Librarians face a dilemma, one to which most of them appear to be oblivious. Everybody knows about lots of modern problems that confront libraries and librarians these days. The problem under discussion here is of another order altogether: that librarians are taken too seriously by some of the populace they serve; that they sometimes do not take…

The job of the contemporary reference librarian has a virtual component unimaginable a generation ago. Today's library professional can obtain an MLS (or equivalent) online with a minimal residency requirement. Not only the degree, but also library sources, and indeed patrons, have become virtual. Both books and periodicals can be consulted by…

The Central Piedmont Community College Libraries moved from a separately maintained periodicals holdings list to a fully-integrated serials module. Establishing the serials module from scratch required the library to make a series of interrelated decisions beyond the realm of serials management and control. The implications of the serials module…

One hundred fourteen community college libraries in the United States and Canada are surveyed for the organization of electronic resources within their home page and their cataloguing practice. The majority provide access to databases, ready reference, and their own catalogue both on their home page and within their web site. They do not usually…

Suggests that when a new course is proposed, library staff should initiate a review of the collection and recent titles in the subject area. Adds that staff should then meet with the originating faculty member and discuss the resources needed for the course. Asserts that this process would make the library staff more proactive in course…

Argues that reorganizing libraries around the concept of user-focused access will help community colleges meet the information access challenges they face. States that integrated systems and the Internet have enabled libraries to broaden their concept of access from the physical collection to include thousands of other library collections and…

Offers suggestions to librarians for enhancing delivery of bibliographic instruction sessions. Includes topics such as "attitude matters more than content,""you may need a coffee bar for librarians,""rigidity is only good for dams,""learning travels up the fingertips," and "they want it convenient." (NB)

Describes the Kansas Digital Library (KDL), a comprehensive, electronic library of visual, textual and auditory information resources. Discusses projects that KDL sponsors, including Blue Skyways, a Web site that functions as a subject-oriented entryway to the Web for Kansas librarians. Reports that the KDL is an example of a successful state…

Discusses the vital role policy plays in the effective delivery of information services over the Internet, as well as the need to keep policies at a minimum so as not to impede users' creativity and imaginative powers when online. Provides four examples from community college libraries. (NB)