Last fall, at the Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science in New York, Barbara Genco, collection development director at the Brooklyn Public Library, taught a course on collection development principles, theory, and practice. "Library Journal" asked her to distill her curriculum down to 20 talking points that address…

This is the first part of a two-part article on library education. It deals with the historical bases for the development of certain traditions in higher education and education for librarianship. (Author/NH)

She is still in the wings, but once Sharon (Sherri) McQueen arrives on the stage of library education, innovation will surely follow. McQueen comes across like a fast-forward version of Katharine Hepburn's Bunny Watson without the fear of technology. Funny and clever, she seamlessly trades her comedy mask for tragedy when she turns to the future…

Academic libraries now hire an increasing number of individuals to fill professional librarian positions who do not have the master's degree in library science. Academic libraries are also creating a wide range of new professional assignments that demand diverse educational backgrounds. Additionally, responsibilities formerly carried out by…

Examines critically a personal selection of the concepts and activities of librarianship during the past 100 years. (Author/PF)

In this article, the author discusses his immediate concerns about working at Butler Library at Columbia University. He discusses the structure of the library system and voices his concerns about the structure. The structure is best described as a stratified pyramid. The librarians hired into the "upper base" are either specialists without an MLS…

It is time for librarians to discard the blind alley of professionalism and agree among themselves to shift gears and change directions. This will divert the librarians' energies to the process of developing better service and satisfaction for all users. (Author/NH)

In 2003, during the Biennial migration of academic librarians to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference, several of the programs in Charlotte, NC, discussed the recruitment and retention of the next generation but with an obvious lack of input from newly recruited librarians. In response, with Liza Posas, a library…

Speculates on why graduate library schools have not, in the persons of their professors, produced theoretical leadership in Library Science. The ideals of professional ethical standards are contrasted with present practice. (RAA)

Despite setbacks and hazards, libraries today are a more vital and a more appreciated part of our lives than ever before. (Author/NH)

Discusses problems inherent in the contemporary requirement that library educators, as members of university faculties, be scholarly academic personnel. The development of library schools, pragmatic practitioners, the educational trend toward university connection, the graduate school standard, and library educators as academics are considered.…

Cautions that present purely qualitative accreditation standards tend to deny disaccreditation as a Committee on Accreditation (ALA) alternative and to reinforce mediocrity. Standards should be revised to accept certain quantitative, structural, and procedural changes to insure quality in library school graduates. (RAA)

Library schools need to address the question of professional preparation in relation to their present programs. In addition to the author, statements are made by Ralph Blasingame, Martha Boaz, George Bobinski, Margaret Chisholm, Guy Garrison, Norman Horrocks, Jean Lowrie, Kenneth Shaffer, Roy Stokes, and William Summers. (4 references) (SJ)

Differences exist between theory and practice in management, between textbook professional managers and practical general managers, and between specialist technicians and generalists. Library and business school management courses cover theory and techniques used by management specialists, not practical management which is more human, subtle, and…