The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is committed to bringing together museums and libraries across the country for conversations dedicated to developing a better understanding of the roles of libraries and museums as providers of public service to communities. The Future of Libraries and Museums in the 21st Century Planning…

The primary role of the prison library should be to promote the prisoners' right to read, rather than being committed to providing services and materials to support rehabilitation programs of the prison. (JPF)

This theme issue contains the following articles on libraries as agencies of culture: (1) "American Libraries and Agencies of Culture" (Thomas Augst); (2) "The Sound of the Civic: Reading Noise at the New York Public Library" (Ari Kelman); (3) "High Culture, Low Culture: The Singular Duality of the Library of Congress" (Elizabeth Jane Aikin); (4)…

This article discusses the functions and activities of libraries attached to adult education institutions, universities, colleges of education, etc. and of public libraries in the context of adult education. (10 references) (Author)

The potential of library services in various kinds of institutions was not widely recognized in 1952. During the last two decades great changes have occurred both in philosophy and attitudes toward institutional library service and in their organization and operation. (54 references) (SJ)

Public libraries can no longer be all things to all people," they need to set one or two major goals to serve one or two major sectors and give everything they have to this effort. (7 references) (Author/NH)

Issue is taken with the library-college or librarian-as-educator notion which has gained favor with some academic librarians. The author states that one of the reasons for this movement is: Call librarians educators and they will have an effective talking point when seeking full academic status with the instructional faculty." (7 references) (MM)

It is the responsibility of the undergraduate librarian to develop substantive service programs and tangible goals. Such goals include close faculty-librarian understanding and cooperation, and productive student-librarian relations. (MF)

Current dife Libraries

Presents the text of the report's transmittal message by the President to the Congress. It stresses the importance of libraries, identifies specific responsibilities of the federal government, characterizes the needs of the disadvantaged, and encourages the use of new information techniques. (RAA)

Argues that the primary purpose of the school library is to provide information, and discusses selection policies, the librarian's teaching responsibilities, the need for clerical assistance, and centralized processing in this context. A vision of the school library as information center is presented with summaries of the roles of teachers, the…

Discussion of the role of librarians focuses on three more traditional aspects of librarianship that are still important in the midst of new technology: (1) the study of the book and its role in our culture; (2) reading and its role in the inner life; and (3) reading guidance. (Contains 16 references.) (LRW)

As bookstores and the Internet march forward, the library community continues to question and forecast its role in society. Innovative libraries nationwide have seized the opportunity to reinvent themselves, bringing a new level of excitement to the industry. Yet puzzlement remains on what strategies, what roles will work in communities where…

With the pileup of responsibilities that range from programming to outreach to web management, more and more librarians are finding vendor-based book selection enticing. Most librarians see vendor-based selection as an option to relieve the pressure and still provide good collections to their patrons. However, using vendors to help facilitate…

Libraries of government departments provide information to policymakers, to government staff and employees, and, sometimes, to the general public. It is essential that libraries of government departments are organised and managed so as to collect and provide the information most needed by government decision makers, government workers, and the…