A library media specialist describes the way in which she and her assistant re-evaluated the library media center program so that they could help students in finding books of their choice, easily. Library media center orientation includes remainders for students that there are often variations in library arrangements and formal and informal…

From the ascendance of the reference database and web sites offering endless opportunities for cyber-promotion to the crowds swarming through the doors to avail themselves of new computers, the Internet has transformed the way public libraries do business. That is not news. What is exciting, though, is how the Internet continues to change public…

When a challenge gets difficult, it's hard to believe that people challenge instructional materials because they care. It's even harder to remember that educators want the general public, legislators, taxpayers, and parents to care about education. Library media specialists and administrators have the same lens of stress that all adults have,…

Libraries need to weigh the benefits, usage, and cost-effectiveness of owning collections against seeking alternatives to deliver the information needed by customers. The University of Arizona Library investigated different approaches for meeting the research needs of East Asian Studies faculty and students under great pressure of physical space…

While preparing to migrate from Innovative Interfaces' text-based serials module to its new Millennium Serials product, the author, a manager of technical services operations in a small academic library, found herself faced with a number of decisions regarding how to store holdings information. Holdings data is information about individual items…

Stressing importance of insurance coverage for the buildings and contents of libraries, this article covers insurance history, the modern insurance industry, examples of loss experiences, prevention and preparedness, risk management, appraisals and valuations of property, insurance options, and lack of recognition of protective and preventive…

This essay characterizes role of the librarian as using a variety of skills (intellectual, human and communication, technical) to deal with recorded information by evaluating, acquiring, preserving, sorting and ordering, and making it available. Library management, training, and preservation of library materials are highlighted. Six references are…

Considers some important questions surrounding the deaccessioning of books and other materials from library collections: Should deaccessioned items be sold? How should materials for deaccessioning be selected? What are the channels for the sale of deaccessioned library materials? (JL)

Discusses how one school library functions as a natural setting for extending the literacy of students, even though the library has no librarian. Focuses on how instruction and the opportunities for meaningful practice are integrated realistically as students use this "second classroom," the school library. (MG)

The authors recount experiences of the variety of problems and issues involved in providing access to electronic journals in a large academic library. The paper excludes concerns emanating from decisions to subscribe to aggregations such as those produced by vendors like EBSCO, but concentrates on scholarly journals ordered individually, or as…

The purpose of traditional copyright law was to encourage the creation of works based on and to ensure reasonable access to original thought. Despite this harmonious intent, an intrinsic tension exists between libraries and copyright holders, as the former promotes "free" access to information that ultimately reduces the income of the…

In the past decade, the amount and variety of information on developing and managing comprehensive preservation programs has grown tremendously. This highly selective list of books, reports, journal and newsletter articles, and other sources is intended primarily as an introduction to the increasingly rich literature for archivists, special…

Systems analysis can and should be used in any situation where there is a need to measure performance and a reasonable possibility of being able to develop more efficient routines. Increasingly, systems analysis is being used by librarians in other areas of library activity, such as budgeting and management. (29 references) (Author)

Reviews the literature of preservation for 1990. Topics addressed include preservation in original format; conservation treatment; pest management; deterioration of paper, deacidification, and paper strengthening; preservation replacement; newer reformatting technologies; the management of preservation programs; education for preservation…

Disaster preparedness is an important issue in library management today. This article presents a general overview of the theoretical aspects of disaster planning in libraries. The stages of disaster planning are a circular process of planning, prevention, response, recovery, preparedness, and training.