Perspectives of East Tennessee's Rural Public Librarians About the Extent of Need for Professional Library Education: A Pilot Study

This article presents findings from a pilot study that explored the perspectives of East Tennessee's regional public librarians about their extent of need for professional library education and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and opportunities required in the region's rural libraries to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of education for library and information science 2010-07, Vol.51 (3), p.142-157
Main Authors: Mehra, Bharat, Black, Kimberly, Lee, Shu-Yueh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural Skills
Community Development
Community Relations
Computer technology
Counties
Distance Education
Documentation institutions
Economic conditions
Economic Research
Economic statistics
Education
Educational aspects
Educational attainment
Educational Technology
Exact sciences and technology
High School Graduates
Information and communication sciences
Information Literacy
Information Needs
Information science. Documentation
Information Technology
Infrastructure
Labor Force Nonparticipants
Librarians
Libraries
Libraries. Documentation centres
Libraries. Virtual and electronic libraries. Media centers. Documentation centers
Library Administration
Library Education
Library management
Library Networks
Library Personnel
Library Services
Management Development
Methods
Museums
Nontraditional Education
Poverty
Public librarians
Public Libraries
Rural Areas
Rural libraries
Sciences and techniques of general use
Sparsely populated areas
Surveys
Telecommunications
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Summary:This article presents findings from a pilot study that explored the perspectives of East Tennessee's regional public librarians about their extent of need for professional library education and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and opportunities required in the region's rural libraries to best serve their communities. Data collection methods included: quantitative web-based survey with select open-ended questions; ongoing feedback from regional librarians in the University of Tennessee's School of Information Sciences' (SIS) advisory board and alumni networks; paraprofessional experiences shared by students in the SIS synchronous distance education program; anecdotal feedback collected from local/regional/state-level library networks; and strategic planning in East Tennessee's two regional libraries. Research findings indicate that East Tennessee's regional public librarians have a strong desire to access professional library education that integrates rural library management and information technology competencies to help their communities effectively address some of their unique debilitating challenges and circumstances.
ISSN:0748-5786
2328-2967