Literacy achievement is one of the most reliable indicators of educational, social, and economic success. In 2012, the National Year of Reading, boys still make up the majority of students struggling with literacy skills. Boys' literacy is an issue that affects us all. This paper provides an overview of research related to boys and reading, and…

Replicated across the globe, the Learning 2.0 programme--also known as "23 Things"--has been touted as a means to not only educate staff about emerging social and mobile technologies but as a means of moving the participating library forward as a learning organisation. This paper explores the results of a multi-faceted research project…

The core mission of libraries has always centered on making content and related services available to patrons. The form in which that content is delivered has changed continually. The most ancient libraries or archives organized clay tablets or cylinders written in cuneiform. Centuries ago, the transition from scrolls to codices must have been…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the use and implementation of RFID technology at the Indian Law Institute Library and National Social Science Documentation Centre Library, New Delhi. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted at the two libraries, using a structured questionnaire comprising 20 questions. Findings: It was…

This literature review describes the experiences of universities in their use of ereaders as textbook replacements and of academic libraries and their lending of ereaders. Information gained from this review will inform Southern Cross University (SCU) Library's forthcoming Ereader Project, which will trial the lending of ereaders as leisure…

The creation of an instant messaging (IM) service is described. The challenges encountered in developing, launching, and maintaining the project are examined and include technical support, archiving, balancing different formats, privacy, assessment, training, and the effectiveness of the IM channel. The process of choosing an aggregator and a…

The author is a reference and instruction librarian at Iowa State University with collection development and liaison responsibilities for chemistry, biochemistry, entomology, and natural resource ecology. She recently came to librarianship with an education and three years' experience in biochemistry and biotechnology. During the last four years…

Introduction: Very little research crosses the institutional boundaries of libraries and archives, and theres appears to be little predisposition to look for areas of common interest. However, practitioners in these settings have much to learn from each other. Purpose: This paper argues that practitioners' understanding of information management…

To quote "Will & Grace," the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 7-10, was "a nightmare/delightful!" Five times larger than even the largest library conference, the show's 35 football field-long bazaar of technology marvels and gimmicks--along with thousands of reps hawking them--was almost enough to put a person off…

Prior to retiring from full-time librarianship to concentrate on readers' advisory (RA) consulting, teaching, and book and media discussions, Ted Balcom, longtime administrator of the Villa Park Public Library (VPPL), Illinois, repeatedly demonstrated a particularly effective approach to shoring up essential library support. Balcom, 1996 winner of…

This summer, sports-crazy South Africa, recently named by the "New York Times" as one of the "31 Places To Go in 2010," will become the first African nation to host the FIFA World Cup. Soccer fans making the trip will be rewarded with world-class facilities, modern infrastructure, and a nation of startling contrasts and…

There is a surging need for library services, placing high demands on staff time just as staff time and resources are shrinking. The increased demand coupled with decreased resources puts stress on those on the front lines and on administrators, many of whom are themselves suffering the same financial anxieties as their patrons. Nationwide, public…

Librarians can--and should--be on the lookout for new and unique ways to improve their instructional skill sets and service. One out-of-the-box opportunity to consider is to study--by reading, watching, or participating in--improvisational theater. Improv games and theater are like life: performers who may or may not know each other are given…

Integrating advanced imaging and processing capabilities in libraries, archives, and museums requires effective systems and information management to ensure that the large amounts of digital data about cultural artifacts can be readily acquired, stored, archived, accessed, processed, and linked to other data. The Library of Congress is developing…

This abstract covers the breadth of higher education activities in North Carolina in their quantitative aspect, from simple counts of enrollment and degrees conferred to complex analyses of the flow of student transfers among institutions. Collected and published annually, this wide range of information should be useful to members of the public…