In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the University of Maryland (UMD) Libraries quickly switched to online teaching and learning. This disruption created a chance for innovation, allowing the UMD Libraries to scale back nonessential functions and focus on improving mission-critical work. The authors present the teaching program at UMD…

Reflective practice is increasingly viewed in the LIS professions as a valuable means of improving workplace performance and encouraging creative problem-solving, while also empowering individual practitioners with a greater sense of professional identity, confidence and self-efficacy. However, the question of how to inculcate critical engagement…

In this article, Susan Altman shares her experience of working as a library assistant at Forest Heights Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina, while taking classes in the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) Program at the nearby University of South Carolina. She discusses getting acquainted with the students, faculty and…

Recently, the author spent a week at Rare Book School (RBS) immersed in a course entitled "Teaching the History of the Book;" an investigation into different ways of thinking about, designing, and conducting a course on the history of the book. The goal was to learn how to convert teaching and outreach experiences in rare book collections from a…

Distance librarians as engaged professionals work in a complex environment of changes in technologies, user expectations, and institutional goals. They strive to keep current with skills and competencies to support distance learners. This article provides a selection of continuing education opportunities for distance librarians, and is relevant…

The American Association for School Librarians suggests an important mission for school librarians is to ensure personal growth through ongoing exposure to conferences, journal articles, webinars, presentations, and membership in professional organizations. As professional educators, School Librarians should exemplify the vision for being…

This article describes the SS "School Library Leadership" maiden voyage, which departed from the University of Vermont (UVM) during the 2010 fall semester. Twelve intrepid sailors followed their sense of adventure into uncharted waters with cocaptains Judy Kaplan and Susan Ballard in an online collaboration that provided a powerful…

Communities of practice offer reference librarians a conceptual model through which to develop and maintain general and subject specific knowledge. Reference librarians acquire general and subject-specific knowledge in many ways, sometimes independently and sometimes collaboratively. Applying the concept of the "community of practice" to reference…

Many programs for mentoring of librarians exist within organizations, for specific areas of librarianship, or for particular groups of librarians. These programs generally depend on face-to-face contact and some organizational commonalities or similarity in positions. With the advent of online communication, could a more general program matching…

This report summarizes the proceedings of a seminar sponsored by the International Federation of Library Associations' (IFLA) Round Table of Editors of Library Journals (RTELJ) on the nature of library journals and on means of improving them. The emphasis of the seminar was on journal editing. Brief reviews are given of papers presented by seven…

Discusses the value of continuing education for staff members of special libraries as reported by information professionals in a study of excellence in corporate libraries. Background on the Special Libraries Association's Professional Development Program is also provided, and the importance of keeping current with the literature is emphasized.…

This paper discusses the potential of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) to improve the status of women in Great Britain. The first section introduces NVQs and provides historical background. The second section addresses the question: What is an SVQ or NVQ, and what is involved in getting one?…

Discusses mentoring in library schools based on experiences with the Alumni Board at the Catholic University of America (Washington, DC). Highlights include career guidance, encouragement during the academic program, advice on course and field work, and opportunities to make professional contacts. (LRW)

Though education for librarianship is contentious, the literature reveals a renewed emphasis on the value of practicum components. This article examines fieldwork in library education at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, highlighting the rationale for fieldwork, its aims and objectives, problems of implementation, benefits, and…

In order to chart a course for the future development of professional librarians, the American Library Association (ALA) sponsored a Congress on Professional Education in 1999 to examine critical issues related to graduate education. Issues centered around university education generally, library and information studies (LIS) education…