Discussion of program advocacy in schools focuses on the role of the teacher-librarian in cooperation with the classroom teacher and the principal. A program in Ontario called "Partners in Action" is described; leadership skills are discussed; and program advocacy strategies are suggested at the school and system levels. (Contains 10…

Covers the following topics: aging of the Japanese population, restructuring social customs, age norms in adulthood, intergenerational interaction outside the family, continuing education for seniors, University of the Air, public library services to the elderly, nursing curricula for an aging society, preretirement education and life planning,…

Presents a content analysis of PUBYAC, an electronic discussion list for Children and Young Adult Services in Public Libraries. Information is provided on the different themes and topics that appear in the list, the lifespan and liveliness of specific discussions, percentage of active participants, and distribution of messages by participant. (AEF)

Examines historical reasons for the reference desk and workers to establish how reference work has been circumscribed, describes how it has evolved, and attempts to define perimeters between tasks and duties of paraprofessionals and professionals. Highlights the Williamson Report (1923) on training for library services and considers how practices…

An instrument for measuring service quality was developed in Singapore's polytechnic libraries, based on previous work done in New Zealand. Focus groups of academic librarians reported on their understanding of service quality. Contrasts between the two instruments are examined. The time lapse between the projects accounts for some variation. A…

Reflects on issues raised at the Library of Congress Institute on "Reference Service in a Digital Age." Discusses technology-oriented changes at the Library of Congress; the changing reference service model; collaborative partnerships; staff training; and the role of the reference librarian in the digital environment. (AEF)

Discusses the Beck Center for Electronic Collections and Services at Emory University (Georgia), including the role of text centers both within and outside of the academic research library. Describes projects with various departments, and innovative partnerships with technologists from the library and the campus computing center, as well as with…

The director of the Queens Borough Public Library (Jamaica, New York) examines the role of the public library in helping to prevent illiteracy and discusses innovative ways libraries can serve adult readers and learners, using the Queens model as an example. Includes a sidebar by Audrey Gorman "Toward a New Definition of Literacy." (AEF)

Explores the management of CD-ROM service in Malaysian academic libraries and marketing strategies used to popularize it. Findings revealed that these libraries use a variety of marketing and promotional channels, some of which need improvement; the libraries need to strengthen their end-user education programs to suit users with different levels…

Examines implications of the introduction of Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) to Victoria (Australia) public libraries and the revision or abandonment of previously dominant ideals of public administration. Topics include the role of government; public services as a competitive market environment; economic rationalism; and the threat to the…

Transaction-log data for total, author, title, and subject searches were collected for three semesters at Southeast Missouri State University to ascertain whether total searches, subject searches, and subject percentage of total searches have any predictive value for marshaling personnel resources for reference-desk service. Findings raise…

Discusses the value of having a good library media-center newsletter that ensures consistent positive visibility and suggests topics to consider, including requesting teacher input on collection development, explaining computer software, book talks, copyright issues, current Web sites, biographies of new teachers, and media-center projects. (LRW)

Explains libraries' roles in protecting intellectual freedom. Outlines these faulty impressions: librarians endorse the content of their collections; "everyone" agrees on controversial material; representation of all viewpoints means equal numbers; and denial of reconsideration requests indicates librarians don't take challenges seriously.…

Suggests that to reach those responsible for funding, librarians need to be more assertive in making the school library's role and services understood. Discusses maintaining visibility, using every opportunity to tout new materials and services, having credibility and knowing the collection, making libraries comfortable and accessible, and…

Discusses the development of strategies for providing access to and services for U.S. federal government information in higher education using the global information infrastructure, from the perspective of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). Discusses the preservation of electronic information and networked information discovery and…