| dc.description.abstract | In the recent years, the Information Society Development Foundation (FRSI) addressed
a new program at public libraries in rural communes of up to 20 000 residents – the Library
Development Program. It is funded from a grant received by the Polish-American Freedom
Foundation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. One of the stages of the project is
the proposal of updating the education of librarians working in these units, submitted by
the Polish Bibliology Society – PTB (the Warsaw department). After signing the appropriate
agreement with FRSI, the Society invited to cooperation 9 leading academic centres of
education in scientific information and library science. The article presents the results
of a survey commissioned by the Warsaw department of PTB at the Institute of Scientific
Information and Library Science of the Pedagogical University of Krakow. The survey was
conducted in March 2011 on a group of 85 undergraduate students and 115 postgraduate
students. Analysis of the results shows that the vast majority of the respondents did not work
in public libraries. Among the minority who did, most of the respondents had been employed
for more than 3 years. Most of the people surveyed declared that they were considering work
in a small commune library. The grounds for such a decision were mainly: a desire to get in
closer touch with users, compliance of the performed work with the obtained education, and
location close to home. Those who were not interested in undertaking such a job complained
e.g. about the lack of professional and personal development, low probability of being
employed or unsatisfactory payment. According to the students surveyed, the most important
characteristic of a librarian working in a small commune library is the knowledge in the field
of readership and modern library science. Valued capabilities of a librarian working in a small
library are most of all: conducting documentation, obtaining funds for the library, managing
the library and cultural and social animation activity. As many as 90% of the respondents
believe that their so-far obtained academic education has prepared them to work in a small
commune library. According to the students surveyed, the academic subjects that are most
adequate for the educational needs of prospective small library workers are: librarianship
and library automation (belonging to the broad field of librarianship) as well as readership.
A small group of the students surveyed wrote their MA theses on small commune libraries.
The features of internship considered the most important by the respondents are: acquisition
and development of professional skills, broadening the knowledge acquired during the course
of studies, and good work organization. Less than 30% of the students took their internship
in a small commune library. Almost all of them believe that the internship was an essential
component of their education. Some of the abilities that the students most often acquired
or perfected during their internship are: conducting documentation, managing the library,
managing the users, research on the users’ and local community’s needs.
The analysed opinions allow the conclusion that the so-far obtained academic education by
all means prepares the students of the Institute of Scientific Information and Library Science
of the Pedagogical University of Krakow to work in commune public libraries. | en |
