Public libraries are walking a tightrope. They are a free service to all, but increasing funding cuts have some libraries turning to a wide variety of revenue-generation strategies to ensure financial security. Gift and coffee shops, meeting room rentals, classes, and more are being launched in hopes of filling funding gaps. In fact, in a recent…

The processes of creation and expression of scientific, social, and humanistic inspirations are culminating in a vast corpus of stunning and even life-changing documents, films, recordings, Web sites, and other media, including software. Advances in technology have enabled new kinds of scholarship--the most obvious and profound impact is occurring…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on a devised method of collection organisation within a DSpace repository using a Manakin theme and descriptive metadata. Design/methodology/approach: Using a Manakin theme, a user interface for a repository collection containing the contents of a serial was created to divide the collection into…

For libraries, the impact of the derailed economy was felt more fully in 2009 than in 2008, as tax revenues decreased and public funds dwindled. By February 2009, the American Library Association (ALA) reported from a survey of its Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) that 41 percent of states expected declining state funding for…

The building and decoration of the Library of Congress in the late nineteenth century were emblematic of America's longing to be regarded as an enlightened nation and to take its rightful place among the great civilizations of the past. The sources for this ambition, illustrated in the paintings, sculptures, and inscriptions in the library's…

Administrators are identified as key players in the success of school library programs and in the success of school librarians. Yet research has shown that administrators continue to have little understanding of what the school library program is, can be, or should be in the school setting, nor are administrators familiar with the roles a school…

Much has been written about library commons in recent years. For the most part, that literature has dealt with designing information and learning commons that support student learning by giving them the tools and resources they need for their academic work. However, few authors have discussed how a library commons might facilitate collaboration…

Today's library should be part of the online social networks so it can connect with patrons and inform them of new services and opportunities. But this need to utilize new technology must be balanced against shrinking budgets and increased costs. One way libraries can juggle these demands is to spend more time on creating content, using a mix of…

The electronic environment has significantly shifted library capabilities and user expectations for the delivery of government information and services. At the same time, many laws of the federal government have pushed for the creation and distribution of government information through electronic channels. However, the Federal Depository Library…

The digital era has revolutionized society's perception of space. Even so, against this backdrop, the struggle to preserve and enhance library space is a battle for the hearts and minds of the communities. It is ongoing, and it will never end. In this article, the author explores two characteristics of successful drives to revitalize physical…

The article gives a brief description of intellectual freedom and censorship in order to set a foundation for looking into the library community's role in advocating for intellectual freedom and combating censorship. Focus is given to the unique challenges of school libraries in fulfilling the larger library community's expectations in these two…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how federated search engines are incorporated into the Web sites of libraries in the Association of Research Libraries. In 2009, information was gathered for each library in the Association of Research Libraries with a federated search engine. This included the name of the federated search service and…

This study examined how social networks of LIS graduates contribute to their job attainment. Graduates from three ALA-accredited programs in the Southeastern U.S. who took some or all of their coursework online to earn the MLIS degree participated in the study. Findings suggest that recent graduates of entirely online programs have social capital…

Information literacy instruction continuously adapts to changes in the information environment, whether those changes are small and focused on a regularly used tool or much broader in scope. What is harder to conceive of and implement are more radical, overarching shifts. These transformations go far beyond introducing new and revised tools or…

This article provides a literature review on academic integrity, which encompasses the values, behaviour and conduct of academics in all aspects of their practice. This is a growing area of academic research as a result of the expansion of higher education on a global basis and concerns about standards of professional conduct. The article maps the…