As the social support network in the United States struggles to address the myriad needs of the public, libraries are being asked to shoulder an increasingly varied set of responsibilities. Are they educated appropriately to meet these needs? We conducted in-depth, semi-structured video interviews with five experienced youth services professionals…

Librarianship is constantly confronted with unexpected and quickly evolving sociotechnical challenges, yet the documents that define the core professional competencies for librarians are infrequently updated. Based upon survey responses collected from 383 working librarians located in the United States, we describe a set of gaps between current…

School librarians work with students across their organizations, including those with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little is known about how prepared school librarians are to serve these students. Using a mixed-methods survey, this study sought to explore training school librarians have completed regarding ASD and…

In this article, Susan Altman shares her experience of working as a library assistant at Forest Heights Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina, while taking classes in the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) Program at the nearby University of South Carolina. She discusses getting acquainted with the students, faculty and…

In today's technological world, school librarians planning to be leaders should be ready to keep up with advances in standards significant to the profession. The professional standards, specifically American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Standards and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Coaches offer…

Urges the development of post-master's degree internship programs in academic libraries to further professional training and improve placement of new library school graduates. The history of library internship programs is reviewed and a new program of internship developed by AALS and ACRL is outlined. (RAA)

This booklet, one of a series of background information papers for the White House Conference, outlines and discusses the important issues of professionalism facing libraries, librarians, and library schools. Public librarians are being asked to assume new roles and perform new tasks for which they are increasingly unable to adequately and…

Discusses mentoring in library schools based on experiences with the Alumni Board at the Catholic University of America (Washington, DC). Highlights include career guidance, encouragement during the academic program, advice on course and field work, and opportunities to make professional contacts. (LRW)

Lacking a regional library school in the 1930s, librarians of the Maritime Library Institute (MLI) did not view themselves as inferior to the "trained librarians" of central Canada, but crafted a professional identity through mutual support and shared expertise. This essay discusses creation of the MLI; transforming the Maritime Library…

The American Association for School Librarians suggests an important mission for school librarians is to ensure personal growth through ongoing exposure to conferences, journal articles, webinars, presentations, and membership in professional organizations. As professional educators, School Librarians should exemplify the vision for being…

A survey of library school cataloging educators and practitioners indicated that entry-level catalogers may not be sufficiently prepared for their first professional positions, and supported expanded graduate programs and advanced courses and practicums that utilize practitioners for instruction. Tables display survey responses in rank order. (JKP)

This article describes the SS "School Library Leadership" maiden voyage, which departed from the University of Vermont (UVM) during the 2010 fall semester. Twelve intrepid sailors followed their sense of adventure into uncharted waters with cocaptains Judy Kaplan and Susan Ballard in an online collaboration that provided a powerful…

Discusses the provision of training for children's librarians in library schools in the United Kingdom and Ireland, noting four aspects--whether or not children's librarians should receive special training, types of training available in library schools, implications of the word "training," and future considerations. (EJS)

Looks at the historical development of school librarian training in Canada and Great Britain; examines types of institutions with training programs and program content; compares the librarian's role in the two countries and isolates factors that determined those roles; and highlights recent difficulties, developments, and movement toward consensus…

This paper provides a brief history and background on Nigeria and its educational system; school libraries in Nigeria; and increased recognition by the government of the importance of libraries in education and resultant legislation. The majority of teacher-librarians in the Nigerian school system do not have professional qualifications in…