Abstract
D.Litt.et Phil. (Information Science)
Schools of library and information science, like all professional schools, are tied to the
profession they prepare their students for. They must balance the needs and demands
of the profession they serve and the needs and demands of the educational institution
they form part of. In South Africa and elsewhere, there is a perceived gap between the
product the library schools deliver and the needs of the library and information
profession.
The technikons in South Africa are relative newcomers to the training and education
of librarians and information workers. Their task is seen mainly as the training of
paraprofessional library workers, since it is the aim of technikons to provide relevant,
vocational education and training through co-operation with the relevant
industries/professions. The qualification structure of technikons makes provision for
different levels of undergraduate qualifications in the form of national certificates,
national higher certificates, diplomas and since 1994, technikon degrees. The
conventional qualification structure used for library and information science training,
does not however make provision for certificate qualifications - technikons at this stage
offer only the National Diploma: Library and Information Practice. There is presently no
possibility for technikon diplomates to upgrade their paraprofessional qualification to
professional level.
The education and training of librarians and information workers through the medium
of distance education is well established in South Africa. The distance education
institutions use the same qualification structure as the residential institutions, despite
the fact that qualifying through parttime distance education takes much longer.
Distance learners therefore could benefit from interim qualifications like certificates,
since it could serve as indication to their employers that they are making progress with
their studies.
There are indications from the library and information science profession that there is
a need for more undergraduate levels of qualifications because of the different needs
of the different communities in South Africa, especially those of the disadvantaged
communities. The qualification structure for library and information science education
at Technikon SA, which teaches through the medium of distance education, can
however not be changed without consulting the library and information profession. The
aim of this study is to determine whether the profession would accept a changed
qualification structure. To determine this, the Delphi method is used. The Delphi
method is a technique that makes use of the opinions of experts for forecasting future
events.
The Delphi study is supported by a literature study which serves to put the research
into context by ...