ALISE 2018

The session “Connecting Teaching and Research” is designed primarily to
benefit new faculty and doctoral students. It is the hope that this new
ALISE conference session will attract attendees looking for advice and those
with expertise to share.  Using the World Café Discussion format, the goals
for the session are to develop a conceptual framework and identify critical
success factors for bridging teaching and research. Potential discussion
themes include:  (1) using research to inform teaching; (2) using teaching to
inform research; (3) bridging teaching and research; and (4) challenges in
faculty development both in teaching and in scholarship.

LIS schools and departments are home to a growing number of degree programs and specializations at the graduate and undergraduate levels. This panel brings together educators who teach in or oversee allied degree programs or specializations within LIS degree programs. Each panelist will discuss the rewards and challenges of these programs and specializations within their units. Areas to be addressed include archival studies, user experience design, data science, information architecture and digital humanities.

The IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian (LB21) grant program, now entering its fifteenth year, focuses on recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians and developing a diverse workforce. As IMLS looks to the future, we are gathering key library and archives stakeholders and thought leaders to explore the Master’s and Doctoral component of the LB21 program.
As libraries increasingly serve social, civic, and technological functions, the nature of librarianship has expanded. Academic libraries often need experts in research methods and data science; public libraries increasingly need staff with a wide range of community development experience, engagement skills, and cultural competencies; and all libraries are seeing the need for expertise in fundraising, project management, software development, as well as leadership, supervisory, and management experience. As the jobs library leaders are trying to fill have an expanding list of necessary skillsets and expertise:

• Where are the knowledge gaps between formal Library and Information Science (LIS) education graduates and the needs of hiring managers in libraries and archives?
• What kinds of curricular changes are necessary in MLIS and PhD programs to keep up with the changing needs of practitioners into the future?
• How can we identify, develop, and refine strategies to recruit, train, and retain diverse professionals?

In November 2017, IMLS, representatives from ALA-accredited LIS programs, and key stakeholders and leaders met to discuss how to position LIS graduate programs for 21st century practice. Members of the public were invited to watch the event via livestream and to join the conversation on Twitter with #LB21focus. The purpose of the convening was to explore how the formal education component of the LB21 program can best support LIS programs to meet the needs of students and libraries, and to increase diversity within the library profession.
At ALISE we provide an additional opportunity for LIS educators, leaders from across the library sector and library service organizations, and other expert stakeholders to formally join the discussion. Your input is critical to helping us determine best strategies for investing limited IMLS funding to achieve the greatest impact. We hope to facilitate participation and input from all attendees.

Much has happened since the current edition of this benchmark text was published in 2016. Today's LIS professionals are experiencing both excitement and trepidation as sweeping societal, technological, political, and economic changes affect our users and institutions and transform our discipline. As well, there has been a transformation in the way core courses in library and information studies are being taught, and how future--and current--professionals envision their careers in this field. The LIS profession demands constant growth, continuous learning, and open minds. We invite all interested attendees of ALISE 2018 to come to this informal session and share your thoughts with author Rick Rubin on how a new edition of Foundations can continue to help you provide students with a firm foundation of knowledge of the many facets of the discipline and its many futures.