This paper defines and classifies vulnerable groups, elaborates the necessity of information literacy education of vulnerable groups, analyzes the feasibility for the library to carry out the education, and then discusses specific measures taken by the library to fulfill it.

The paper describes the processes and outcomes of the ranking of LIS journal titles by Australia's LIS researchers during 2007-8, first through the Australian federal government's Research Quality Framework (RQF) process, and then by its replacement, the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative. The requirement to rank the journals'…

As librarians work to make their services more user-centered, to put forward their best and most approachable faces in order to meet user needs, they are still met with students who approach them hesitantly and apologize for asking them questions, and by students who are obviously intimidated by the libraries in which they work. A good part of…

Americans still marry in great numbers, with over two million nuptials occurring every year. With the average U.S. wedding costing between $20,000 and $30,000, these celebrations represent a great financial and emotional investment not only for the engaged couple but for their loved ones as well. Besides the financial obstacles, weddings present…

Field experiences function as a link between LIS theory and practice. Students should be provided with an experience that is a true reflection of the professional environment. The increasing focus on research by academic librarians provides an opportunity and responsibility to integrate research into the field experiences of LIS students.…

This article discusses the sad state of affairs in academic recruitment and retention--of library upper management. Anyone who has taken part in searches for library directors or deans knows frustration first-hand. At times there may be more open leadership positions around the country than there are applicants for them (any applicants whatsoever,…

Software pricing is not a straightforward issue, since each procurement involves a special business arrangement between a library and its chosen vendor. The author thinks that it is reasonable to scale the cost of a product to such factors as the size of the library, the complexity of the installation, the number of simultaneous users, or the…

In "Fool's Gold: Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library," Mark Herring paints a fairly grim picture of the future of libraries. Basically, he posits that a confluence of events and attitudes have come together to bring about the demise (unless something is done, and soon) of the library as people know it. First, people mistakenly believe…

The AAU/ARL Global Resources Program (GRP) was launched in 1997 with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to improve access to international research resources through cooperative structures and new technologies and to help libraries contain costs. A joint initiative of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of…

This article discusses the development of academic research in the LIS domain and the purpose of LIS research. It is argued that there are several constituent parts of the research tradition, both theoretical and empirical, and that this has created tensions and misunderstandings between researchers and practitioners. Against this background, the…

Almost everything is now available online. What is good about this is that in most circumstances, libraries are no longer limited to serving users within just physical spaces. This proves to be a wonderful benefit for users, but sometimes it does not always work out as expected. Those familiar with setting up electronic resources know the…

According to the recent survey of Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP), one of the several top trends in publishing nowadays is the licensing liberalization among publishers. Licensing options now abound and there are various price points for libraries considering new collections. One such example is how SAGE offers…

There are differing ideas, even among leaders in the field of library media, about what the focus of a definitive library media program should be. The one key concept, however, that emerges is that leadership is integral to the success of the library media specialist and the library media program. Successful advocating for the library media…

Specific curriculum is taught at every grade level and it is the job of library media specialists to know subject area content. Library media specialists should develop collections to meet the content associated with curriculum standards. To ensure that these collections meet school needs, collection mapping with specific curriculum related to…

Differentiated instruction has been around for over fifteen years, and like many educational practices, the attention to it is cyclical. In this article, the author talks about how differentiated instruction is used to teach reading. The author also talks about the role of library media specialists in differentiated instruction in reading.