This article outlines some of the opportunities and challenges of changing what the library "brand" means to academic and professional services staff in the rapidly changing environment of UK higher education, taking the University of Leicester as a case study. It makes a practitioner contribution to the growing body of evidence of how…

This article describes a process one librarian discovered and implemented as she observed the changing role of the librarian and the library. Frustration was growing due to the gradual erosion of school libraries as they struggled to remain, with electronic books, video streaming, and databases supplanting many of the physical resources in the…

In this article, the authors describe how they created a school library that is the center of learning in their school community with the collaborative vision of the principal (Mat McRae) and the school librarian (Kay Wejrowski) and the support of their entire staff. For eight years, McRae and Wejrowski have worked together as principal and school…

The core mission of libraries has always centered on making content and related services available to patrons. The form in which that content is delivered has changed continually. The most ancient libraries or archives organized clay tablets or cylinders written in cuneiform. Centuries ago, the transition from scrolls to codices must have been…

As higher education confronts shortages in hungry times, will officials who previously viewed the library as a sacred cow think it's time for a barbecue? Don't light the charcoal yet. Interviews with chief academic officers and an online survey taken by over 130 leaders in academic affairs yield surprising results. It's no secret that academic…

At the end of 2006 the UNSW Library restructured its five special libraries into a new division called the Information Services Department. It was a radical restructure and provides a new model through which the Library delivers services in both the physical and online environments in a flexible and proactive manner. A pivotal role within this new…

The study's purpose was to investigate the views and opinions of librarians about the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies into library operations and services. The Delphi technique was chosen as the method of inquiry in this study, in which a group of panelists graded the desirability and probability of a list of statements. Thirty-nine…

The public library is a product of modernity that follows in the wake of industrialization, urbanization, and popular movements, while at the same time the public library itself supports the building up and development of the modern. This article will examine the arrival of modernity and the prerequisites for the rise of public libraries, as well…

Rapidly developing online information technologies provide dramatically new capabilities and opportunities, and place new responsibilities on all involved to recreate networks for scholarly communication. Collaborations between all segments of the information network are made possible and necessary as we attempt to find a balanced and mutually…

Illustrates how librarians can advocate their strong transferable abilities to management when coping with staffing shifts and shortages. Highlights include entrepreneurship and a move beyond traditional roles; application of skills; professional achievement in a new environment; examples of information roles and skills that function beyond the…

The purpose of this book is to report the findings of one study of the centrality of the academic library and to suggest specific ways in which the library can fulfill its mission. The book aims to improve librarians' understanding of how to help their users succeed and seeks a new metaphor for the academic library that is appropriate for the…

In response to marketplace and organizational changes, Owens Corning Corporate Library developed a strategic plan to secure its function within the organization. Describes outsourcing transactional services, creating an Intranet/Internet tool for users, redefining the library as a knowledge resource center, and achieving team commitment. A sidebar…

Discusses changes in libraries and the influence they have on library budgets. Highlights include reorganization in response to changes; automation, including document delivery in place of acquisitions; the library role; relationships with dealers and vendors; library materials, including the expansion of nonprint materials such as databases; and…

This is the final article in a series examining globalisation and the role of Australian librarians in internationalising library, university, and international practice in higher education. It describes case studies of Australian academic libraries in which a successful pattern for internationalisation emerged. The conclusions of the research are…

This document examines the impact of new information technologies on the various roles of national libraries. Seventy-two national libraries responded to a questionnaire designed to assist in determining how such institutions worldwide are responding to recent technological innovations. The first of six chapters identifies three basic…