The author believes her professional life can be divided into two parts--being a building-level school librarian and being retired, noting that few librarians she has met planned to enter the profession, and like them, she was an accidental librarian. Though trained to be a high school English teacher, she was offered a job after college as a…

People of color who choose careers in higher education may encounter microaggressions, marginalization, and other unpleasant situations. This narrative shares the experiences and perspectives of one African-American academic's experiences with the intent of encouraging academic professionals from underrepresented populations to persevere.

In this article the author discusses the evolution of the profession of librarianship and the compromise of educating librarians in schools instead of by apprenticeship. He poses a series of questions, some more rhetorical than others: (1) Is Technical Services an intellectual concept or an administrative device?; (2) Can the routines and rules of…

In this article, the author gives an overview of Dunkin's article on education in the library profession. He believes it is clear that Dunkin thought too much attention was focused on practice, and not enough on theory--though there was room, and need, for both. Dunkin poses a series of questions, some more rhetorical than others: (1) Is Technical…

It has been almost 50 years since Robert Taylor published his classic 1968 article, "Question-Negotiation and Information Seeking in Libraries," in "College & Research Libraries"; yet much of what that article discussed is as fresh today as it was back then. It has been identified as a classic because it has enduring themes…

The author was assigned the task to comment on the broad topic: "New sciences, technologies, and media--impact on education for librarianship (or libraries)." The author choose to emphasize "information science." Narrowing the subject down even further, in this article the author emphasizes some of the aspects of the…

Few academic librarians ten or fifteen years ago would have believed that those days of flat-lined budgets and miniscule raises could ever seem a golden (or at least silver) age by comparison. It turns out that there is something even worse than uncertainty, however--the absolute certainty of budgetary constriction and unwise decisions.…

Discusses the historical method in lexicography, the general characteristics of library terminology, and the current state of library lexicography. Presents a glossary which lists quotations supplementing the coverage of library-related vocabulary in the "Oxford English Dictionary" (OED) and the "Dictionary of Americanisms"…

The first of two articles on the current state of relations between librarianship and new technologies describes recent events that signal an apparent drift toward a traditional vision of librarianship, and away from any emphasis on information technologies. (CLB)

Describes the participant-observation technique for data collection and proposes its usefulness as a research methodology in library science. Procedural steps are outlined and suggestions are offered for successful completion of participant-observation research. (10 references) (Author/MES)

Briefly reviews the history of faculty status in academic librarianship and provides suggestions revising standards 5 and 6 of the "Association of College and Research Libraries Standards for Faculty Status," which concern tenure, contracts, and promotion. Twenty-three sources are given. (EJS)

Outlines the state of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) on the eve of its 48th General Conference, reviews the important functions of IFLA, summarizes the important issues in international librarianship to be addressed at the conference, describes the IFLA relationship with ALA, and briefly discusses IFLA and politics.…

Compares and contrasts museum registration and library cataloging processes, suggesting that differences in records management result from philosophical and historical differences. The feasibility and possible benefits of applying the competencies of library and information science to museum registration are discussed. (23 notes/references)…

Six articles address: (1) the impact of science on the physical examination and treatment of books; (2) equipment for physical examination of books; (3) research using the cyclotron for historical analysis; (4) scientific analysis of paper and ink in early maps; (5) recent advances in automation; and (6) cataloging standards. (MES)

Offers advice to librarians considering doctoral study in library and information science. Highlights include the difference between academic and professional degrees and how to select a school, choose a specialty, and evaluate the quality of a program. (EM)