Introducing web components into the LIS graduate curriculum
| Date | 13 November 2017 |
| Pages | 660-668 |
| Published date | 13 November 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-08-2017-0084 |
| Author | Judith Wusteman |
Introducing web components into
the LIS graduate curriculum
Judith Wusteman
School of Information and Communication Studies,
University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Abstract
Purpose –This paper introducesweb components, one of the most excitingand potentially transformative
of the technologies that compriseHTML5. Web components provide a standardised method of creating and
sharing customHTML elements.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper is a viewpoint.
Findings –The paper proposes that the web development curriculum in library and information science
(LIS) graduateprograms needs to expand to cover this importanttopic.
Originality/value –Despite the potentially seismicimpact of web components on Web development, up
until this point,there has not been a discussion of this technology within the LIS literature.
Keywords Information technology, HTML5, LIS, LIS curriculum, Web components,
Web development
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
As of July 2017, there are over 91 millionwebsites using HTML5 (BuiltWith, 2017). This fact
may lull library and information science (LIS) educators into a sense of complacency:
HTML5 is here and the world of the Web seems to be largely the same as it ever was. But
that sense of complacency is false.HTML5 represents a profound change in the potential of
Web development, and it will facilitate a new generation of websites. The Web landscape
has already started to change; it will not be business as usual for Web developers or end
users (Wusteman, 2014). And one of the most exciting HTML5 technologies is web
components, a powerful new methodof creating custom elements.
Web development isrecognized as centrally important in LIS graduate programsand is a
core job requirement for many technical librarianship roles. Web development modules in
LIS graduate programs need to respond to the changes emerging from the application of
HTML5 in general and webcomponents in particular.
This article identifies some of the current discussion points around technology skills
within LIS graduate curricula.It goes on to introduce the HTML5 family of standardsbefore
focusing on the subset that comprise web components. It illustrates the potential of web
components to transform website markupand then gives an overview of their implications
for LIS graduate syllabi.
Technology innovators or technology users?
The increasing focus on information technology (IT) throughout the LIS professions has
long been a discussion point in the literature (Maceli, 2015;Virkus, 2015;NMC, 2014;
Breeding, 2013;Riley-Huf and Rholes, 2011;Audunson, 2007). Kelley (2015) notes the
growing specialization of librarianship: generalists are being replaced by new specific roles
ILS
118,11/12
660
Received15 August 2017
Revised15 August 2017
Accepted15 August 2017
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.118 No. 11/12, 2017
pp. 660-668
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-08-2017-0084
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