Discusses the importance of professional development for library media specialists and presents suggestions for staying current in the field, including participation in conferences, taking advantage of continuing-education opportunities, reading professional journals, and using Internet resources. (MES)

This paper examines how the Special Libraries Association competencies can be mapped to the broader business competencies of marketing (promoting), packaging (product development), persuading and performing (sales/customer service), and positioning (strategic maneuvering). It introduces a process whereby the skills, knowledge, understandings, and…

Professional associations in the library/information science field are viewed from the perspective of the value they bring to the field. Research and professional development are reviewed in this context based on the efforts of ALA (American Library Association), ALISE (Association for Library & Information Science Education), ASIS (American…

Discusses international librarianship from two points of view: (1) library education that addresses the needs of the international library community; and (2) the participation of professional librarians in activities of library associations at the international level. Examines research in the field of librarianship and describes selected…

A library school dean, a public library director, and a recent graduate working as a public librarian give their reactions to a set of competencies recently developed by the Public Library Association's Education for Public Librarians Committee. Background and future plans for the document are also explained. (SLW)