Analyzes subject trends from 1975-84 in nine influential journals in library and information science. Thirty-two subjects which constitute 89 percent of the subjects published are discussed under five categories according to their distribution characteristics: (1) boom topics; (2) declining topics; (3) roller coaster issues; (4) stable subjects;…

A search of the literature was conducted to determine the extent to which librarians outside the reference department have been involved in bibliographic instruction (BI). Although few studies were found that address this issue, some of the scant material suggested that non-reference librarians have been linked to BI. (Contains eight references.)…

Surveys some of the theoretical positions that underlie various qualitative research methods and discusses the methodological issues raised by those positions for use in library and information science research. Contextualization, understanding, pluralism, and expression are discussed; and qualitative research methods are compared with a…

Discussion of the Library History Seminars, founded by Louis Shores, focuses on various characteristics of the first nine seminar participants, including their gender and institutional affiliation. Analyzes the data to provide a picture of who does library history and how the discipline's research interests have evolved over the past 30 years.…

Examines Blumenschein's "Description of Various Libraries in Europe" as an early example of library research methodology; discusses his methods of data collection; describes his use of a questionnaire; and suggests the necessity of further studies of the development of research in library and information science. (Contains 10…

Discusses digital libraries and provides brief accounts of digital library projects in different parts of the world. Reviews the literature on digital library research under 16 subject headings and suggests future directions. (Contains 114 references.) (LRW)

The paper describes an effort to assess the information literacy skills of first year college students. An instrument was developed and information was gathered on students' experience and comfort in conducting library research as well as their perceived competence with specific information literacy skills. In addition, students completed a skills…

This article examines the publishing activity of 54 individuals who received their doctoral degrees from American universities in 1995 and the publications that were derived from their dissertations. Publication data covered two five-year periods, 1991-1995 research-in-progress and 1996-2000 postdoctoral period. One third of the graduates did not…

The public library is a product of modernity that follows in the wake of industrialization, urbanization, and popular movements, while at the same time the public library itself supports the building up and development of the modern. This article will examine the arrival of modernity and the prerequisites for the rise of public libraries, as well…

Librarians instruct students where to find information, but rarely demonstrate its management, while faculty have difficulty incorporating real-time laboratory experience with library research. This paper focuses on the development of a hands-on biology laboratory experiment in an introductory course that integrates bibliographic software into the…

Each year, the author's school district, North Syracuse (New York) Central School District, requires teachers to identify and work on specific professional development goals. She relates how she identified assessment as the area she wanted to work on during the 2005-2006 school year. For several years she had been wondering if the students were…

In developing a Library Orientation Tour, it is important to be perceptive about the needs of a college population. At Queensborough Community College the student population is a mix of traditional and non-traditional students from diversified backgrounds. The initial contact with the Library, and its resources, may be overwhelming for students…

Digital curation refers to the actions people take to maintain and add value to digital information over its lifecycle, including the processes used when creating digital content. Digital preservation focuses on the "series of managed activities necessary to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as necessary." In this…

The collection, storage, processing, and dissemination of scientific and technical information make an important basis for economic and social development as well as for scientific development. A nation has to develop the right mechanisms and modalities to collect, store, process, and disseminate scientific and technical information tailored to…

This study examines the process of requesting copyright permissions through the Copyright Clearance Center's (CCC) pay-per-use service for electronic course reserves at the Penn State University Libraries in 2008. The authors investigate the efficiency of this process as a function of the percentage of permission requests successfully mediated by…