While not a new topic, many conversations are occurring about the roles of library staff and the changing nature of their work in support of research, teaching, and learning. Boundaries between specific functions or departments within the library continue to change as library employees grapple with issues of their roles in new service models.…

There persists an intense debate on whether or not the traditional reference desk should be in academic libraries. Yet, despite many anti-desk studies, the place of the reference desk still remains. This paper aims to review the current significance of the reference desk for some libraries, as well as the importance of choosing the proper…

This case study presents a conceptual model of researcher performance developed by Deakin University Library, Australia. The model aims to organize research performance data into meaningful researcher profiles, referred to as researcher typologies, which support the demonstration of research impact and value. Three dimensions shaping researcher…

This article describes the expansion of Monash University Library's role to incorporate learning skills services, programs, and resources, within the context of the University's evolving learning landscape. It explains the Library's now holistic approach to students' development of information research and learning skills as interconnected skills…

During the past year, Wisconsin state legislators debated a series of bills aimed at closing low-performing public schools and replacing them with privately run charter schools. These proposals were particularly targeted at Milwaukee, the state's largest and poorest school district. Ultimately, the only legislation enacted was a bill that modestly…

Shows how l'Heure Joyeuse, a children's library started in Paris in 1923 as a gift from U.S. philanthropists, became a model of open-access, user-oriented public libraries. L'Heure Joyeuse's unique role in the development of public libraries in France from before 1900 to the present is described. (41 references) (EAM)

This paper discusses performance measurement in university libraries, based on examples from the University of Wollongong (UoW) in Australia. The introduction highlights the integration of information literacy into the curriculum and the outcomes of a 1998 UoW student satisfaction survey. The first section considers performance indicators in…

This report documents the findings from 13 workshops designed to help teachers and librarians work together to identify library services required to support the delivery of competency-training curricula. Two hundred and twenty-eight staff attended the workshops, which were held in Queensland (Australia) between March and July 1992. About 80…

In the 1970s, German academic libraries discovered user education as a new area of responsibilities, although promising activities at the end of the decade were not continued because of the lack of staff and organizational conditions. Since the beginning of the 1990s, activities in that field have been renewed, especially by large academic…

The Library Resource Centre at Dundee College of Education is used as an example to describe the role of a resource center within a model of an open learning system. Identifying learner's needs, staff development, and library instruction are considered in terms of effective support strategies. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the development of information literacy focuses on a study in New Zealand elementary schools that examined teachers' understanding of information skills; teachers' understanding of resource-based learning; the role of the library; a model of information problem solving; students' experiences; conflicting information; and reading and…

This paper describes competency-based training and open learning, two methods of teaching/learning that are having a significant effect on the education offered through Australia's Technical and Further Education (TAFE) program. The paper defines competency-based training and open learning and details the broad impact they are having on resource…

This paper discusses reference services in the digital library. The introduction provides definitions of a digital library, and the first section summarizes the purposes of a digital library system, as well as key roles for information professionals. The second section provides examples of mediated and unmediated digital reference. The third…

Describes the Barkestorp Project that investigated the teaching and learning process for Swedish elementary school children after libraries had been introduced into the curriculum. Highlights include planning by principals, teachers, and librarians; the librarian's role; cooperation between teachers and librarians; student behavior; library…

Papers on library/information science theory and research, which were presented at the 1983 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference, include: (1) "The Role of the Library in Computer-Aided Information and Documentation Systems," in which Wolf D. Rauch (West Germany) asserts that libraries must adapt to the…