The concept of the embedded librarian takes subject specialization to another plane. The article that follows discusses the embedded librarian as an evolutionary product and speculates on the reasons driving the change from the library to the department or center for the delivery of information services. Four drivers for change are explored with…

Using college students to shelve library books in a university library has always presented a variety of problems. Attention spans are short; dedication to this repetitive task as well as socializing can be a problem for the average student. For the past 9 years, Oakland University's Kresge Library has employed a young man with autism to shelve…

Evaluation is important. As the sea of information grows ever larger, educators must be able to teach their students to evaluate what they find and decide its relevance and accuracy. In the American Association of School Librarians' publication "Standards for the 21st Century Learner," evaluation is a skill (1.1.4, 1.1.5), a disposition in action…

A library's Web site is well recognized as the gateway to the library for the vast majority of users. Choosing the most user-friendly Web architecture to reflect the many services libraries offer is a complex process, and librarians are still experimenting to find what works best for their users. As part of a redesign of the Oregon State…

This paper describes the process whereby a university library investigated the value of its subject guides to its users. A literature review and surveys of library staff, library users and other libraries were carried out. Existing library subject guides and those of other higher education libraries were evaluated. The project team reported…

This article describes the fundamental challenges to data curation, how these challenges may be compounded for smaller institutions, and how data management is an essential and manageable component of data curation. Data curation is often discussed within the confines of large research universities. As a result, master's and baccalaureate…

Some students at the master-level viewed research methodology courses negatively. This study investigated six factors that changed attitudes of graduate school students toward research during the course of a semester at a mid-sized university (University X) located in a western state. To facilitate this study, a survey instrument (Student Research…

Drawing on the example of a recent study (Wang, 2010), this paper discusses the application of a sociocultural approach to information literacy research and curricular design. First, it describes the foundation of this research approach in sociocultural theories, in particular Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. Then it presents key theoretical…

Research librarians should be literate in locating government resources at both federal and state levels. Although assistance with policy research may not be as frequently requested as other subjects, librarians need to be knowledgeable in this subject area. Policy resources produced by federal and state legislative and executive agencies can be…

The 1996 National Household Education Survey (NHES:96), an ongoing national survey on important educational issues, included a series of questions about the use of public library services by members of United States households. Responses represent public library use by members of each household surveyed and not by individual persons within…

The 1994 Forum on Library and Information Services was planned to provide an opportunity to explore the role of libraries in the evolving information and communications infrastructure. This report on the proceedings of the Forum begins with the agenda and a list of the participants. Two roles of the Department of Education relating to libraries…

A survey instrument was designed and administered to obtain a broad base of information concerning the presence of computers and computer literacy classes in public libraries in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Minnesota. The results indicate that 50.8% of the 100 libraries that responded to the survey (80.6% of the original random sample) have public…

The Association of Christian Librarians is an interdenominational organization of 300 members made up of Christian librarians sharing interests in library service in Christian higher education. From its birth at a 1957 conference of 17 librarians, the association has grown to over 300 members. The association strives to promote, develop, and…

Eighteen state-supported academic libraries, primarily in Illinois but also in other midwestern and western states, were contacted by letter (14) or by telephone (4) in order to obtain information on their circulation policies and procedures. Fifteen libraries responded by sending copies of their policies. Information was also collected by…

An experiment with the artificial aging of paper which--in contrast with the usual practice--was carried out at relatively low temperatures (i.e., 50-95 degrees Celsius), and not on laboratory handsheets, but on naturally aged paper from the commercial production of four centuries, produced results justifying the thesis that there may be at best…