Traces the development of adult learner's advisory programs in libraries, and discusses the librarian's capacity to perform the counselor's role in the contexts of societal factors, popularly-held assumptions, and professional confidence. References are provided. (FM)

Discusses factors militating against integration of social science data archives and libraries in near future, noting usage of materials, access requisite skills of librarians, economic stability of archives, existing structures which manage social science data archives. Role of librarians, data access tools, and cataloging of machine-readable…

The librarian's role may be foreseen as that of helping to open the book of life to children and young people while recognizing their different cultural advantages. (48 references) (Author/NH)

This description of the Community Information Needs/Library Services (CIN/LS) program addresses what the study team observed as a series of problems related to the public library's role in the delivery of information to rural citizens. (Author/FM)

Discusses the possible ethical conflicts when librarians serve on the governing bodies and/or committees of regional, state, or national professional associations and issues arise that could impact their own institutions. Several case studies are presented that examine issues librarians face when engaged in an expanded professional role. (LRW)

Explores conceptions of leadership from the perspectives of practitioners and scholars and discusses the role of librarians in leading others to sources of knowledge for understanding leadership. Highlights include how leaders are selected, the relationship between leaders and followers, evaluating leadership quality, and leadership from the…

Chronicles the California Library Association's battle against anti-Communist censorship attempts from 1946 to 1956 in schools and public libraries as well as on the legislative front. An overview of the "Fiske report" is offered as an explanation of how intellectual freedom challenges impacted California librarians of the period.…

If the library is to survive as an information source it must be prepared to supply total information in any format and to provide the facilities for its utilization. (NH)

Examines what differences libraries and librarians make, primarily from the perspective of geographical communities. States reasons why this is an essential research issue and describes contributions of current public library planning tools to the determination of impact. Examines the framework that is essential for the intellectual development of…

Explores three contexts of librarians' professional work and their impact on the link between librarians and their work: social and cultural forces, other competing occupations, and competing organizations and commodities. Concludes that the central challenge to the profession lies in embracing various information technologies and the groups that…

Argues that providing end users with more information does not really address their problems and, in fact, does not even identify them. Topics discussed include the growth of information technology, reasons for the decline in the number of reference librarians, roles of libraries, and the importance of information intermediaries. (MES)

Discusses the public lending right (PLR) with respect to infringements by libraries, financial losses by authors due to library circulation, the effects of PLR on libraries, and the beneficiaries of PLR. The contributions libraries make to authors are described, and alternatives to PLR are suggested. Twenty references are listed. (CHC)

Examines three essential questions and suggests areas for research in each: (1) How are digital resource users best served: What resources will they want? How will they want to use them? What services will most enhance use? (2) What elements are required for a coherent preservation strategy covering resources both digital and traditional? (3) What…

Libraries should be active participants in knowledge production, and should develop classificatory structures that support the needs of a diverse information ecology consisting of a complex web of interacting agents, users, and technologies. Within such an information ecology, a classificatory structure cannot follow a one-size-fits-all paradigm,…

As the purchase of virtual resources accelerates, particularly through consortial agreements, the autonomy of the local library will fade and the roles of librarians will change drastically. This rapid transformation is illustrated by a discussion of OhioLINK and its positive and negative effects on one member library. (Contains 21 references.)…