Volume 3, No 3, 2006
Information Professional: Knowledge and Skills Development for Serving Marginalized and Rural Communities
Greg Chester and A. Neelameghan
Abstract
This paper discusses the types of knowledge, skills, and experience that an information professional (IP) needs to acquire within and outside the formal library and information science curriculum so as to be able to generate information products and services to satisfy the needs of marginalized communities (indigenous and rural communities), effectively manage marginalized community knowledge, as well as empower and improve the information literacy of members of the community. Communication skills and knowledge of the history, culture and language of the communities are discussed as are focused self-designed programs and the application of appropriate information communication technologies in support of out-reach work. Some modalities for training IPs are suggested based on our experiences.
Pages: 1-5
Keywords: Rural community; Marginalized community; Information needs study; Information professional; Education and training; Curriculum design; Knowledge and skills; Communication skills; Community knowledge management; Outreach services