THE DEMISE OF THE AMERICAN CORE CURRICULUM

During the first half century of library education in the United States there developed a consensus regarding the subjects to be taught. Then the emphasis on specializations in library practice brought about the creation of elective courses, and the curriculum was divided into two segments: required courses (the core), and optional courses (the electives). The content of the core was reasonably firm through the 1950s, then it became greatly diversified and de-emphasized. With the introduction of computer-related studies into the curriculum, the core was demolished. Although library educators favour in principle the idea of requiring all students to master a group of fundamental subjects, they are not implementing this concept. A study of the core requirements in accredited programmes of the United States shows that only two subjects - cataloguing and reference - are required in more than half the schools. There is no trio of courses that is required by more than 32 schools. The addition of ''information science'' to the traditional subjects has not brought forth a complementary core curriculum.