Study Guide

Descriptions

PROFILE OF THE PROGRAMME
The purpose of the degree programme is to provide students with the readiness they need to work in customer-service and development and in specialist positions in libraries and information service centres. Students graduating from the programme will possess knowledge and skills in running, developing and supervising staff in a library and information service centre. Specialised skills, such as storing data and acquiring information, knowledge of literature and other library materials, customer service skills, pedagogigal skills, social skills and computer skills, are emphasised in the programme. Students also learn how to organize events in libraries.


OCCUPATIONAL PROFILES
The programme provides students with the qualifications for working in public libraries as stated in the Library Act. Other places of employment include academic and specialised libraries as well as information services in companies. Bachelors of Business Administration have also found job placements in bookshops and publishing. Students can specialise in various areas within the field through the courses they choose.

Job titles in libraries may include information specialist, information consultant, information services secretary, head of department and librarian. There are also may specialised jobs, such as project coordinator and system librarian, in library and information services organizations.

A graduate of the degree program understands the multidimensional importance of sustainability in his work. They are able to take advantage of the library's potential in instilling sustainable development practices into the everyday life of the surrounding society.


PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
The objective of the curriculum is to emphasize teaching methods that actively engage students in the learning process; learning involves the acquisition and analysis of information and the production of new information. Pedagogy can be described as constructivism that complements expertise. However, teaching in individual courses may be marked by typical constructivist methods, such as problem-based learning, project learning together with representatives of the working world, co-operative learning and online study. Teaching also involves lectures, group work and examinations based on set literature.

Students are encouraged to take part in practical training abroad and to acquire other forms of educational experience during their studies. There is a study module available in English (25 cr) for our international partners. Students taking part in the programme have the opportunity to study in English together with international mobility students.

Research and development is integrated into the curriculum on two levels: (1) individual courses are carried out through student projects based on phenomena in the working world and issues concerning patrons, and (2) thesis work is combined with development work during students' practical training period, for example. Furthermore, the degree programme engages in regional and national projects, which are integrated into teaching, thesis work, and the research and development carried out by the university staff.

The curriculum has five transversal seams that run through the studies. They are based on SeAMK's reports, studies and strategy, as well as national and international recommendations and regulations for polytechnics:

The information acquisition seam is based on teaching the student's theoretical competence and extensive management of the concrete of the various storage and retrieval methods. The plot is also central to the work life orientation: exercises are also performed for the contractors. Data storage and retrieval are a key part of the professionalism of the library and the information services industry, and therefore a large amount of effort has been invested in brushing them. Not only in specific courses in the subject area, but also in other courses in the field of education, the plot of information retrieval is accompanied by a pass principle.

The Internationality seam develops the student's internationalism competence throughout their studies. Graduates work in internationalising work environments and know how to communicate and interact with people from different cultural backgrounds.

The entrepreneurial seam is internal and external entrepreneurship. Internal entrepreneurship is a mode of attitude and activity that is particularly reflected in productions and internships performed during studies. Students are also encouraged to engage in initiative and interaction in the development of activities. External entrepreneurship appears as individual courses in financial management and management studies, as well as more broadly integrated content in student productions.

Sustainable development as a seam helps students to become aware of social responsibility and understand the diversity of sustainability as a working life skill. Adopting the ways of thinking and operating sustainability is the ability to observe and understand complex systems from different perspectives (ecological, economic, social, cultural, etc.), as well as on a different scale (global and local). Adopting a sustainability mindset will also help collectively develop and implement sustainability measures locally and across different organisations.

Career guidance is a seam to help the student identify their own skills, their own strengths and potential career paths. The student receives career guidance throughout the course of study and, in addition to the instructor, all teachers in the degree programme and the entire polytechnic community. Professional growth and development of professional life skills are reflexed in the teaching of courses. Internships and projects in collaboration with working life are particularly relevant to career planning. The studies include two courses focused on career planning and professional life skills. Ethical, ecologically sustainable, multidisciplinary and international activities are objectives aimed at in Library and Information Services studies. Understanding the importance of lifelong learning is important for both students personally and in the activities of library sector organizations.