One's commitment to intellectual freedom is manifested not just in the creation of a strong and clear selection policy or the celebration of Banned Books Week but by his or her willingness to examine his or her practices openly with others. In this article, the author proposes four questions to explore in one's teaching and in professional…

The baby boom generation--those born during the post-World War II years 1946 through 1964--has a track record of rebellion that has caused startling cultural and social transformations, including rock 'n' roll, the peace movement, civil rights, and agendas we can be less proud of. Reports indicate that this generation is again poised to create a…

Libraries transform communities by providing well-organized information resources and services. Conversely, communities can also transform libraries if librarians appreciate the rich diversity of the communities' information needs, acting as bridges between communities as well as enabling and facilitating community-building. The roles of…

Place is material, conceptual and symbolic. Physically, the Library at Townsville College of Advanced Education was central, visible and distinctive. Internally, it provided a dramatically different environment from other college buildings. It functioned as the (metaphorical) "hub" of the external studies programme and, when the college…

Information literacy (IL) was introduced as an important consideration when the American Library Association (ALA) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy (1989) touted the "Information Age" as the key catalyst for changes in how citizens view and interact with information. In the mid-1990s, with information technology taking center stage…

The oversight hearing at the second White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIS2) focuses on the role of the library in three major areas addressed by conference presenters: a literate work force; the productivity to compete in the international marketplace in the 21st century; and a populace fully equipped to participate in…

Describes the cooperation between Montgomery County, Maryland, librarians and public broadcasting station WETA to produce programs relating to books. (PF)

This annotated bibliography focuses on recent literature dealing with librarianship and future technology. The first section lists 38 articles on the impact of technology on librarianship as a profession. In the second section, 32 articles on the applications of technology to academic, research, public, and special libraries of the future are…

An examination of the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center's (SPEC) file of 72 annual reports from Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions found that administrators were using annual reports for several purposes: as communication links with library users, the university administration, and the general university community,…

The diverse histories of the public libraries in the towns of Bonne Terre, Desloge, Farmington, Flat River, and Leadwood (Missouri) are presented. Each library is examined individually from its inception through its first few years of existence. Emphasis is placed not only on the tasks undertaken by the newly formed libraries but also on the…

Prepared for the members and staff of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), this report responds to the April 1985 charge to the White House Conference on Library and Information Services Preliminary Design Group to: (1) make recommendations on the kinds of appointments which should be made by the President, Senate,…

The linkage of information structure with methods of library instruction should be of primary concern in discussing the retrieval of information by students. Librarians can help students to locate information, document concepts, and assess sources. (Author/LS)

In June 1975 a clinical librarian project was initiated in the Gastroenterology Programme of McMaster University Medical Centre (MUMC). The objectives of the project were to assist patients in participating more knowledgeably in their own health care and to assist health professionals in applying the latest information from the biomedical…

The development of automated information services in academic libraries and the growth of AUSINET (Australian Information Network) are described. The current organization of online services and their integration into the pattern of user assistance are noted, and the effects on the user/librarian relationship, on the use of primary and secondary…

This collection of 34 papers and speeches presented at the conference covers a wide range of topics pertaining to the role of libraries in contemporary society, including issues in library education, library/community relations, library planning and policy-making, technological trends, library services, and library administration. While several…