“Librarianship as Citizenship”: The Promise of Community-Based Learning in North American Library and Information Science Education

Abstract

This article argues for the usefulness of experiential learning as a vehicle for democratic civic engagement in North American library and information science programs. First, we explore the literature on service learning, traditionally the primary type of experiential learning in LIS. We define and provide historical context and scrutinize service learning’s benefits and challenges for students, faculty, LIS programs, and parent institutions. Second, we trace the evolution of experiential learning from service learning to community-based learning (CBL); we underline the ways in which such an approach in its epistemology and its practice transcends the traditional service-learning model. Finally, we unpack the novel ways in which one iSchool’s LIS program is implementing community-based learning, namely by embracing data science and design thinking in its pedagogical approach to a new three-course, twelve-credit post-Bachelor’s certificate (PBC). We discuss the institutional context for the certificate, the project partners, the 12 PBC Fellows, and the curriculum, which includes three new courses (Design Thinking for Digital Community Service, Data Analytics for Community-Based Data and Service, and a capstone).