This paper contrasts myths (false beliefs) and realities of two points of view concerning the role of the college library in learning--primary role, or secondary support role to classroom learning. Skills learned in using a college library are highlighted as necessary to acquiring an education and for lifelong learning. (EJS)

Six myths regarding libraries are discussed: libraries are at center of intellectual life; book is sacred; libraries are responsive to information needs of various publics; objective evaluation is common decision-making practice; librarianship model fosters active client-oriented behaviors; library school education alone provides sufficient…

Discusses a paradigm for academic librarianship that requires greater sensitivity to and identification with needs of library users. Centrality of library academic community is questioned, noting insistence of librarians on independent status of library and failure of bibliographic instruction programs to make issue of critical thinking top…

Written from perspective of the president of a graduate research-oriented university, the author explores nature of the academic library, its size and structure, retrenchment as it affects acquisitions and services, and issue of who makes decisions concerning the library. Space and budgetary problems at the University of Oregon are discussed.…

Discusses the growing similarities between academic libraries and computing centers and proposes an organizational model for the union of the two into an information services center. The administrative and personnel implications of such a union are addressed. (Author/CLB)

Responses to a questionnaire exploring faculty perceptions of academic librarians on campus are analyzed in terms of faculty-librarian contacts, usefulness of librarians, importance of academic subject background, and status. Results indicate that librarians are seen as professionals with a service function rather than as full-fledged academic…

Suggests that as automated information services become more prevalent, it is essential that libraries find permanent funding to support this activity. Funding of information provided by an online search that satisfies legitimate educational and research needs with monies from print materials budget is considered. Three reactions to essay are…

Tested the hypothesis that increasing library services would increase returns of a questionnaire generated by that library. Students and faculty were surveyed before and after new services were offered at Wharton School. Results suggest source of sponsorship should be related to user group to be surveyed to maximize return rate. (CDD)

Three major topics are discussed in this essay conveying a vision of what the university library should be like in the twenty-first century: (1) librarianship as a scholarly discipline; (2) politics and the university library; and (3) the library as an active agent in the life of a university. (EJS)

Addresses the importance of planning for integration of information-processing technology--particularly microcomputer software and hardware--into higher education in general and academic libraries specifically, and enumerates specific skills that academic librarians have developed which could enhance the library's role as the campus center for…

On the eve of a major change in communications media (from printing to widespread electronic publishing), this article reexamines and projects into future the library's fundamental role as a social institution. Discussion covers three environmental trends, library as an institution, and public policy and economic choices. Twenty references are…

This essay suggests several criteria by which academic libraries' standards and processes might be judged: appraisal of interinstitutional cooperation, acceptance of new technologies, preservation of materials, role of library in total educational process, involvement of librarians in general unversity governance, and role of faculty users in…

A pilot study conducted to identify concerns of public services middle managers on costing and use of performance measures found the librarians interviewed had little faith in their usefulness. Implications of these findings are discussed and specific ways to increase the usefulness of such measures for library decision-making are suggested. (CDD)

To ascertain current status of academic library services to support literacy education, a survey was conducted using 20 pairs of community college and four-year college libraries in eight eastern states. Results revealed that all colleges in sample have literacy-related programs and that nearly all programs received library support. (11…

Discusses references collections in academic libraries and offers guidelines for placing materials in a reference collection that focus on their suitability for true reference functions and the expected frequency of use. Problems with poorly managed collections are discussed, and the importance of selection policies and weeding are emphasized. (37…