Themes of the 23rd Annual International Association of School Librarianship conference included "Traditional Literacy,""The Current Status of Libraries,""Literacy in a Technological World," and "Preserving Cultural and Historical Literacy." The following papers were presented at the conference: (1)…

This booklet is intended to help spread the word about the library and the librarian's role. It discusses the three interwoven roles of the school library media specialist--the role of information specialists (the "traditional" role); the role of library-media teachers in which they advance the goals of the school's literacy and general…

A practicum was designed for students, faculty, and administrators in an urban elementary school to acquire an increased understanding of other cultures. The practicum setting was a library media center with a student population of 1,205. Two inservice training workshops to inform staff members about the numerous cultures of their students (63%…

Noting that the urgency to break the cycle of illiteracy in the United States has been substantiated by the passing of federal acts such as the National Literacy Act of 1991, this paper presents annotations of 30 items from the ERIC database related to family literacy programs. Annotations in the paper are organized into six sections--overview,…

With fiber optic networks that can deliver library materials directly to the user from computerized data banks, is there any need for the library function? For the short term, public libraries will survive. The answer for the medium and long-term is much less certain. Libraries will survive if librarians see themselves as active providers of…

Different views on the future of research libraries are presented in this collection of papers from persons affiliated with the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. Joseph Z. Nitecki (library director) discusses the effect of social change on library missions, operations, and procedures. Warren F. Ilchman (vice president for research and…

The school library in Great Britain has moved from a supportive position to one of major importance as a mode for teaching and learning. (DE)

Documents and journal articles featured in this nine-item annotated bibliography concern information as a critical resource in a democratic society and the role of the library and information services in ensuring access to information, especially that which is government produced. Citations were selected through a computer search of the…

Developed through a joint effort of the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL), this planning approach to library development is designed to lead a public library through the developmental process and identify a series of actions that will direct it toward planning for excellence. Introductory material…

This paper reports the results of an investigation into the relationship between librarians' status (i.e., librarians having faculty status or librarians lacking such status) and the organizational structure of the college library. The analysis was conducted within the conceptual framework of two organizational models: the bureaucratic and the…

A study was undertaken to determine what type of curriculum leadership roles school librarians were exerting in the nation's nineteenth largest school district, the Clark County Public Schools of Nevada. A 15-item questionnaire was mailed to 75 Clark County School District librarians; responses were received from 59 libraries (79%). Following a…

Libraries today play an increasingly active part in the community and in the exchange of information and knowledge. The "Alliance for Excellence: Librarians Respond to 'A Nation at Risk'" and the activities of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) reflect the expanding roles libraries can play in reaching the goal of…

In response to recent state and national reports on the status of public education in the United States, the Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction issues this paper primarily to communicate the vital importance of school library media programs and the professionals who direct them in…

Arguing that complaints are inevitable and that complaint handling should be an integral part of the library's public service program, this paper identifies and discusses the components of such a program. Concerns discussed are those that should be of general interest to all types of libraries, and the primary focus is on external complaints,…

This essay reviews the functions of the Tanzanian National Central Library (NCL) and evaluates the activities performed and services provided by the NCL in light of the definitions of national library functions established by UNESCO and by K. W. Humphreys, Librarian of the University of Birmingham. The relationship between the NCL and the…