Three fundamental problems underlie most research in health sciences librarianship: determining what therapies are effective and of good quality, delivering information when and where it is needed, and in forms that will increase its use. Developments in health information research will be advanced through collaboration across disciplines and…

Describes a variety of institutions and groups that affect promulgation of library standards, including standards organizations (American National Standards Institute, International Organization for Standardization); library associations (American Library Association); national and international committees, government agencies (National Bureau of…

Libraries must identify and foster the inherent personal characteristics and skills considered most relevant for leadership in the field of information management. Professional library associations play an important role in teaching and developing skills by providing experiential opportunities for their membership. Career models for academic or…

Graduate programs must examine the curriculum for reference and information access professionals. Greater access to information sources by users has highlighted the need for reference and information professionals to develop new skills including more technological knowledge, a better understanding of user information-seeking, new instructional…

Considers the expanding educational role of health sciences librarians in both academic centers and in hospitals resulting from influences of new educational models and new technology. Topics addressed include undergraduate health sciences education; continuing education; new technology and medical informatics; library educational programs;…

Presents overviews of librarian and library support staff education from 1887 to the present. Discusses current forces in education for librarians; the balance between professional and university environments; differences between education for librarians and library technicians; persistent themes; the role of information science in library…

Analyzes subject trends from 1975-84 in nine influential journals in library and information science. Thirty-two subjects which constitute 89 percent of the subjects published are discussed under five categories according to their distribution characteristics: (1) boom topics; (2) declining topics; (3) roller coaster issues; (4) stable subjects;…

Shows how a philosophical analysis of the moral value of information can help librarians rethink some aspects of their professional values, especially their commitment to neutrality. Discusses the historical background of allowing fiction into library collections; the impact of technology; the moral character of information; and information,…

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…

Reviews research on obsolescence (decline over time in validity or utility of information), citing two major state-of-the-art reviews and subsequent research involving citation studies and use studies based on circulation and reshelving statistics. A problem-solving management model developed to aid libraries deal with obsolescence is discussed.…

Examines the impact of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) on education for library and information science and its efforts to influence the field. Highlights include themes historically pursued by ALISE, recent association initiatives, its probable future directions, and its relationships with other professional…

Discusses the history and evolution of information ethics at the University of Pittsburgh and describes a course that was developed in the School of Information Sciences that includes the need for moral instruction and ethical reflection, resolving moral dilemmas, and ethical issues in librarianship, information technology, and management.…

Reviews factors that are changing ways in which medical librarians and health information specialists are educated. Employment sites for medical librarians are listed; current faculty and coursework at library and information science programs in the United States and Canada are discussed; doctoral research is described; and medical informatics is…

Argues that librarianship, which is intimately involved with the communication of knowledge, is thereby deeply involved with the mind-body problem of philosophy, and that this relationship constitutes the major philosophical issue of the library profession in this century. Psychophysical interactionism is discussed in the context of philosophy of…

In framework of a century of formal U.S. library education, this essay synthesizes key concepts that have dominated library school curricula with special attention to idea of "core," growing conflict between library and information science, and actual methodology of teaching as described and experienced by members of profession. (57…