Abstract :
Continuing education for information professionals serves to inform professional conduct and broaden theoretical applications. Since its establishment as a regional organization in 1961, the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (LACASIS&T) has provided a program for professional development relevant across a range of information institutions within a major metropolitan area. This research examines three factors influencing continuing education activities within the Los Angeles region: founding principles, services contributed by members, and program topics drawn from the range of information professions. Methods employed comprise archival research and oral history conducted with the Chapterʹs founder, with attention given to the industrial context of the region. The study reveals the centrality of membersʹ contributions to professional trends and information science applications, and a continuous history of individual leaders, contributors, and program offerings presented also emerges. The effectiveness of library and information science continuing education, when presented and coordinated by groups such as chapters, is observed in successful consortial activities consisting of both inreach and outreach to prospective program participants.
