Discusses the need for better recruitment and education of librarians to fill anticipated retirement patterns and describes a survey of professional associations that investigated best practices. Includes the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL); Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP); American Library Association…

Discusses the goals, attitudes, and methods of reference teaching, focusing on some of the difficulties for the reference instructor. Teaching of the reference method, rather than facts, and a liberal concept of reference work are encouraged. (three references) (MES)

Provides background on the historical and current status of library and information science education in China. A comparative analysis then examines similarities and differences in origin, evolution, scale, structure, curriculum, faculty, and students in library and information science education between China and the United States; and reasons for…

Argues that librarianship is intimately connected to the structures and thought patterns of bibliographic control and that bibliographic control should be the theme for all practical coursework in library education. A sample syllabus is proposed. (EA)

Describes a course on national and international information policy at the University of Arizona Library School. A bibliography lists 117 works in the areas of basic reference; general policy development; international issues; U.S. policy issues; and information policy in Australia, Canada, developing countries, Europe, Japan, Latin America, the…

Based on a study trip to Denmark which included visits to a large central public library, branch libraries, the Royal Library, a special library, several university libraries, and the library school, this article offers personal observations on library education since the passage of the Royal School of Librarianship Act in 1985. (Three references)…

Discussion of some of the findings of a study of four library school closings highlights political reasons for the closings, including administration belief that jobs for librarians are in short supply, turf battles with other departments, library faculty isolation from academic peers, redefinition of university mission, insufficient faculty…

Describes a study that replicated two earlier studies to determine whether environmental factors of reference departments and behavioral characteristics of references staff members had changed over the past ten years. Results emphasize the need for more and better education and training in conducting reference interviews and providing client…

Presents different aspects of library and information science (LIS) from a theoretical and philosophical perspective. Topics include attitudes toward LIS; knowledge production versus knowledge utilization; specialists versus generalists; institutional affiliations; technology-driven paradigms; theoretical models; related disciplines; and research…

Discussion of the professional education of employees in small libraries focuses on the Minnesota Voluntary Certification Program and its core set of domain competencies. The program provides focused professional education for library employees without a master's degree and reinforces the professional values of the library community and libraries.…

Many librarians have been concerned with the unintended consequences of new technologies, but Kristin Eschenfelder--librarian, scholar, and social scientist--gathers the data to enable rational policy decisions about technology's ramifications. As assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at University of…

Cataloging and catalogers play an important role in the access to electronic catalogs for users at all levels. Two recent studies investigating the preparation of entry level library media specialists and the frequency they perform original cataloging led to a larger examination of the topic in the context of academic libraries. One factor has…

This article describes the techniques of applying a goal-setting program to an online tutorial on cataloging the title field. Training staff to catalog presents many challenges to librarians in management positions. The task, while necessary, is sometimes considered tedious. In addition, researchers report an extremely high learner dropout rate…

Despite success in teaching the class "Organization of Information in a School Library Media Center" (EDCI 545) online, one component continued to be a problem for students, the Dewey Decimal Classification System. To supplement the instruction, a set of simple screencasts was developed to assist distance education students. Benchmarks were…