Collection development is the core of every school library, and successful school librarians know that meeting all learner needs can contribute to their success. When curating their collections school librarians must consider learners with visual, hearing, physical, and cognitive impairments. The school librarian should work with a team (other…

The late rapper Tupac Shakur wrote a poem called "The Rose that Grew from Concrete" that serves as a good metaphor for helping educators, including school librarians, to disrupt stereotypical metanarratives they might have about urban youth and replace them with new narratives of hope, compassion, and high expectations for all students. Tupac's…

Where library budgets are concerned, there is every evidence now, after three years, that research libraries have arrived at "the new normal." That is, they do not expect a return to systematic and regular additions to Association of Research Libraries' (ARL) budgets in order to support ever-increasing prices that are out of proportion to…

Using data collected via a Web survey instrument, this study examines the leadership engagement of new professionals in Canadian libraries and explores their interest in and willingness to take up leadership roles as well as the barriers and opportunities to leadership that they perceive to exist within the workplace. (Contains 7 tables.)

In this case study the authors describe Pepperdine University Libraries' migration to OCLC's WorldShare Management Services. They elaborate on the rationale for the decision, review some of the challenges and lessons encountered along the way, and briefly discuss some effects of the new system on our libraries. The focus is on technical services…

As academic library functions and activities continue to evolve, libraries have broadened the traditional library model, which focuses on management of physical resources and activities, to include a digital library model, transforming resources and services into digital formats to support teaching, learning, and research. This transition has…

A major challenge facing academic libraries is the need for reference librarians to become knowledge experts in their assigned subject areas. The subject-specialist approach increases the effectiveness of collection development, classroom instruction, and faculty liaison interactions. Simultaneously, this approach creates the need for continuous…

A study was undertaken in four Tanzanian universities to investigate the status and practice of information literacy (IL) so as to determine the best ways of introducing or improving IL programmes. This article reports on the findings related to challenges and opportunities that could influence the effective implementation and introduction of IL…

Despite the discussion about the greying of the profession, librarians seem to agree on little but this: the jobs being vacated are generally upper-level and the departure of retiring library managers fails to translate into a glut of entry level spots. This article describes how NextGens should prepare to move into management and other upper…

What's the best way to find out what younger professionals think? Just ask! In this article, several librarians, ranging in age from 25 to 35, reveal their thoughts about their profession. These NextGens share common concerns about the few entry-level opportunities available, noting also that short-term budget solutions like cutting staff or…

Male NextGen Librarians remain a rare breed. In fact, 82 percent of librarians are female, according to 2002 U.S. Statistical Abstract figures, and 21 percent of 2002 LIS grads were male, according to "Salaries Stalled, Jobs Tight." The author decided to get to know some of the men who make up this minority. Fifty-one younger male new librarians…

This brief history of equal employment opportunity cases from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to 1986 Supreme Court cases summarizes the viewpoints of those who don't support it. Librarians are urged to accept the premise that equal employment opportunity is the law and that compliance is in everyone's best interests. (EM)

This paper discusses the use of online learning communities for library professional organizations to promote collaboration and learning. The addition of an online learning community component to a library organization expands collaborative and educational opportunities for members through a virtual environment. Although technologies used to…

Data from the library job market and mounting anecdotal evidence show that there is cause for alarm. The number of full-time, professional positions in libraries is dwindling, salaries continue to be depressed, more entry-level positions are being liquidated or "deprofessionalized," and qualified job seekers are having trouble securing…

Reviews some of the many career opportunities outside the traditional library for library and information studies school graduates as identified by recent surveys. The adequacy of school curriculums in preparing students for these roles is evaluated, useful courses are identified, and current trends in information science education are identified.…