Abstract

The evolution of training and education in information and documentation is reviewed, starting with the first systematic professional education initiatives in the 19th century. Some of the current key challenges and future action lines are discussed: clarifying the mission, the ecological niche and strategic objectives of the discipline; taking care of the disciplinary core and addressing the peripheries; building and looking after the brand and main stakeholders, relocating the student as a prime client; negotiating a permanent observation point to allow the design of curricula based on the labour-market and student needs; programming the educational levels within the framework of life long education; rebuilding and pursuing the interdisciplinary dimension of information studies; modulating technological training according to social changes and student profiles; and ensuring operational quality and addressing the continuous evidence-based improvement of the pedagogical methods. The reflection focuses on the Spanish case, but incorporates an international perspective.

Abstract

We discuss the disappearance of printed newspapers, an important transformation which is a result of, among other factors, the development of information and communication technologies, and the change of press consumers’ habits. By means of econometric models of quadratic regressions and co-integration models we try to approximate the year in which the diffusion of printed newspapers will be near to zero; next, we pose the same problem with regard to advertisement spending in the sector of the printed press because it is one of the main sources of revenue for newspapers. The results obtained do not predict a hopeful future in this sector; for the representative Spanish newspapers, El país, El mundo, La razón, and ABC, the conclusion is that they will have a negligible diffusion in printed formatbefore the year 2020.

Abstract

A Delphi study was performed to identify trends about innovative services in Colombian public libraries. An expert panel participated in three rounds with on-line questionnaires. Four trends were found: stronger community relationships; coexistence of books, technology and users; spaces for creativity, communication, collaborative work and networking. The study concluded that innovation at a public library is the capability to adapt services within its context and constantly engage in the necessary reflection and action about the methods, results and impact of its services.