The job of the contemporary reference librarian has a virtual component unimaginable a generation ago. Today's library professional can obtain an MLS (or equivalent) online with a minimal residency requirement. Not only the degree, but also library sources, and indeed patrons, have become virtual. Both books and periodicals can be consulted by…

The intention of this essay is to serve as a guide to the literature treating the historical development of the American public library. It also provides a selective analysis of the literature dealing with the role of the public library. An extensive selected bibliography is included along with an appendix which is a short critical essay on the…

The intention of this article is to serve as a guide to the literature treating the historical development of the American public library. (A fuller version of this article is ERIC document ED 071 668.) (22 references) (Author/SJ)

Chronicles rise of American trade publishing industry from end of Civil War to present. Topics covered include prominent publishers, publishing philosophy, careers in publishing, pre-World War I developments, librarianship and library education, new publishers, assertion of rights by authors, development of American economy, and impact of…

Discussion of way in which books have functioned within framework of American librarianship highlights acquisition of books (libraries attempting to fill needs of everyone in geographical area, libraries devoted to filling needs of self-selected part of society, libraries devoted to collecting particular subject), and role of private collector of…

The library profession's attitude regarding national and international issues, and issues within the profession during the last decade are recalled. (MBR)

Discusses the origins of theoretical structure in academic librarianship through a review of the literature. (MBR)

The growth of libraries and of technical education in the middle of the 19th century led to the organization of Melvil Dewey's School of Library Economy in 1887. The School offered a technical course to replace the apprenticeships then in favor. Its curriculum persisted as the model for library education through 1920. A break with the early form…

This dissertation is the report of an analysis of the literature of American theological education. American theological education is defined here as the efforts of American Protestant theological schools, particularly the member schools of the American Association of Theological Schools (AATS), to prepare students for ministry. An assumption of…

Reprints four articles originally published between 1919 and 1967 in "Library Journal." Topics include changing ideals in librarianship, the changing nature of library work (Paul Dunkin), attracting adolescents to the library (Mary Hinant), and the social outlook of the librarian (Marilla Waite Freeman). A sidebar reviews the 1966…

Discusses the "axemaker" school librarian, drawing the concept of innovators for survival and growth of the human species, from Burke and Ornstein's "The Axemaker's Gift: A Double-Edged History of Human Culture." Examines contributions of library science to society and suggests that "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning" is the…

Links the origin, decline, and renaissance of bibliographic instruction to the increasing specialization and democratization of education and reviews the history of the academic library and the role of the academic librarian in American higher education. The value of concept-oriented bibliographic instruction is stressed. Included are 18…

Seven of these ten papers are concerned with library research in specific countries; the remaining three deal with library planning and ethics in research. Titles are "The Library as a Cultural Institution," by Jadwiga Kolodziejska, Poland; "The International Seminar 'Book and Library in Society' of the Polish Book and Readers…

Examines the relationship between historians and librarians. Delineates the librarian's role in historical research; how librarians can create and maintain history collections; and ways that librarians and historians can work together to improve libraries. Outlines major areas of contention between historians and librarians, and discusses…

This discussion of effective communication for leaders in the field of librarianship begins by providing a historical overview which highlights the librarian's influential role from the earliest days of recorded language; the evolution and modification of words in individual languages from crude forms to their electronic storage and transmission;…