The slow process for accrediting training programs for school media specialists and the speed of technological change have created serious problems. Accreditation agencies, their difficulties, and attempts by the American Association of School Librarians and other groups to establish professional standards for school media specialists are…

Each school media specialist creates his or her own role. Media specialists are instructional leaders, curriculum developers, consultants, and administrators. The ability to cope with technological change while creating a future which will be personally satisfying and professionally rewarding is the key to defining the role. (PP)

Increasing censorship activities and their sources are discussed. Strategies to respond to book banning include: (1) establishment in schools of a written selection policy; (2) development of a role for educational organizations in counteracting unnecessary censorship; (3) provision for parents to examine textbooks before purchase; and (4)…

Supreme Court opinion is reviewed on a case that involved the Island Trees Union Free School District (New York) board of education's decision to remove 10 books from school libraries. The court did not reach a majority decision. Various justices' views on students' rights, censorship, and school board authority are discussed. (PP)

Reviews predictions from the 60s and 70s on the demise of the library in the age of electronic information technology, surveys the present situation of libraries within society, considers questions pertaining to libraries and librarians in the future, and discusses the impact of new information services and systems on library functions. (JL)

Presents a model for the evaluation and selection of instructional software packages for microcomputers by school librarians and media specialists. Types of educational applications for microcomputers, the analysis of printed documentation decribing instructional software, content analysis, default analysis, operant analysis, and access time are…

Suggest strategies for online searching of user requests for research studies on five major databases--BIOSIS, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and the National Clearinghouse for Mental Health (NCMH). Special research limitations, locating criticism or support, proposal for an ideal database, and a study of controlled terms across databases are included.…

This description of the reference services available at the Joseph W. England Library, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Pennsylvania, discusses users and types of requests and focuses on the referral service utilizing faculty consultants. Sample referral questions and guidelines for referral are noted. Eight references are cited. (EJS)

Defines in general terms the nature of computers, describes the various types of computers, discusses the characteristics and applications of the types of computers mentioned, reviews some basic facts about computer technology and computer hardware, and outlines a set of options for libraries considering acquiring a computer system. (JL)

Ties between the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace and the Reagan administration are discussed. Although established as a research library, the institution became increasingly political after World War II, and is known for its political publications. It is also one of the world's great depositories of historical materials and…

Emphasizes that the current closed or in-house systems approach to information retrieval needs to be expanded to include all the information systems available, and that the sources of user satisfaction and retrieval success must be tracked before changes can be made in certain system components. Ten references are listed. (FM)

Describes a program in which first-grade minority group children wrote the books to stock a classroom library. (FL)

Explores the intended and unintended outcomes of information technology on (1) business and economics, (2) research, and (3) library career preparation. Specific examples of the potential effects of databasing in these areas are provided, and four references are listed. (SW)

Social interest in information as a shared resource is diminishing, while proprietary interest in information as a profitable resource increases. Technological advancement in information processing and services, considerations of cost recovery by public agencies, and opportunities for commercial profit are blurring distinctions between the public…

The perception that a college has an excellent academic program is seen as a judgment about the whole college, not just about a few departments. To maintain this judgment, the administrator of a small college must exercise balance in allocation of resources to departments and academic support areas. (Author/MLW)