The paper proposes and describes a framework for academic library quality to be used by new and more experienced library practitioners and by others involved in considering the quality of academic libraries' services and provision. The framework consists of eight themes and a number of questions to examine within each theme. The framework was…

This article explores recent developments in national policy for academic libraries. It considers the shift from traditional to managerial academic librarianship; the move to "social space" and multi-use systems; changes in the balance between meeting teaching and research needs and in public funding priorities; the difficulty of making…

When American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) "Standards for the 21st Century Learner" were released in late 2007, librarians rushed to incorporate them in curricula at the local and state level and in existing lessons. After an initial frenzy of simply replacing old learning objectives with new ones, the field settled into the task of…

This article reports on the newly revamped version of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), the nation's largest electronic education library. ERIC made its debut last September with promises of more offerings to come from the federal project. In the move to upgrade and streamline ERIC, the Department of Education shut down the 16…

The most elemental identifier of a book is the international standard book number (ISBN). It allows publishers, booksellers, and libraries to label works in a consistent way and to distinguish not only among different titles but also among different versions of the same title, such as newer editions, various bindings, audio products, and…

This paper describes a two-year study by the British Library Research and Innovation Centre that examined the potential of self-assessment for public library services. The approaches that formed the basis for the investigation were the Business Excellence Model, the Quality Framework, and the Democratic Approach. Core values were identified by…

Discusses the future of libraries and the necessary steps that need to be taken to be successful. Topics discussed include the process of change, the need to emphasize delivery systems rather than storage facilities, library services, the need for strategic planning, the role of technology, and library leadership. (11 references) (LRW)

Fremont Rider's 1944 book, "The Scholar and the Future of the Research Library", had a major impact on research library thinking. The issues raised by Rider, such as research library economics, collection, acquisition and management policies, and library cooperation still resonate today, although his technology solutions have long since been…

The support of electronic services requires special skills and in many cases more, not fewer, staff hours. Each library must develop individual solutions to this dilemma, but many will find useful a model that incorporates three basic elements: utilization of experienced librarians, targeted recruiting of entry-level librarians and creative…

Restructuring serials management along access-versus-ownership lines doesn't solve the serials crisis, but it alleviates inflationary pressures and has other significant economic, service, and political outcomes. This new series model is illustrated at three institutional libraries. ((Author/AEF)

Reviews the literature on academic library reference service, and examines changes in the traditional reference desk model. Based on the review from the perspectives of managers, librarians, and users, new research directions are proposed in which users' information-search processes and librarians' intervention in reference service are integrated.…

The merger of the Commission on Preservation and Access and the Council on Library Resources (CLR) became official on May 30, 1997 when the Board approved the new enterprise, the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The CLIR statement of mission calls on the organization to identify the critical issues that affect the welfare and…

While it may seem redundant to be considering the library as a humanistic workplace, since most libraries are probably at the upper end of the quality of workplace life, there is always some room for improvement, making the topic worthy of exploration. The most important consideration in a humanistic workplace is how people are treated. There is a…

Challenging popular prognostications and asserting that the complex mix of technologies projects suggests no clear path to the future, this book offers an alternative model to a simplistic digital future. The book is divided into four main parts. Chapters in the first part, "Being Analog," consider the need to get over the digital…

Discusses pertinent issues with an urban public library director, including recent financial, demographic, and technological changes; developing partnerships within the community; service philosophy; communication with staff; and fundraising concerns, including management skills. (LRW)