Wise and careful selection of materials remains among the most important and enduring duties of the librarian--and also among the most difficult. The author has found this to be especially true in a specialized-subject library, where traditional collection development methods do not always yield good results. While collection development practices…

Rumors of the death of the magazine are greatly exaggerated. Efforts by some innovative publishers suggest that rather than killing magazines, the Internet may just reinvigorate the medium. As each magazine seeks the ideal relationship of print to online to develop its brand, nearly every magazine has a web site with at least subscribing…

This review of the positive and negative impact of centralization of library collections and services on library staff and quality of services focuses on reference services. The move from decentralized to centralized library services at Louisiana State University is discussed as well as the effect of automation on that configuration. (Author/CLB)

Reviews role of the American Library Association's Committee on Accreditation as it relates to the education of librarians qualified to work with children and young people. The history of the accreditation process, standards, and professional committee representation are discussed, and ways that youth divisions can influence library schools are…

Argues that the master's degree awarded by a graduate program accredited by the American Library Association is the requisite credential for youth services librarianship. Problem areas discussed include the departmental location of education for youth services librarians, the development of skills standards, and the need for identifying career…

Library/Information Science (LIS) education is facing cataclysmic change brought about by changes in the information professions. LIS education must provide education for the evolving information professions or it will become obsolete. Two central characteristics describe the status of LIS schools and their likely evolution. First is the depth and…

Discusses developments in library and information science education in Canada and the United States. Topics covered include schools' change of emphasis from "library" to "information," interdisciplinary programs, specialization, joint degrees, and continuing education. (CDD)