Investigates the growing prevalence of participatory management in libraries. The operation of self-managed teams is discussed both in theory and in practice, the latter with examples from Sterling Library at Yale University. Research is summarized that relates to management teams and how they create a sense of empowerment by building shared…

A survey of the different technical communications and information-related activities of 305 engineers and scientists from 3 sites of the Philips Laboratory, an Air Force research and development laboratory, found that scientists have a closer affinity for libraries and traditional information sources than do engineers. Eight tables depict survey…

Group Feedback Strategy was used to evaluate data from 73 employers, 18 tutors, 156 students, and 45 graduates involved in work placements in a library and information science program. Respondents showed reasonably high satisfaction for the following characteristics of placements: teamwork experience, assessment of capabilities, training…

Details the rationale, evaluation and implementation of use scenarios-structured narrative descriptions of envisioned system use-in the development of the Alexandria Digital Earth Prototype (ADEPT). Discusses the strengths of the scenario approach, obstacles to their use, and lessons learned in the overall development process. (Author/AEF)

Includes reports from the National Endowment for the Humanities, discussing grants, federal-state partnerships, and a directory of state humanities councils; and from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Library Programs, including state-administered programs, funding, national leadership grant awards, Native American grants, and national…

Describes the development of a course at Rutgers University that resulted from collaboration between the history department and the library in which academic instruction, a new digital library resource called Early English Books Online, and Web technology were brought together to provide a new learning experience for undergraduates. (Author/LRW)

Reports that librarians and library staff are absorbing additional teacher/training responsibilities, such as classroom instruction in hardware/software and public training in use of print materials. Contends that library staff may not be prepared for these responsibilities. Lists 23 web sites that offer a variety of content and learning levels…

Conducted a reliability generalization meta-analysis of subscale and total scale scores on the Web-administered LibQUAL+ (tm) (Cook and others, 2002), a measure of library service quality. Data for 18,161 participants from 43 universities show that score reliabilities are remarkably invariant across campuses and different over groups. (SLD)

High-density mobile storage (storage units mounted on carriages and rails which move and compact to utilize wasted space) can double the capacity of an existing school library facility. This article describes the benefits of going mobile and looks at the advantages of powered, programmable mobile storage systems. A sidebar describes Michigan…

Discusses use of the World Wide Web as a reference tool, beginning with a list of general reference and homework sites that includes references resources for teachers and parents as well as for library media specialists. Includes a separate listing of electronic resources available on the Internet Public Library. (LRW)

Explains the value of developing a professional portfolio to be used for evaluation for teacher-librarians. Discusses electronic portfolios; collecting pertinent information to accurately reflect the scope of abilities and accomplishments; identifying professional growth and possibilities for future growth; and how to present an electronic…

Provides an overview of this section of the journal devoted to Perspectives on Chemistry Journals, based on papers presented at the Tri-Society Symposium on Chemical Information (Los Angeles, CA, June 9, 2002). Focuses on the impact of electronic journals on chemistry libraries, from publishers' and librarians' points of view. (LRW)

Examines the potential threat of malpractice litigation against librarians involved in the reference process. Topics include the relationship between the librarian and the user, the level of service, expectations placed on the information provider, and legal precedents in information delivery. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the accelerating pace of change that librarians must cope with and suggests looking to the private sector for strategies to become more comfortable with change. Describes the five disciplines comprising the learning organization culture: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning. (LRW)

Discussion of information-seeking behavior focuses on a study of the imposed query, as opposed to self-generated queries, in an elementary school library media center in order to quantify its presence, to record characteristics of the users that carry them, and to identify the persons imposing them. The coding sheet is appended. Contains one table…