Education for Library and Information Science in Iran: Current Trends

The article presents an account of the Library and Information Science (LIS) education in Iran. It briefly reviews the growth and development of the LIS education in the periods: 1939-1978, as the Pre- Islamic Revolution period, and 1979- 2007, as the Post –Islamic Revolution period. The paper covers an up-to-date list of the 29 universities in Iran offering various LIS programs including Post-Diploma / Associate Diploma; Bachelor of Library and Information Science; Master of Library and Information Science and Ph.D., and the establishment of the LIS departments in a chronological order (84 depts.). It also emphasizes the re-designing of the curriculum based on the emerging needs to match the new technological age. It highlights the current trends in the last 10 years. The paper concludes that Post Islamic-Revolution LIS education witnessed more progress comparing to the Pre-Islamic Revolution period, particularly in the last decade (1997- 2007). At the end, some suggestions are given for improving the LIS education in Iran.