THE DEMISE OF THE AMERICAN CORE CURRICULUM

During the first half century of library education in the United State s there developed a consensus regarding the subjects to be taught. The n the emphasis on specializations in library practice brought about th e creation of elective courses, and the curriculum was divided into tw o segments: required courses (the core), and optional courses (the ele ctives). The content of the core was reasonably firm through the 1950s , then it became greatly diversified and de-emphasized. With the intro duction of computer-related studies into the curriculum, the core was demolished. Although library educators favour in principle the idea of requiring all students to master a group of fundamental subjects, the y are not implementing this concept. A study of the core requirements in accredited programmes of the United States shows that only two subj ects - cataloguing and reference - are required in more than half the schools. There is no trio of courses that is required by more than 32 schools. The addition of ''information science'' to the traditional su bjects has not brought forth a complementary core curriculum.