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…

When school librarians are hired, most of them will find positions as the only librarian in the school. Their training, their ideals, and what was once a clear vision of the profession can become murky when removed from their classrooms, their professors, and their peers. New school librarians can look for help in the district policies and…

It is to be expected that in a new and emerging discipline like knowledge management (KM) there still will be ambivalence among both LIS educational institutions and their students, as to the need to have KM courses. Investigating the benefits of engaging with these programs might help to clear up this ambiguity. The present paper seeks to shed…

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…

Describes a survey of 716 faculty members and deans of library schools with accredited master's programs conducted to determine their attitudes toward the role of continuing professional education activities. Results indicate positive attitudes but disagreement on suitable formats. (BK)

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)

Discusses the need for continuing education for youth services librarians at different levels based on their educational background and purposes for continuing education, range of currently available programs, and barriers to participation. Ways in which state library agencies and professional associations could provide structured coherent…

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)

Reports the results of a survey of museum, arts, and humanities librarians that focused their educational backgrounds, career paths, job situations, and participation in continuing education activities. The discussion covers implications of the findings for library schools and associations regarding career development and continuing education for…

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…

Two classic papers on continuing education for professional groups are examined and related to the library/information science field in Canada: (1) "Role of Continuing Education in Current Professional Development" (Cyril Houle, Professor of Adult Education at the University of Chicago); and (2) "Continuing Education in the…

Discusses the results of a survey of the accredited library schools of Canada regarding the schools' administrative and organizational approaches to providing continuing education programs for librarians. (CHC)