"Special Libraries, Special Challenges" is a column dedicated to exploring the unique public services challenges that arise in libraries that specialize in a particular subject, such as law, medicine, business, and so forth. In each column, the author will discuss public service dilemmas and opportunities that arise in special libraries.…

This article details a collaboration between the fyw program and the library at the University of Nevada, Reno. The departments share a goal of helping students develop better research-writing skills; however, institutional and disciplinary boundaries presented well-known challenges. To surmount these challenges, the cross-disciplinary team…

Academic librarians have always played an important role in providing research services and research-skills development to faculty in higher education. But that role is evolving to include the academic librarian as a unique and necessary research partner, practitioner, and participant in collaborative, grant-funded research projects. This article…

People see challenges to libraries in funding, in ebooks, and in the internet. However, in this information-rich age, librarians' roles are even more important. They are information experts. They know how to think about the changing information environment, and they know the impact--both positive and negative--it can have on people whose jobs…

The Excelsior College Library is turning fearful faculty members into empowered copyright role models. Geared towards institutions operating without a copyright policy or department, this article outlines a three-step process for fostering faculty collaboration surrounding copyright practices: (1) Give faculty and course developers the tools and…

As we look back over the last six months, we are surprised at what we have accomplished with a coordinated effort and a team attitude. The librarians who "check their egos at the door" (Sanders 2008) will find that their joint accomplishments exceed the sum of their individual efforts. The willingness to accept others' ideas (both internal and…

Libraries and library faculty play a significant role in supporting college curriculum and helping students succeed academically. In particular, libraries are the primary location both physically and remotely for supporting faculty and students in their research and information needs. Over the years, this role of libraries and library faculty has…

This qualitative study examines current community college library practices in developmental education. Based on semistructured telephone interviews with 27 librarians across the United States, analysis of the results shows that there are librarians who proactively integrate basic library skills into developmental education and academic success…

Information literacy (IL) was introduced as an important consideration when the American Library Association (ALA) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy (1989) touted the "Information Age" as the key catalyst for changes in how citizens view and interact with information. In the mid-1990s, with information technology taking center stage…

In recent years academic librarians have sought to partner with other organizations of higher education to establish areas of mutual interest and to work together to further these areas. Richard Ekman, as president of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), has involved librarians in various CIC programs. This past year, under Richard's…

Discusses the research methodologies of humanities scholars and describes a project developed at the University of California at Berkeley that promoted collaboration between reference librarians and humanities faculty to increase faculty awareness of library services and resources. Highlights include new technologies and librarians' integration…

This study surveying the six community colleges of the City University of New York reveals that there is much room for improvement in the interrelationship between librarians and teaching faculty. More effective communication and mutual respect would enhance the educational experience for students and provide a richer learning environment.…

While the library is at the center of many campuses physically, it is often an overlooked and underused resource in improving the learning and success of first-year college students. Librarians, classroom faculty, administrators, and higher education researchers come together to explore the potential of the library in shaping the student…