This paper provides some of the historical context of the efforts of the American Library Association (ALA) to define, extend, protect and advocate for equity of access, focusing on central tendencies rather than internal debate. The first section, "Toward the Concept of Access," discusses: how ALA became a public service organization; extension…

This Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) report summarizes and analyzes more than 200 recent research publications that focus on the use of electronic library resources (digital libraries and digital resources) and were published between 1995 and 2003. Eight major ongoing studies (each with multiple publications) are identified as…

Four papers on meeting the professional information needs of teacher librarians focus on the responsibility of professional teacher librarian associations include: "The Responsibility of Professional TL Associations" (Norma Jeffrey); "Meeting the Professional Information Needs of TLs: The Responsibility of Professional Teacher…

This survey of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members gathered data on library support staff classification specifications in ARL libraries, the process for classifying these positions, and salary and title comparisons with similar positions outside of the library. It also asked when the last classification study was performed within the…

The issue of the permanent absence of some countries and/or libraries in the Preservation and Conservation sessions at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has been raised in years past. Within Europe, contributions from South Europe have been scarce. This paper discusses responses to a survey of national…

This report presents data from 116 U.S. and Canadian research libraries that were members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) during the 1995-96 fiscal year. The 1995-96 Preservation Statistics questionnaire was designed to yield statistical information on the current level of preservation efforts in research libraries and on the key…

The program of the 128th meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is designed around the notion of examining rapid changes taking place in individual institutions and becoming agile enough to adapt, to manage change, and to learn how to effectively lead libraries through these turbulent periods. The program is divided into three main…

The strong emphasis of technology is slowly diminishing the importance of the human element in libraries. The current changes in population demand cultural sensitivity training in all walks of life. Libraries and librarians have a role to play. They need to cope with the multicultural environment by understanding the basics of multiculturalism and…

This document represents the higher education and library community's guiding public policy agenda on information technology (IT) for the current year. The Higher Education Information Technology (HEIT) Alliance is a coalition of 11 national higher education and library associations, whose members represent a broad array of stakeholders on college…

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…

Research Libraries Group (RLG) is a corporation owned by 26 academic libraries in the United States. To accomplish their goals, RLG maintains a computerized library services system known as the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN). The RLIN system (and subsystems), design considerations, functions, and benefits for RLG members. (Author/JN)

Argues that the educational problems of librarianship cannot be examined realistically without a concern for knowledge about the social conditions within which libraries exist. The nature of these social realities is discussed, as well as their influence on library education. Extensive references are provided. (Author/BK)

The role of libraries within the virtual university is unclear, and the danger exists that students will be expected to rely solely on the Internet. This article argues that librarians must reinvent the library and their role as information providers. Examines virtual universities in Australia and North America and the roles of librarians and…

In 1996 the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) received funding to develop guidelines and a national process for recognizing the knowledge and skills of library employees at the library assistant and paraprofessional levels. This article describes the project and its key features, and raises issues that must be addressed before…

In July 1995, the Forum on Government Information Policy, representatives of several library associations, developed the "Model for New Universe of Federal Information Access and Dissemination." The model proposes to: (1) reconceptualize federal information access and dissemination responsibilities; and (2) reinvent the Federal…