknowledgement

The author gratefully acknowledges the information shared by Dr. Brenda Chawner about the WISE Consortium model.