This essay characterizes role of the librarian as using a variety of skills (intellectual, human and communication, technical) to deal with recorded information by evaluating, acquiring, preserving, sorting and ordering, and making it available. Library management, training, and preservation of library materials are highlighted. Six references are…

This essay identifies and reviews the major and easily recognizable characteristics of a library discourse and proposes models describing the actual, possible, and necessary modes of library communication. The transmittal of orderly thoughts or information in a library situation differs from a conventional communication pattern. Three unique…

Provides historical perspectives on preservation of records and highlights needs in library preservation, including a systems or engineering approach to conservation problem solving. Current educational efforts of Library of Congress and United States library schools such as School of Library Service at Columbia University are outlined. Two…

Examines commercial, educational, and existing library sources to establish a practical perspective for librarians seeking to establish collections of popular culture materials, with emphasis on sound recordings, nonstandard materials, and concerns of bibliographic control and professional education. Seven references are listed. (RAA)

This review of the accomplishments of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) during the Medium-Term Programme 1981-1985 maps IFLA's professional activities in all fields in which the federation is active and provides information for those interested in the international development of librarianship. This account of IFLA's most…

Through a comparison of the historical perspectives of medieval and modern libraries, this paper is designed to clarify the purpose and goals of the library, and to promote a public and intellectual debate to guide future developments. The Middle Ages were chosen because libraries possessed an importance and centrality to learning, civilization,…

Examines physical deterioration of library collections as result of acidic content of books published since mid-nineteenth century. Dimensions of problem, solutions being developed by libraries, and professional challenges posed by preservation (collection management, organizational structures, technical processes, educational programs) are…

Argues that in an age of information overload, the public library role is to promote books and reading and warns that public libraries that focus on technologies and information services will become cogs in the engine of material progress rather than fulfilling their role as sources of knowledge. (19 references) (EJS)

A literary scholar interacts with various other speakers at the Fleur Cowles "Fleur" Symposium 2000 (Austin, TX) and makes his own case for the necessity of physical materials that are always yielding new insights. He rues the apparent denigration of paper materials and the reduction of books even in research libraries and suggests that research…

Discusses the role of professional associations in theological librarianship in accreditation, advocacy, and education. The need for the profession to expand its impact on theological research and teaching, the need for preservation of library materials, the impact of new technology on library budgets and practices, and the myth of free…