In the face of seismic shifts in technology and social organization, librarians and library staff face changing roles. A focus on competencies--the skills, knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes that are involved in a job--can help the library profession keep its footing as well as help librarians stick to values. When well done, they can define a…

Librarians, like patrons and researchers, are caught between traditional library service models and the promise of evolving information technologies. In recent years, professional conferences have strategically featured programs and presentations geared toward building a mobile agenda and adapting or adopting services to meet new demands of mobile…

Discussion of the automation of personnel administration in libraries covers (1) new developments in human resource management systems; (2) system requirements; (3) software evaluation; (4) vendor evaluation; (5) selection of a system; (6) training and support; and (7) benefits. (MES)

Describes strategies library director Dan Wilson used to keep the New Orleans Public Library ahead of budget shortfalls. Successful lobbying efforts to get a tax levy; growth in the library budget, technology, and services; changes in the service population; and Wilson's role as a facilitator are covered. (KRN)

Contains reprints of four articles showing that librarians foresaw the impact of technology on libraries: (1) "Copyright and the Future of Authorship" (Barbara Ringer); (2) "Inventions and Books--What of the Future?" (Ethel M. Fair); (3) "The Changes Ahead" (Lowell A. Martin); (4) "Trial by Computer" (Basil…

Discusses developments under three relatively new directors in the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Borough Public Libraries. Highlights include budgets and fundraising, technology, mission statements, personnel, ethnicity, services, and renovations. (AEF)

Committed to utilizing information technology, the Westchester Library System (New York) made the World Wide Web publicly accessible. Describes the planning, implementation, and management process; obstacles involving financing; establishing Internet connectivity; and vendor negotiations. Westchester hired a Web manager, created Internet use…

Provides an annotated bibliography of 42 books that rank as the library profession's most outstanding literature published between January 1997 and March 1998. The list is organized by the following categories: academic libraries; archives/preservation; cataloging/technical services; children's services; collection development; general library…