The perfect politician, the ideal political ally to a library, is often but not always an elected official. He or she is always an effective champion of "reasonable financial support," i.e., "the amount...which a thoroughly competent librarian can spend wisely." That is what J.T. Wyer, director of the New York State Library, said in his "What the…

This article profiles "Library Journal's" (LJ) chosen 2008 Librarian of the Year. Librarians and officials in education and government all recount the leadership and creativity brought to library service in New Jersey by State Librarian Norma Blake. She has sparked proactive, collaborative initiatives that have taken libraries of all…

It has been an unconventional career path. Sharon Morris has been a children's librarian, a collection development librarian, a product manager for CARL, and an academic advisor in a graduate library science program. Today she's coordinator for AskColorado, the 24/7 online reference service recognized as 2004 Project of the Year by the Colorado…

When Valerie Allen decided she did not want to be a Montessori teacher any longer, she began work on her MLIS. Immediately she learned concepts she could apply to her new job as information specialist for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN. While the LIS…

This article details the work of Michael Neubert from the Library of Congress. It briefly discusses his interest in Russian studies and how it originated. It then discusses that when he received his M.A. in Soviet Studies he was not sure how he would make a living--until he read about the job opportunities for area studies librarians.

Summarizes the American Library Association's (ALA) 1988 Midwinter Meeting, including presentations on (1) leadership; (2) a strategic plan for the Library of Congress; and (3) government information. Resolutions passed at the meeting are reviewed, and candidates for ALA president and treasurer are introduced. (MES)