Responsible Operations is intended to help chart library community engagement with data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) and was developed in partnership with an advisory group and a landscape group comprised of more than 70 librarians and professionals from universities, libraries, museums, archives, and other…

Public libraries are heavily affected by political and policy-making processes that shape the funding, activities, and roles of libraries in society, with the explosion of information policy decisions in the past two decades significantly increasing the responsibilities of libraries while also increasing limitations on their activities. Research…

In 2008, we started by pulling a sample of 483 public libraries from across the country, using 2007 public library annual report data. Because small libraries have different needs and resources than larger libraries, we stratified the sample to make comparisons by size, according to the following population groups: fewer than 10,000 served;…

Recent surveys indicate that many colleges and universities have reached a pivotal moment in assessing the function and future development of their institutional repositories. Other surveys convey that archivists are participating in the development and implementation of institutional repositories at a variety of levels and have contributed to the…

In 1962, Harvard sociologist Daniel Bell began distributing and discussing a draft paper in which he introduced the concept of the "post-industrial" or "information" society. This idea has been the subject of intense and often insightful analysis by proponents and critics from a vast range of disciplinary sites. Until now, the…

This assessment of the state of library and information science research in the United Kingdom, which was presented at a joint conference of two Canadian professional associations, focuses on functions of the British Library's Research and Development Department. The importance of research and dissemination of its findings are also discussed. (CDD)

Discusses findings of six recent studies on the impact of school libraries on student performance. The findings concern: (1) school library development; (2) leadership and collaboration activities that foster information literacy; and (3) the use of instructional technology to extend the reach of the library program beyond the walls of the school…

The United States Department of Education invited leading professionals who work in the library field in federal agencies, universities, associations, and foundations to a meeting in Washington, DC to explore the need for national focus on library research. Each participant suggested a research issue of particular concern to their organization and…

Traditionally, libraries have had a role of providing equitable access for those who might not otherwise have access, and this role continues today in implementing access to electronic resources. However, there are special problems in applying this mission to prison libraries. A short history of automation in prison libraries is followed by a…