Discusses values that have shaped and guided the profession of reference librarian and portrays the rigors of working at a general reference desk. Topics include information overload; demands of the information age; societal trends; new technologies; training; and role reconsideration for the librarian, including teacher, information provider, and…

Recently, an article, "Is Publishing Going to the Dogs?" (Silvey 2004, 36), focused on the children's book publishing industry and the inevitable conflicts among social issues, art forms, and the world of commerce. That title, featuring an illustrated dog drooling over the book in its teeth, echoes the concerns and fears expressed in the…

Most adults are challenged when it comes to understanding teens' motives. "What were they thinking of?" is an all-too-common response. Without a doubt, no developmental period in life is more confounding and baffling than adolescence. Until recently, erratic teen behavior was blamed on raging hormones, but scientific research in the last decade…

In the need of teacher-librarians to organize, to categorize, to preserve, to select, to deselect, and to acquire, sometimes the other half of the job is easily overlooked. And yet, it is the most important piece. Who does not remember those late Sunday nights writing lesson plans for the week or maybe plans to just get through the next day?Oddly…

The library is a welcoming space for students and hence has to be met with certain requirements. Some of the tips that are presented to keep students comfortable include meeting students' need with humor and compassion, keeping signs and handouts simple, overdues be met with a Zen approach, finding out and giving what the patron needs.

Doug Johnson considers himself to be a secretly subversive library media specialist as he promoted measures for remodeling the library with new carpeting and air conditioning for making the library more enjoyable rather than protecting the books and computers. Some things that library media specialists often do to gain acceptance in their…

One of the most important roles for school libraries in the digital age is to provide students with a context for processing Internet information. It has been suggested that the school library should strive for a more pronounced clicks-and-mortar identity combining the best of the web and the traditional library collection.

The role that a public librarian can play in teaching on-line research classes is put forth. The manner in which school and public librarians can work together to help teachers and students deal with information overload is discussed.

How Do You Manage, is a column in Library Journal where librarians send in stories based upon actual events happening in libraries across the United States. This story recounts a public relations situation where a reporter from a local paper interviews by phone, a librarian in charge of audio and video services in a small town library. The…

Much contemporary library thinking and planning hinges on the belief that the true telos (or mission) of libraries is to merge into the new electronic environment, usually referred to metonymically as "the Internet." In this article, I argue that those who propagate the Internet as the coming information paradise, subsuming and superseding…

Two main traditions now operate in philosophy, influencing the choice about which theories are appropriate in library and information science (LIS). A third tradition, known as process philosophy, gives prominence to human knowledge as an organically integrated, self-sustaining whole, thereby opening another avenue for the effort to revitalize…

This article focuses on issues concerning school library ethics. In the U.S., American Library Association (ALA) has established a code of ethics for this profession. However, the school library is not the only one affected by the ethical code of the ALA. Since teachers have their own codes of ethics, librarians have now assumed yet another mantle…

The purpose of this research was to get insight about perceptions of school teachers about the importance of libraries. Sample was consisted of 480 school teachers (male= 240 and female=240) from 60 public sector boys and girls high schools of Lahore District. A questionnaire consisting of 18 items was developed and pilot tested on 90 school…

In the FY2007 and FY2008 Budgets, the President recommended that the National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences (NCLIS) be consolidated with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). In FY2007, while waiting for Congressional action on the proposal in the President's FY2008 Budget, the Commission recognized the need to…

This study explores Virginia elementary school principals' perceptions of the instructional role of the library media specialist and the origin of these perceptions. Principals who responded to the study strongly endorse the role of library media specialist as teacher of information literacy skills and as instructional partner. Respondents…