Of 254 university library employees, 58 identified themselves as members of underrepresented groups, although 15% were in groups not traditionally considered underrepresented. This self-categorization was associated with lower job satisfaction, poorer perception of organizational climate, and more negative reactions to diversity issues. (SK)

States that cost-control and efficiency initiatives will continue to be directed at higher education. Suggests that rather than focusing on technology it might be wiser to focus on attaining the highest standards in teaching, innovative learning opportunities, academic advising, and student-development services throughout the nation's colleges and…

Information literacy learning is integrated into a nursing curriculum in Australia to ensure incremental development resulting from learning experiences. A series of learning activities is related to multidimensional assessment tasks, building on each level of skill. (SK)

Describes the unique design qualities, found in some college libraries, that help create individuality. Examines library designs that complement school's traditional images and facilitate learning while providing optimum user satisfaction. (GR)

Describes results of a survey of recent academic-library appointees that focused on specific application practices. Results show that large numbers of applicants waste time by applying for positions for which they do not meet minimum qualifications, failing to meet deadlines, and not submitting requested materials. (Author/LRW)

Discusses accessibility to library Web sites to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and examines guidelines being developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative for building Web sites that are accessible to people with disabilities. Topics include degradation; meaning versus structure; content structure; and testing for…

Reviews Web-search tools available to librarians. Discusses the Clever project, (part of the Computer Science Principles and Methodologies Department at the IBM Almaden Research Center, Silicon Valley, California), an algorithm that finds authoritative sources on the Web; Google technology, based on links between Web pages; Ask Jeeves, a…

Visual images of gender from five years of three library publications were examined. Results, charted in five figures, are discussed in terms of journal covers, entire issues, text, advertisements, number of professional librarians, and academic versus general libraries. Findings show that women are visually underrepresented. (AEF)

Discusses the shape of the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) age distribution due to the unprecedented increase in the number of library positions in the 1960s and the subsequent reduction in the rate of hire. Considers the limited mobility of many ARL librarians and the age at entry of new hires. (Author/LRW)

This literature review, covering materials between 1996 and 1998, focuses on the development and application of metadata standards used by the library and information science communities to describe, retrieve, and manage information in the digital environment. Discusses MARC as metadata; SGML-based metadata; and the Dublin Core element set.…

Discussion of interoperability among computer networks focuses on the need for information policy and information standards to ensure information access. Highlights include library standards; challenges of networked environment standards; and interoperability as a technical goal for information access. (Contains 9 references.) (LRW)

Examines how one university, serving isolated rural settlements and small, remote island communities, built a school library capable of serving the special needs of its exceptionally diverse student population as a learning center. Design goals, facility operations, and building assessment are also discussed. (GR)

Explores the appropriateness for flexible work schedules for corporate librarians and provides insight into the benefits of flexible work arrangements in other industries. Highlights include technological changes that have changed roles and made resources available electronically; telecommuters; job sharing; and the effects of flexible…

Discussion of imposed and self-generated queries focuses on a study that investigated imposed queries in the elementary school environment. Examines queries transacted in the school library media center and discusses the social construction of imposition, children's information seeking including the use of electronic resources, and future…

Describes the efforts at Boston Public Library to recover from serious flooding that damaged computer equipment. Discusses vendor help in assessing the damage; the loss of installation disks; hiring consultants to help with financial matters; effects on staff; repairing and replacing damaged equipment; insurance issues; and disaster recovery…