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Introduction

Library and information professionals obtain and continue to build on the knowledge, skills and disposition they need to do their work effectively in their local contexts within a dynamic sociopolitical, technological and global landscape. The formal education to prepare library and information professionals of today and tomorrow is interdisciplinary, changing and expansive and may be at the undergraduate or graduate levels depending on the country (IFLA BSLISE Working Group, 2018). Formal education, leading to a degree, provides the qualification for a professional career, and continuing education is critical to stay current.

To establish and have a shared understanding of scope of library and information science (LIS), the IFLA Building Strong LIS Education Working Group introduces the following definition:

Library and information science (LIS) is a field of study and a professional practice. In education and scholarship, it is concerned with information in all its formats and processes, the technologies that process it, and human interaction with information and associated technologies. As a professional practice, LIS engages all aspects of the information life cycle, utilises appropriate technologies in order to connect people anywhere to information, and is carried out in cultural heritage institutions (e.g., libraries, archives, and museums) and in a wide range of information environments.

The Guidelines presented here provide a framework, which outlines the scope of LIS professional knowledge and guides the development of LIS education.

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