Three stages in the development of the ’Library and Information Science’ major

Abstract

The Library and Information Science (LIS) major was established at the Kossuth Lajos University in Debrecen, Hungary in 1989. This initiative was unprecedented in the history of education for librarianship in Hungary. The foundation of this major was primarily urged by university leaders who were scientists themselves. At the start, the LIS major belonged to the Faculty of Science, to be more precise, to its Institute of Mathematics and Informatics. Later, in 2004, it became the part of the Faculty of Informatics organized at that time. The major’s information technological orientation following international trends has caused a surprise in certain professional circles. The LIS teachers’ and students’ efforts have, however, soon justified the existence of this branch of studies. It was a considerable recognition that the decree on qualification has specified in 2001 that the relevant major should be named ’Library and Information Science’ in all higher educational institutions, and the content criteria of education have been adjusted accordingly. Applying the development concept ’Joining the European Higher Educational Region’ in Hungary the educational policy intended to subordinate the LIS major to the subject ’Hungarian language and literature’, thus eliminating its independent status. In the end, because of the resistance of professional bodies and LIS institutions, the LIS major has remained independent, with a direct input both at the BA and MA levels (from 2006 and from 2009 resp.), as is the case with doctoral (PhD) education. As a local achievement, the Faculty of Informatics at the University of Debrecen has founded in 2008 – with a delay of 20 years – an independent Department of Library Informatics.