Reviews library news for 1997. Highlights public library budgets, examined by number of patrons served; Internet filters and censorship; librarians and the media; private and government funding sources; outsourcing; expectations for growth in the publishing industry, emphasizing the Asian economic crisis; and new ideas from the next generation of…

Challenging the common image of reading as a solitary activity, this article describes the social settings in which young people participated in the print culture of a late 19th-century small midwestern town. Analysis of library borrowing records shows that both adults and youth read "low" fiction, shared titles, and engaged in a common culture,…

Discusses the E-Rate, a program from the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that offers a discounted rate to schools and libraries wanting to connect to the Internet. Topics include changes in school district planning practices; the effects of politics, administrative priorities, and community concerns; and technology planning and integration. (LRW)

Describes methods for developing and delivering library instruction in an electronic format. Discusses using a customized Web site as a backup for live instruction; creating a computer-generated slide presentation to accompany a live lecture or to be placed on the Web; writing a self-paced Web tutorial; and developing a complete online library…

Describes changes in many library schools' curricula to emphasize training for high-tech careers in information management rather than traditional library skills and careers. Reports on the experience of the University of Michigan, which has restructured its library school into the new School of Information Management and Systems. (DB)

Presents annotated bibliographies of a selection of recent scholarly and general reference works under the subject headings of publishing, periodical indexes, philosophy and religion, literature, music, art, photography, social sciences, business, history, and new editions. (LRW)

Discussion of how media specialists can help students deal with change and learn to collaborate focuses on Standard Nine from "Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning" from "Information Power". Highlights include modeling; change management; making change personal; and culture and community. (LRW)

Describes the information environment at the University of Minnesota at the beginning of the Integrated Information Center (IIC) project, including the academic units served by the IIC, the proposed design of the IIC, organizational structure of the IIC, the IIC staff, and project organization. (JAK)

Because the media emphasize how females look rather than what they do, it is important for children to encounter strong girls in the books they read. This article provides an annotated bibliography of picture books for primary grade children in which African and African-American girls exhibit admirable traits. Suggests class activities in art and…

Discusses why print library collections are still important and will not be replaced by digital forms of information. Topics include technological improvement; reading from digital devices; universal conversion of library materials from print to digital form; digital communications; publishers and rights; data, information, and knowledge; and…

The Dewey Decimal Classification was not fulfilling genealogical researchers' needs, who search for ancestors by place (not subject). A new system that was developed at Rowan Public Library (Salisbury, North Carolina) is described. Also given are suggested additions to the Library of Congress Subject Headings to provide geographic orientation.…

One of the benefits of 1996 Telecommunications Act is a federal program nicknamed "E-Rate," which discounts the cost of providing Internet connections to schools and libraries. This article provides an overview of the program, describes the application process, and suggests how to maximize E-Rate. Answers common questions about E-Rate…

Marking the 25th anniversary (August 26, 1996) of WorldCat (the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Online Union Catalog) OCLC and the U.S. regional networks sponsored an essay contest for librarians and library users to write essays describing their impressions of the OCLC Online Union Catalog. Four prize-winning essays from Michigan, Kentucky,…

Argues that current library and information science discourse has drawn definitional boundaries around the word "information" so tightly as to exclude research on reading. Highlights include access to, versus content of, information; literacy studies; print culture history; reader-response theory; ethnography of reading; cultural…

Introduces the Perseus Digital Library. The texts, maps, timelines, and other tools of the Perseus Digital Library can help students learn about Classical languages and classical culture. All the tools work together, and reference to other relevant information is offered automatically along with each page of text. (Author/VWL)