The Panda Syndrome - An ecology of LIS education

The fundamental changes that are shaping the future environment of educatio nal programs in library and information studies (LIS) are explored In the c ontext of two overlapping ecosystems: the rapidly changing information univ erse In which the LIS profession operates and the university settings in wh ich the LIS educational programs are housed, We use ecological theory-biolo gical, oganizational, and professional-and the sociological theory of Pierr e Bourdieu to describe the radical nature of the change facing LIS educatio n and to identify adaptive strategies. We warn that swivel of LIS education does not necessarily mean the survival of current programs,and certainly n ot in their current farms. We warn that the increasing value of information is bringing other professions into the information field and changing the boundaries and rules of competition, Wa suggest that LIS education needs to further substitute an information-centered focus for its traditional insti tutional focus. Finally, rye suggest that the habitus or system of disposit ions of LIS. derived from libraries and the public sector, may li;disadvant age LIS in its competition with professions and their associated educationa l programs that are more accustomed to competition for domain. Because habi tus consists of largely unexamined assumptions and interpretations, an awar eness of it is the essential first step to determining whether it is conduc ive to the survival of a profession's knowledge basis, values, and practice s.