Abstract
The Library and Information Studies (LIS) Program at the Durban University of Technology
(DUT) places students into work placements during their second and third year of study. During
their second year, students are placed in public libraries and in third year, students are placed in
special or academic libraries. The success of any work integrated learning (WIL) program is
dependent upon the three main parties: the student, the institution and the work placement. Work
integrated learning affords the students an opportunity of putting theory into practice as well as
to gain practical experience in the real world of work. As part of the author's doctoral study into
the development of a cooperative education model for library and information science/studies in
South Africa, questionnaires were sent to work placement supervisors to solicit their views on
work integrated learning practices. During 2012, third year library and information studies
students were required to scan job adverts related to librarianship. Students scanned both national
and local newspapers as well as institutional/organizational websites to identify skills required by
employers when compiling job advertisements. Skills were identified from the job
advertisements and twenty-six (26) library related skills were selected. Questionnaires were
distributed to work placement supervisors via email. The questionnaire had a total of twenty-nine
questions and question twenty requested work placement hosts to rate the importance of the
twenty-six skills from "important" to "unimportant". This paper therefore aims to present some
of the findings that were received from WIL supervisors.