I was reading an article in March/April 2015 American Libraries about the evolution of library media education programs to meet the needs of 21st century libraries and patrons. In "The Future of MLS: Rethinking Librarian Education," authors Bertot and Sarin talk about the University of Maryland's program focused on "Re-Envisioning the MLS."
They started with two key questions: What should an MLS program look like in four years? And what types of students should we recruit into the profession?
They believe that as the needs of libraries and library patrons change, the role of the librarian will also change--and require new skills and abilities.
This brings to mind my teacher education program. It included a fascinating class in which we learned to run the 16mm projector, including splicing film with tape if it breaks; the appropriate methods for cleaning chalkboards and erasers (which involves the student who needs a little break outside); and running the duplex machine.
Now, for those of you who might not know what some of those things are...keep that to yourself.
The point is, the needs of a profession change, and just like weeding a library, we need to weed our educations if we are going to move into that brave new world.
If you were in charge of the Library Media endorsement, or an MLS program at a university, what would you teach now that would help school librarians the most? What do you wish you'd learned in class rather than 'on the fly' and on the job? How would you update the learning of new LTTs coming into the field?