Occasional Papers deal with varied aspects of librarianship and consist of papers that generally are too long or too detailed for publication in a periodical, or are of specialized or contemporary interest. This latest volume in the Occasional Paper series reviews the changing and cumulative institutional functions of libraries in Western…

Louis Shores (1904-1981) was one of the undisputed intellectual leaders of librarianship in the 1960s. By that time, Shores had already established a national reputation in the field of reference work and had become prominent in education for librarianship. His lifelong commitment to his profession centered around his intense belief in the power…

This book provides information science students and librarians the background and techniques they need to meet the challenges of the library profession today. The book begins with a discussion of the practice of librarianship and the place of libraries within the broader perspective of the information superstructure. Topics covered include the…

This book examines the professional and political ideology that informed and sustained the Public Library Inquiry--an inquiry conceived in the late 1940s to study and document the conditions, achievements, and weaknesses of public libraries and librarianship. This book explores the consistencies, contradictions, and assumptions inherent within the…

Argues that libraries have gone through a rising and falling pattern of influence, largely in response to changes in information technology. The library of the future is described as an information support center where librarians can fill two new roles: systems analysts and knowledge engineers. (EM)

Investigates what has changed in librarianship in the last decade, challenges the profession has faced, and positions library professionals should take in the rapidly evolving technological environment. Provides information on the demands of the profession, changes library schools have made, and the future outlook. (AEF)

In a culturally complex world, librarians can best work toward the equalization of library services if they understand their institutions in the light of cultural history. The six essays in this book highlight problems that affect unempowered populations, and address a variety of cultural problems and biases--problems that contribute to the…

This document is based on transcripts of recorded informal interviews with: (1) selected senior professors in the library schools at Warsaw, Krakow, and Wroclaw (Poland); (2) the director and a member of the Books and Readers Institute of the National Polish Libraries; and (3) a group of Polish librarians and students in the field. The report…