By and large, there's more active learning going on in libraries these days than in most other places in this society. (Author)

The vice president of Gaylord Information Systems, a vendor of library products, reminisces about several items of library equipment and their evolution, including the card catalog, circulation products, and bookbinder's supplies. The common purpose of library products of the past and present--to help librarians help people find and use…

The world has changed rapidly and violently since the author went to his first library. But, he still believes in the mystery and magic of language, the power of the printed word, and in the library as a vital literary center and sanctuary as well as a headquarters of social and community activity. (Author/SJ)

The potential of library services in various kinds of institutions was not widely recognized in 1952. During the last two decades great changes have occurred both in philosophy and attitudes toward institutional library service and in their organization and operation. (54 references) (SJ)

Discussion of the role of librarians focuses on three more traditional aspects of librarianship that are still important in the midst of new technology: (1) the study of the book and its role in our culture; (2) reading and its role in the inner life; and (3) reading guidance. (Contains 16 references.) (LRW)

When American Libraries went snooping for library implications at a momentous conference called "Project: Knowledge 2000," it turned up a pride of intellectual and policy leaders with more use for libraries than they'll ever know, and barely a librarian in the bunch to teach them--or to learn what We ought to know about Them. (Author)

This description of a program in which public libraries serve as sites for mediation sessions discusses the advantages of mediation over judicial proceedings in resolving disputes in the neighborhood and workplace, the role of the library in this program, and the effects on the library's relationship with the community. (CLB)

Examines the theory of a postindustrial society and its significance for librarians, with specific reference to Daniel Bell's "The Coming of Post-Industrial Society." Two areas of prime importance are the political environment characteristic of the postindustrial society, and the knowledge base of librarianship. (JPF)

Discusses the role of the librarian in child abuse prevention, including the identification of high risk situations, provision of appropriate literature and support group information, and acting as a role model. An annotated bibliography of books for children and young adults in families at risk is provided. (8 references) (CLB)

Chronicles the evolution of the position of consultant in poetry (in 1989, officially titled Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry) at the Library of Congress from the 1930s to the present. Poets highlighted include Howard Nemerov, Alan Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Robert Hayden, Joseph Brodsky, Rita Dove, and Stanley Kunitz. A sidebar discusses…

An adult librarian presents a commentary on the need for farseeing and painstaking site selection in urban locations. Contributing to the Ortega Branch Library's problems are its central location and extended hours of operation, the scheduling of adjacent facilities, structure and personality of the neighborhood, and the lack of police…

Recommends ways to alleviate the psychological, political, funding, communication, and planning problems which have blocked the full participation of schools in interlibrary networks. The roles of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and NCLIS's Task Force on the role of the school library media programs in networking are…

The years 1952-1972 saw a tremendous activity and development in special librarianship. The natural improvement on the special library concept of service which began about midway in the two decades, and which was recognized by users and management, is the present challenge facing special librarians. (64 references) (Author)

Discusses 10 library roles that need to be taken into consideration when planning for a new facility: study hall, workplace, distribution center, cost center, part of a community, a museum, part-time parent, a store, an evolving organism, or something more. It is noted that different roles help determine the type of facility needed. (LAE)

As part of its bicentennial celebration, the Library of Congress is sponsoring the Local Legacies project, an unprecedented effort in which Americans across the nation work with their members of Congress to document unique traditions for the collections of the American Folklife Center. Libraries will have a critical role in directing documentation…