Reports remarks made by Daniel J. Boorstin, Librarian of Congress, on distinctions between the concepts of knowledge and information and on the widening gap between the growth of "information institutions" and the financial plight of many "knowledge institutions" (schools and libraries). Shows how Boorstin's ideas bear on the…

Highlights program activities of the commission, and considers projected effects of the White House Conference on it. Future concerns are noted including the role of the school and public library, the needs of research and scholarship when knowledge is multiplying rapidly, and mediation between library and information services and users. (SW)

The Tri-County Regional Library in Rome, Georgia, operates a full-time cable television program schedule. The library is thus able to bring information, entertainment, and community services to hard-to-reach areas, expanding the concept of the role of libraries and of public access television. (SK)

A survey of 180 small businesses in the London, Ontario (Canada) area examined the role of the library in providing information. Found that small businesses mainly obtained information through informal sources: customers; suppliers; and friends, associates, and relatives. Concludes that public libraries should network and promote an image of the…

Explores portrayals of librarians in fictional works, notably those involving mystery or detection. Includes a summary of librarian roles derived from descriptions of about 120 contemporary or recent works obtained from reviewing sources and from direct examination. (AEF)

A study of 75 Indian parents of children with mental retardation found that many families were not aware of the availability of library-based information services. General information on mental retardation is the most needed category of information, and the age of the person with mental retardation and level of literacy affect the type of…

An elementary school librarian relates her experience talking a fifth grade boy out of committing suicide. Raises the question of librarian-student confidentiality in assembling a crisis management team. Argues that the school library should be a refuge, a place to get books and information, and love. (PEN)

Describes how a middle school librarian, initially dismayed at having the major constellations of the northern hemisphere painted on the school library ceiling, gradually found the painting to be a fine resource for mythology and astronomy, and eventually discovered it to be one enormous, fantastic, writing prompt. (SR)

Explores the perceptions of students entering university about the roles of librarians as well as other occupations by examining the role of professionalism in perceptions of occupations. Tests a model of professionalism developed by Elizabeth Graddy that focuses on the informational relationship between the professional service provider and those…

Discusses the role of librarians in teaching information literacy in higher education. Topics include faculty opposition; preparing teacher librarians with educational training; partnerships in relationship management; and information literacy for lifelong learning. (LRW)

Discussion of the role of school libraries focuses on a study in England that monitored secondary school students completing a resource-based learning project. Compared students' use of the school library at four different schools with their use of other information resources, including public libraries and the Internet. (Author/LRW)

A literary scholar recounts his personal experiences with manuscripts and archival materials of great variety and sees a pendulum shift back toward examining original source materials. Special collections need to reinsert themselves into the mainstream of intellectual life and promote themselves to students and scholars more effectively. (Author)

Presents interviews with Fred Kent, founder of the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) and Phil Myrick, PPS's assistant vice president, about transforming libraries into desirable public spaces. Discusses qualities people value in public spaces; great library buildings and what they are doing right; the first thing library directors should do when…

Discusses the control of digital content and the stakes for libraries and our democratic culture. Highlights include copyright term extension, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, use of contract law to limit the public domain, database legislation, trademarks versus the public domain, the void in our cultural vocabulary, and the concept of the…

Describes a statewide language-development program developed among Maryland's city, county, and regional library systems to help parents prepare their preschoolers for success in school. Discusses child development, the role of libraries, storytelling training, and preschool literacy efforts by the Public Library Association; and lists Web…