This article explores and examines the state of library services through interviewing a small group of directors, associate deans, and associate university librarians of public services and identifying common themes and insightful views on this area of librarianship. The participants respond to the same set of questions that cover topics including…

Student workers are a well-established component of academic library operations. Recently, their traditional role has expanded to include responsibilities that were previously assigned to librarians, including in-person and virtual reference support. This trend has raised concerns about service quality and highlighted the importance of adequate…

Over the past few years a troubling pattern has emerged, one that might be termed the trivialization of the Master of Library Science (MLS). As a result of several factors, not least the closing of library schools, low rates of pay for librarians, and high costs of living in many parts of the country, some college libraries have found it difficult…

The purpose of this multi-case study was to describe how library deans and directors at large comprehensive community colleges strategically advocate for and support instructional and technological innovation despite the reality of limited resources and the stress caused by recurring funding crises in higher education. It further sought to examine…

This publication follows the tradition of publishing selected papers from Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives and Museums (PIALA) annual conferences. This 20th annual conference was held in Weno, Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia, November 15-19, 2010. The volume begins with a listing of the members of the PIALA 2010…

Although there may be no such thing as a purely undergraduate book, there are services which are more appropriate for undergraduates than for other members of the academic community. These services make the undergraduate library unique. It is the responsibility of the undergraduate librarian to develop his specialty so that our undergraduate…

The undergraduate library is defined as a library unit, separately housed with services geared at the lower division undergraduate student on a university campus. Using this definition, there are ten undergraduate libraries in the United States: (1) Harvard University, (2) University of Michigan, (3) University of South Carolina, (4) Indiana…

A new approach to the problem of library instruction envisages a programme which has had some trial in seven college libraries and could have application in university and public libraries. (5 references) (Author)

The faculty, the students, the curriculum, the university as an organization and the university library as a total system are powerful forces in determining the role of the undergraduate library. Thus, if the undergraduate library is going to provide active library service in collaboration with the teaching faculty, librarians must understand how…

Estimates show that 50 to 80 percent of questions answered by reference librarians are directional or informational. If librarians are performing tasks below their intellectual abilities, issues that could be affected include faculty status, employee morale, library cost effectiveness, and education for reference work. (Author/JAB)

A description of reference service is presented along with a brief discussion of library education, citing the programs of the Interamerican Library School. Suggestions for evaluating reference service in Latin American Libraries are included. (Author/JAB)

This travel report includes descriptions of university libraries, public libraries, and national libraries in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Columbia. (PF)

The importance of paraprofessional personnel in a university library is discussed. (PF)