Discusses the guidelines for school library media programs in "Information Power" and explains the new Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning. Topics include independent learning, social responsibility, performance indicators, and the roles of the library media specialist. (LRW)

Explains libraries' roles in protecting intellectual freedom. Outlines these faulty impressions: librarians endorse the content of their collections; "everyone" agrees on controversial material; representation of all viewpoints means equal numbers; and denial of reconsideration requests indicates librarians don't take challenges seriously.…

Suggests that to reach those responsible for funding, librarians need to be more assertive in making the school library's role and services understood. Discusses maintaining visibility, using every opportunity to tout new materials and services, having credibility and knowing the collection, making libraries comfortable and accessible, and…

Describes the University of Washington Digital Libraries Initiative that provides the context for effective collaboration among faculty, engineers, students, and librarians for the creation, use, and investigation of electronic information services, resources, and systems developed from a users' perspective. Also explains an image-archiving…

Discusses expectations of public library reference service and the reality of what librarians can provide amid declining resources. Suggests reference librarians should define the gap between potential and reality in reference service, and inform the customers about how little money it would take to provide better service. Argues that librarians…

Discussion of fund-raising in academic libraries addresses issues of major gifts, capital campaigns, organization, staffing, constituency, and the role of the library development program within the academic community. Highlights include library administrator roles, goals, centralized versus decentralized development, and creating a major-gifts…

Focuses on the role of digital libraries as facilitators for the use of digital information and describes Walden's Paths, a directed path facility that allows teachers to incorporate Web-based information into their high school curriculum. Discusses teacher training, intellectual property issues, and metadocuments. (LRW)

While the "information superhighway" offers new opportunities for independent research and study, the amount of information available requires users to have a high level of information-literacy skills. Librarians are in the best position to facilitate the development of these skills and to instruct clients in the use of search and…

Examines Axel Lodewycks' role at the University of Melbourne (Australia) during the period 1959 to 1973. Lodewycks made a significant contribution to the construction of the Baillieu Library building in this period, but was never able to raise his own standing within the university beyond that established by his predecessors. (Author/AEF)

Offers a practitioner's views and experiences on how librarians can collaborate successfully with information technology (IT) professionals without losing their identities as librarians in a corporate environment. Discusses information science core competencies; components of information systems; human interaction, including mutual trust; and…

Explains why the Internet is not replacing libraries. Highlights include the lack of substantive material that is available; problems with finding what is there; the lack of quality control; physical difficulties with reading electronic texts; high costs of digitizing; and lack of access to older material. (LRW)

Examines issues and trends surrounding the changing library environment, and how changes have influenced the role of librarians. Analysis of the library environment in the past, present, and future included four elements: (1) role of the librarian; (2) library collections; (3) technologies; and (4) users' needs. (AEF)

Provides an overview of information policy, including its importance, its key instruments, and its complexity. Information policy issues that may create new roles for libraries include the ramifications of the public's right to information, the organization and retrieval of electronically networked information, information literacy training,…

Using published studies and references, shows why the requirement that a manager of interlibrary loan be a librarian with a master's degree in Library Science may be outmoded in the modern academic library. Discusses the librarian's role, certification and professional elitism, job requirements, and user needs. (AEF)

Examines quality in school library media programs in relation to the quality of education offered in the schools. School reform efforts that have evolved to a focus on learning are discussed; roles of the school library media specialist are described; and implications of centering the library on learning are considered. (LRW)