The authors compared Web usability definitions, collected from library professionals at academic institutions of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) through online surveys in 2007 and 2012, to determine whether library practitioners' perspectives had altered as information technologies evolved during this time. The authors applied three…

School libraries have been in existence since at least the eighth century. However, it wasn't until the twentieth century that the school library was seen primarily as "a source of enrichment for the curriculum, and a means of developing reading and study habits in the pupils" (Clyde 1981, 263). While the formats available and tools for…

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts affords school librarians and their planning committees an opportunity to reinvigorate their roles in the school as curators of the school library collection, innovators in the use of instructional technology, and leaders in instructional planning. By focusing on these…

This special issue of "portal: Libraries and the Academy" grew out of a discussion about the need for speculative, creative space within the library and information science (LIS) literature.1 While venues for exposing important research and illuminating case studies are plentiful, the LIS literature lacks an obvious platform on which to…

This article describes the roles of librarians in a research library, particularly in the digital era. Librarians' roles vary from the custodian of resources to providers of a diverse nature of activities ranging from collection development, organization of knowledge, information services, preservation and conservation, and management. Librarians…

Teacher education is a vital component of Eastern Washington University's (EWU) mission and history. In 2006, after several years of decline in collections and usage of its curriculum center, EWU Libraries made a commitment to transform it into a center for twenty-first century educators. The center has changed greatly in a short time with five…

The Council on Library and Information Resources' (CLIR's) College Libraries Committee began its study of the innovative uses of technology on college campuses in the spring of 1998. A letter was sent to heads of libraries of colleges and mid-sized universities in the United States encouraging librarians who felt their institutions had used…

The new edition of "Information Power, National Guidelines for School Libraries" has a focus on change as reflected in technology, educational philosophy, role of the library media specialists, and importance of information literacy across the curriculum. These changes are explored, new trends are related to practice, and the impact on…

Most professionals in the field of educational technology have served as change agents; it is no accident that one domain in the current definition of the field specifies a sociological theory base linked to practice that includes diffusion, adoption, implementation and institutionalization of innovations. This paper emphasizes the implementation…

As a result of a Technology Retreat sponsored by the Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona) in 1988, action/research groups were formed to explore the various challenges of implementing instructional technology effectively. This interim report reviews the work of the groups, with a summary report from each, as follows: (1) "Alternative Funding…

The 129th meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) focused on anticipating the future of higher education in North America and identifying responses from research libraries that will contribute to emerging agendas for change. An opening session (convened by Nancy Cline, ARL Presiding President) began the meeting. The first session,…

Based on an analysis of the direction of library development and changes in librarians' social functions, this paper presents some key measures in the reform of library and information science education. The first section discusses the developing direction of the library cause under the network environment. The second section covers librarians'…