This article is Part 3 of a three part summary of selected articles from the journals of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) over a period of thirty-five years from 1972 to 2007. This three-part series in the April, May, and June (2009) issues of "School Library Media Activities Monthly" ("SLMAM") illustrate the evolution in…

The lead article in this symposium argues that academic librarians have become too enthralled with their perception of themselves as teachers and urges them to shift their emphasis from instruction to services. Six authors respond to this view in short opinion pieces. (11 references) (CLB)

Presents issues regarding Internet literacy and the attitudes of Internet users versus nonusers. Describes how the Internet meets administrators' and librarians' needs, and highlights the Internet's effect on budgeting, staff productivity, and image. Notes the necessity for Internet training for library personnel to interact effectively with…

Discusses the role of the academic library in the support of nontraditional students, and offers several suggestions for effectively reacquainting these students with the library and developing their research skills. (CLB)

Explains the basic requirements of Proposition 48 and discusses why college student-athletes are an important target for library user education, and how libraries can help student-athletes maintain their eligibility. A library user education module for student-athletes developed at the University of Wisconsin at Madison is described. (20…

Discusses the librarian's intermediary role in the dissemination of information. The user's information-seeking process, reference negotiation, and bibliographic instruction are also considered, and an overview of this theme issue is provided. (LRW)

This review of the literature discusses the image of librarians in popular culture, the importance of projecting a clear and positive image of reference librarians and their work to encourage users to seek reference help, and ways to improve users' understanding and image of librarians. (25 references) (Author/CLB)

This paper discusses the potential role of librarians in user education and training in the context of knowledge management (KM) initiatives. The paper first summarizes the results of a recent study of KM systems that found a high failure and disappointment rate, with more than half of the failures attributable to inadequate user training and…

Reviews research that indicates that effective adult education should focus on the immediate needs of the student and applies those findings to library instruction. Suggestions for instructional approaches that stress the practical aspects of library instruction and address the special needs of adult reentry students are offered. (21 references)…

Describes a survey of public librarians that examined their understanding and use of bibliographic instruction and their beliefs about the role of instruction in reference services. No consensus was found, but respondents' views seemed to be mediated by training in bibliographic instruction, library size, and the library's policy on user…

Discussion of issues concerned with providing library reference services to machine readable data files focuses on numeric databases. The team approach used at the University of Florida, which incorporates reference librarians, programers and data managers, database producers and vendors, and professional associations, is described. A bibliography…

Posits a positive association between an academic department's publishing output and (1) whether its coursework requires library use; (2) how frequently its faculty require their classes to take library tours; (3) its faculty's belief that library tours contribute to students' developing useful library skills; and (4) students' ability to use the…

Discusses user education in China's academic libraries in light of educational reform and the changing role of academic libraries. Describes information technology developments, objectives of user education, and the emphasis on computerbased searching in the Tsinghua University library. (LRW)

Quality education in an information society must include skills related to the accessing and evaluating of pertinent information for problem solving. Moving beyond the practice of using reserve material, lectures, and textbooks predominant in most college teaching today would be a step towards producing independent learners more likely to use the…

This paper describes the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Library's strategic plan to develop its services amid an atmosphere of change. A summary of the following components of the strategic plan is given: vision; mission; values; and goals. The revised organizational functions are then illustrated, as well as the role of the selector-liaison…