A Study of Israeli Library and Information Science Students' Perceptions of Their Profession

As the librarian's traditional roles undergo significant changes reflecting the transition from the world of print to the digital world, we focus on Israeli LIS students' responses to these changes. Our study examined the attitudes and perceptions of 180 Israeli students regarding the relationship between librarianship and information science as professions, the roles of librarians and information scientists, potential places of employment for librarians and information scientists, comparative status and prestige of librarians and information scientists and finally, students own individual career preferences. Although most students believed that both professions are related, they attributed higher status and prestige to information science. Information science was also perceived as more highly associated with computer technologies. In general, students aspired to be information scientists. As future representatives of their professions in both private and public work settings, their attitudes and preferences will undoubtedly affect the nature of the profession. The present study is significant in a period of transition as schools of librarianship and information science modify their curricula and cope with the technological innovations impacting the traditional nature of librarianship.