The concept of "student engagement" is widely discussed in academic libraries, but has not been thoroughly examined from a conceptual and theoretical perspective by scholars in the Library and Information Science (LIS) field. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research project on student engagement in academic libraries.…

Over the past decade, evidence from disciplines ranging from biology to economics has suggested that many scientific studies may not be reproducible. This has led to declarations in both the scientific and lay press that science is experiencing a "reproducibility crisis" and that this crisis has consequences for the extent to which…

Visual literacy discussions and guidelines in LIS practice tend to be principle-driven concepts but are limited to an LIS discourse. In a casual tone, this paper reviews other expressions of what it means to be "informed" through visual means by using examples from literature, philosophy, and how end-users may think about visual…

This research uses the h-index to rank the quality of library and information science journals between 2004 and 2008. Selected open access (OA) journals are included in the ranking to assess current OA development in support of scholarly communication. It is found that OA journals have gained momentum supporting high-quality research and…

Postwar librarians have sacrificed the humanistic basis of librarianship and regard the use of science in librarianship as a settled issue. American librarianship is currently dominated by the physical thinking of scientific systems theory, which includes Bertalanffy's general system theory, Wiener's cybernetics, and the Hartley-Shannon theory of…

This essay on library terminology and jargon highlights the names of files encountered in one library, expressions used during presentations at the most recent American Library Association Annual Conference, job titles, journal abstracts, and other genera of double-talk that can profitably be used to reduce comprehension. Twelve references are…

Discussion of learning organizations focuses on attributes of libraries that are, or are in the process of becoming, learning organizations. Topics include the concept of learning; vision; flexibility, including trust; leadership, including less emphasis on a hierarchical management structure; and communication. (LRW)

Librarianship is the management of knowledge, not the management of nature, i.e., it is controlled by ideas, not by phenomena. The man/document interface provides a key for creating the philosophy of librarianship and a clue to the intellectual nature of the library profession. Because librarianship occurs whenever ideas are reused, librarians…

The author describes her positive experiences at library conferences in order to stress the importance of networking-of not only attending these conferences but also of making time for colleagues. Benefits include feeling understood and supported, having a good time and forging long-lasting bonds. (AEF)

Research design is a product of the scientific method in Western Civilization whose major purposes are to eliminate the biased judgements of individual researchers and to ensure replication of the study. In general, the formal protocol of the research design includes several elements: theoretical position out of which the hypotheses to be tested…

Discusses the need for a conceptual framework for librarianship and information seeking and suggests that the writings of M.M. Bakhtin can provide an important aid to theoretical groundings and for the rethinking of public services in libraries. Highlights include Bakhtin's views on phenomenology, dialogic communication, and information seeking.…

Discussion includes: (1) indications of social crisis--rapid change and altered basic assumptions; (2) current social changes--limited economic growth, post-industrialization, communications and adult learning revolutions; and (3) implications for information science--a broader based library education to ready professionals for increased contact…

This essay identifies and reviews the major and easily recognizable characteristics of a library discourse and proposes models describing the actual, possible, and necessary modes of library communication. The transmittal of orderly thoughts or information in a library situation differs from a conventional communication pattern. Three unique…

The existence of problems in libraries has two significant dimensions: the theoretical and the practical even though to a large extent problems occur mainly in the minds of people. The orientation of this manual is therefore entirely practical and introductory to the point of being useful with any library staff regardless of size. Even librarians…

An international survey of education programs in library and information science showed that most countries are facing the same sorts of problems. (PF)