Access to information is an essential art of the educational system. The reality is, however, that there are laws and policies in effect that can restrict what information is available to students and teachers in K-12 schools. Selection policies, Acceptable Use Policies, Circulation Policies, as well as federal laws and acts, all place…

Pat Scales, a spokesperson for First Amendment issues, provides school librarians with guidance on: (1) how to handle questions from parents about books that employ offensive language; (2) selecting age-appropriate books for middle school libraries; (3) the difference between banning books and removing reevaluated books; and (4) whether books…

Libraries are making diverse contributions to the development of many types of digital repositories, particularly those housing locally created digital content, including new digital objects or digitized versions of locally held works. In some instances, libraries are managing a repository and its related services entirely on their own, but often…

The teaching of mathematical modeling to undergraduate students requires that students are given ample opportunity to develop their own models and experience first-hand the process of model building. Finding an appropriate context within which modeling can be undertaken is not a simple task as it needs to be readily understandable and seen as…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") is a bimonthly report from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). This issue includes the following articles: (1) Diversity in Research Universities (Bernadette Gray-Little); (2) An…

An academic library working group was charged in 2005 to create a records retention schedule and policy applicable to records containing personally identifiable information of library patrons. This group conducted a survey and extensive research, culminating in an adopted library records retention schedule and policy implemented in 2006.

Interlibrary lending is often overlooked when resource-sharing operations are evaluated. The relevant literature shows a lack of current lending studies. It can be difficult to convince administrators that lending should be considered to be as important as borrowing in spite of the fact that one cannot operate without the other. 26,800 cancelled…

Many libraries offer for-credit courses that intend to foster information literacy. These courses will be strengthened if the librarian as instructor has a familiarity with learning theory. This article suggests that Robert Gagne's "Nine Events of Instruction," based on information processing theory, can provide support to bibliographic…

There has been little recent research into the roles and responsibilities of academic librarians in collection development in Australian universities. In 2007 the authors reviewed the findings of a 1994 study of collection management in Australian university libraries, examining current practice and taking into account the impact of technology…

This paper stems from the results of a systematic study of research library policy regarding application and interpretation of copyright law to reserves and electronic reserves. A thorough legal framework is provided from which the study's results are interpreted, and suggestions for research library compliance are provided.

This article discusses some of the premigration tasks at Minnesota State Mankato in preparation for migration to a new integrated library system, ALEPH. The authors describe the review of circulation policies to make sure that only relevant, current data and practices were carried over. There is emphasis on the need for ongoing review of policies…

Unprocessed archival collections can contain unknown and potentially hazardous materials that can be harmful to other collections and staff. Archival literature largely focuses on collection and personnel dangers posed by environmental hazards such as mold and insect infestation but not on pharmaceutical and chemical hazards. In this article, the…

Library media specialists make it a point to be sure their students and parents know they are responsible for the books and other materials that they borrow from the library media centers. In her K-2 library media center, the author sends friendly letters home at the beginning of the school term informing the parents that they and their child are…

Discusses privacy issues related to use of the Internet. Topics include data gathering functions that are built into applications of the World Wide Web; cookies that identify Web site visitors; personal identity information; libraries and privacy, including the need for privacy policies; protecting your privacy; and developing privacy literacy.…

Describes Martha B. Gould's agenda for the United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS). Highlights include: political savvy and the National Technical Information Service; Internet policy for libraries; her status as the first public librarian to chair NCLIS; library education; federal responsibility in library…