This report presents strategies for providing efficient and affordable interlending of actual physical items from special collections for research purposes, as well as advice on determining if a loan is the most appropriate way to fulfill a particular request. Lending physical items ranks among the most divisive issues in the field of archives and…

Positive relationships between administrators and school librarians were essential for increasing awareness of, and promoting advocacy for, school librarians who successfully fulfilled their six professional roles in contributing to school improvement and serving as additional educational leaders. The six professional roles of 21st century school…

Trinity University has established effective strategies for engaging faculty, administrators, and staff in information literacy instruction and assessment. Succeeding in an area in which many libraries struggle, the Coates Library at Trinity University offers a model for libraries seeking to actively engage their campuses through 1) establishing a…

An online survey of institutional repository (IR) managers identified copyright clearance trends in staffing and workflows. The majority of respondents followed a mediated deposit model, and reported that library personnel, instead of authors, engaged in copyright clearance activities for IRs. The most common "information gaps" pertained to the…

The conservation and well-being of exotic animals is core to the mission of zoos, aquariums and many small nonprofit wildlife groups. Increasingly, these organizations are committed to scientific research, both basic and applied. To ascertain the current state of the libraries that support their efforts, librarians at the San Diego Zoo conducted…

Volunteers are essential to a successful library program--and at a time when deep budget cuts are the norm, there are many libraries that depend on the help of dedicated volunteers, who do everything from shelving books to covering the phones. Whether these are friends, trustees, or community members, managing them effectively is the key to…

For over a half a century, State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) have played a key role in the development and delivery of library services in the United States. While the organization and responsibilities of these agencies vary from state to state, they have two things in common: state-level planning for library services and…

Each year, "Library Journal" recognizes 50 or so emerging leaders in the profession as Movers & Shakers. These library professionals are passionate about the work they do and are moving the profession forward, often in creative and innovative ways. Some of these individuals enjoyed and were encouraged by amazing institutional support and…

Defining and expanding diversity in the workplace may involve reassessment of the dominant workplace culture in libraries, in order to foster better understanding and more effective management, retention, and promotion of librarians of color. Highlights include a selected bibliography and a survey instrument that analyzes the dominant culture of a…

Facing shifting organizational cultures, technological innovations, and the growth of digital information, administrators must consider how best to utilize the resources and staff devoted to cataloging special collections. A survey of special collections cataloging among Association of Research Libraries member institutions showed variation in…

ARL is the bimonthly report on research library issues and actions from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). ARL reports on current issues of interest to academic and research library administrators, staff, and users; higher education…