Representatives from seven international library associations give a global view of the library and information sector by outlining goals of the international library association and discussing information literacy, repositioning libraries at the center of the information society, "virtual associations," reassessing library roles and…

Discusses the relationship between school counselors and teacher-librarians and reports results of a national survey that investigated partnerships between the groups. Highlights include input into materials selection and purchase; assistance with audiovisual equipment; information on available materials and services; computer technology support;…

Reviews earlier predictions about technological change in libraries, finds that providing equal access to information remains the library's mission, and forecasts the future. Topics include ownership versus access, electronic resources, information infrastructure, users, levels of service fees, circulation, librarians as "information…

Discusses the virtual library as a model for library service in developing countries and describes the potential for these countries to solve many problems through access to needed information and through increased cooperation. Outlines obstacles to achieving this goal, which include lack of economic resources, technological dependence on…

The 10 papers in this collection discuss the database industry in Australia and New Zealand, networking activities in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, intellectual property protection of databases, the development of land information systems in Australia, the development of expert systems, the use of optical data disks,…

Describes two main groups of home schoolers, "ideological" and "pedagogical." Highlights include a family's success with nondirective teaching; teaching styles; religious factors; the social impact; research results about use of public libraries; and 12 suggestions of how libraries can serve home schoolers information needs.…

Discusses educational issues concerning the Internet, including the changing role of the Internet in schools, libraries, and the workplace; unequal access resulting from economic and geographic barriers; implications of different privatization approaches; the impact of the Internet on professional school curricula; and the need for better tools…

Discusses progress made in meeting the information needs of health care administrators and the role of the library in providing information for administrative decision making. Highlights include health care economics; a shifting power structure; quality improvement initiatives; standards; communicating the role and value of library services; and…

Four articles address human factors in libraries, including (1) working with staff and users during library automation; (2) the concepts of diversity and multiculturalism when assessing reference staff and collections; (3) a mentoring program for librarians undergoing tenure review; and (4) patron privacy and the accountability of the reference…

Presents an annotated bibliography of materials relating to school library media specialists in the following areas: the school library media specialist and the curriculum; library services and automation; teacher and student satisfaction and the library environment; challenged library materials; the principal and the media specialist; and…

Discusses the history and findings of the National Commission on Library and Information Science's field investigations of library services for Native Americans. Concerns include literacy, collecting strengths, extent of library services, professional training for librarians, federal support, and access to collections both on and off reservations.…

Discusses the concept of Afrocentrism and presents the arguments of several scholars for and against the role of Afrocentrism in education. Implications for librarians are considered, and guidelines for related collections and services are offered. Major African studies repositories and suggested titles for Afrocentric collections are listed. (MES)

The second of two articles reporting on a study conducted at the J.A. Turner Professional Library, a professional education library in Canada, presents questionnaire and interview data on library services and resources for three groups of library users: school board senior administration, school board program coordinators, and university faculty.…

Excerpts from testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources regarding the proposed Technology for Education Act highlights the need for strong school library media collections and programs in addition to the latest technology. Highlights include funding, expenditures, media centers and student achievement, librarians'…

Describes the changing role of the library and the reference librarian and the effects of new information technology, changing demographics of student populations, and patrons' expectations for personalized service versus library instruction. Fees for meeting rooms, photocopying, videos, printouts of articles from online full-text, information…