Date of Award

1-1-2001

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Master of Science

Faculty

Faculty of Communications, Health and Science

First Supervisor

Dr Gülten Wagner

Abstract

The history and development of the education and training of library Technicians in Australia is currently recorded in the literature in a piecemeal und uncoordinated manner. The aim of this research is to provide a current and coherent account of the history and development of courses, examine the role of major stakeholders and identify the major issues that have accompanied the evolution of education and training for paraprofessional library staff. A comprehensive chronicle of the education and training of library technicians will contribute to the research and literature of Library and information science in Australia. The research will examine: • why formal education and training courses for library technicians were introduced in Australia; • how education and training courses have developed and evolved in response to library industry workplace changes from 1970 to 2000; • what role the professional organisation, the Library Association of Australia, and its successor, the Australian Library and Information Association, has played in the education and training of library technicians; and • what impact government policy on vocational education and training has had, and continues to have, on the training of library technicians. An extensive examination and analysis of existing primary and secondary information sources, including books, journal articles, conference proceedings, government publications, online and Internet documents and TAFE course documentation was conducted in the course of this study. While the methodology was generally restricted to an examination of documentation available in published sources, it was supplemented with personal communication with relevant individuals and institutions where necessary.

Share

 
COinS