Interview

Joanne Gard Marshall on library and information science

In January 1999, Joanne Gard Marshall was named Dean and Professor of the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. Under her leadership, the school has launched several new educational programs, including a new undergraduate degree in information science and dual master's program with the schools of business, public health and art history, as well as new international programs with scholars in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Singapore and Slovenia. Research funding has increased four-fold, and enrollment in the Ph.D. program has more than doubled.

Prior to her appointment as Dean, Dr. Marshall served as Professor of Information Studies at the University of Toronto for 11 years where she taught courses in research methods, online information retrieval, health sciences information resources and management of corporate and other specialized information centers. From 1968-1987, she served as a librarian in a number of academic and health science libraries, including McMaster University, the University of Calgary and the Palliative Care Foundation.

Dr. Marshall holds a Ph.D. in Community Health from the University of Toronto, a Master's of Health Science from McMaster University and a Master's of Library Science from McGill University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary.

Author of six books and numerous articles, Dr. Marshall is a Fellow of both the Medical Library and Special Libraries Associations. During 2004-2005, she will serve as President of the Medical Library Association. She has received the Winifred Sewel Prize for innovation in information technologies, the MLA Eliot Prize for the most significant research in medical librarianship, the Award of Outstanding Achievement from the Canadian Health Libraries Association, the H.W. Wilson Award and the John Cotton Dana Award from the Special Libraries Association in 1998. She also was a member of the advisory committee for the KAILPER report from the Association of Library and Information Science Educators' that studied changing library science curricula.

In July 2004, Joanne returned to the SILS faculty as an Alumni Distinguished Professor where she will continue her teaching and research in health information, the value and impact of library and information services and technology, and the aging work force.

What first attracted you to the field of librarianship?
Actually, I always wanted to be a librarian. It seemed like a learned profession where one would always be exploring new realms of knowledge. The opportunities for continuing learning seemed endless. I like working with others and helping people to find what they are looking for, so what better job than a librarian?

How did you decide to be an educator?
Once I learn something myself my automatic inclination is to want to share that knowledge with others. I believe that librarians are essentially educators. As far as becoming a library and information science faculty member is concerned, my first opportunity came when I was asked to teach a reference course for a library technicians' program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. It was very rewarding, so I continued to explore teaching opportunities. What got me into teaching in the university: a growing interest in doing research and in sharing that research knowledge with future librarians.

Is there any significance, other than alphabetical order, to the title of your school, the School of Information and Library Science?
I was not at SILS when the name was chosen, but I really like the order. I like the emphasis on information-the content that we select, gather, organize and make available. The name also reflects the importance of library science as the field of study that informs our values and ethics and which provides us with our knowledge base for professional practice.

What kinds of academic backgrounds do the faculty have? Should they all be librarians?
The faculty come from a range of academic backgrounds as do our students. My own Ph.D is in Public Health and we have others from Library and Information Science, Computer Science, Communications and related areas. What unites us is an interest in solving information management problems of all types. Finding solutions to these problems requires a multi-disciplinary approach and that is what we are creating in our school. We need a strong link to library practice but that can be accomplished in many ways including joint research projects, attendance at professional conferences and working with students in field experience sites. Fortunately, a number of the SILS faculty have library work experience and this is certainly an asset.

What is the role of a library science program?
As in other academic enterprises, the role of a library and information science program is a joint one of research, teaching and service. We have the responsibility of contributing to the knowledge base of the professional and preparing the brightest and best students we can find for leadership roles in the field. Service is part of our professional ethic as librarians but for faculty it also applied to service to the school, the university, the state and the nation. Increasingly we must also reach out globally to work with our colleagues in other countries.

Tell us about the major challenges of running a school of information and library science?
I cannot think of another profession that has experienced as much change in the last 20 years as library and information science. Even the medium in which information is stored has changed, as have the tools for accessing it. Our faculty, students, alumni and in the stakeholder groups are very diverse and we are constantly seeking ways to build the school and relate to our changing field of practice. Keeping in touch with all these constituencies and responding to them in an era of limited resources is a major challenge. But it has been a very stimulating and worthwhile experience.

How have curriculums adapted over the years to the sweeping changes taking place in the information landscape?
We have standing committees that continually evaluate the curriculum and recommend changes to our Faculty Council. These changes are voted on by the school as a whole. The committee includes student representatives as well as faculty. It is a constant battle to keep up with change, but each year we offer a variety of electives and selected topics courses that focus on new trends. I think having a strong set of core courses based on the principal functions of library and information service is essential. This combined with a flexible approach to creating electives and selected topics course works the best.

Where is the next generation of librarians coming from? What are the students like these days?
We are all concerned about the aging of the librarian workforce and how we are going to fill the vacancies that will occur. We also need to pay attention to the changing knowledge and skills that new and existing librarians will need in the future. I am really glad that IMLS will be funding a major study to look at workforce issues. Right now we do not have the information we need to accurately answer this question.

Our students at SILS are wonderful. In the last two or three years, we have had more excellent applicants to our master's program than ever-there seems to be a renewed interest in the profession and the career possibilities that it offers both in libraries and in information intensive organizations of all types.

How are libraries' expectations of library school graduates different from 10 or 20 years ago?
Libraries still want graduates who are prepared for entry-level professional positions; however, I think there is a growing recognition by employers and students that research knowledge that can be used as a basis for evidence-based practice is important as well. We need to continue to build the dialogue between the schools and practicing librarians. Joint efforts, such as our Carolina Academic Library Associates Program for master's students and our Triangle Research Library Network Doctoral Fellow's program, are two examples of ways in which this is happening in North Carolina.

One of the best ways to advance the profession and shape the future is research. What would your top priorities be for the library science research agenda?
That is a big topic! I think the research agenda is as diverse as the interests of the faculty and students who study information problems. To get a sense of this your readers may want to visit the database of SILS master's papers that is available on our Web site. I think the unique user-centered core of library and information science that was identified in the ALISE KALIPER study will continue to guide our research. Everything we study has to do with connecting people with information in the best possible way. The variations on that theme are endless.

What distinguishes library science from other information science disciplines?
I don't really separate library and information science. I think the boundaries are very fuzzy and that serves us well. Both are needed to design and constantly improve libraries and information services of all types. Our school is not departmentalized and students take courses that relate to both areas. I think of library science as specializing in library and information services and information science students as focusing somewhat more on the technology end of things, but the students have a lot of choice in the way they structure their program of study.

What value do you think librarians offer in the Web/digital age?
Library and information professionals are still the only ones in our society who are fully engaged in the provision of information services to organizations, communities and to society at large. Many other knowledge workers deal with information in one way or another, but this is different from information professionals who see this as their primary activity. In the digital age, the creation of quality-filtered collections of information is more important than ever and librarians have a key role to play.

What kind of future do you see for librarianship in general and library schools in particular?
We have many challenges in our field, not the least of which is the demographic situation. In order to thrive in the future, we need to build the numbers both in our profession and our schools. We need to be expansive as we think of the range of information-related careers that are available to graduates and recruit and retain the best practitioners and students. Partnerships of all kind will be essential as will continuing to build our knowledge base. It is the information age and we have a great opportunity to move ahead as we have never done before. Let's make it happen!

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