Are librarians preoccupied with the future? There are countless books, articles, blog posts, webinars, and conference presentations filled with speculation about what libraries will become. This is understandable with the emergence of new roles for libraries and librarians as we determine our identity across the digital landscape. This essay…

Discusses the advantages of using state and regional areas in conducting needs assessments for continuing education of librarians. The importance of organizational identification, target audience, assessment techniques, and role of the needs assessment to an overall program of continuing education are also addressed. Four references are cited.…

Discusses the need for cooperation between librarians and architects during the design of library facilities. The balance between the character of a building and its ability to adequately meet actual needs is discussed, and it is suggested that librarians should concern themselves with the smallest details of the design process. (CLB)

This paper provides clarification of issues important to the preservation of paper materials and presents practical steps for any librarian to take in preserving the library collection. In order to deal with a manageable subsection of this complex issue, the paper concentrates on three interrelated aspects of paper preservation: the nature of the…

The statewide plan for the continuing education of Florida library and media personnel described in this document is intended to increase the ability of those personnel to provide timely, accurate information and efficient library service to Florida citizens. The goals of the plan and its proposed activities are outlined, including the linking of…

Following a brief account of his career as facilities planning officer for the Penn State University Libraries and library building consultant, this interview with William S. Pierce focuses on library facilities. Highlights include the importance of the workplace environment for library effectiveness, funding, attractiveness vs. functionality, the…

The 5-year action plan, proposed to develop a cadre of continuing education specialists through a state level educational program for persons carrying out educational programming and planning for New York continuing library education, addresses two related needs: the need to improve the program planning process, and the need to provide people with…

Describes power and its sources, and identifies factors that can contribute to the organizational powerlessness of special librarians: nature of work; contributions difficult to measure; underdeveloped utilization of expertise; removal from circle of management elite; and small staff. This situation can be mitigated by awareness, planning, and…

The increasing sophistication of information technologies and the nearly universal access to computing have blurred distinctions among information delivery units on college campuses, forcing institutions to rethink the separate organizational structures that evolved when computing in academe was more localized and less prevalent. Experiences in…

Presents 12 articles that are abbreviated versions of presentations at the Wilson Symposium on the Future of Public Libraries. Highlights include rural library needs; community needs; librarians' role in planning for community change; cooperating to meet specialized needs; future staffing requirements; distance education; library technology; the…

This essay aimed at large and medium-sized public libraries discusses library administration as a low-level function meant to support, rather than rule, the nonadministrative staff; management and administration as separate functions; the delegation of responsibility; and tasks of the administrator. (EJS)

Discusses the working relationship between librarians and architects in handling feasibility studies, site evaluations, budget considerations, time line predictions, and the architectural programing involved in library building projects, whether it be replacing, expanding, remodeling, or relocating. (EJS)

This paper examines the use of language as a tool to gain a position of leadership, to improve the caliber of leadership, or to expand the territory of leadership in any situation, and in libraries in particular. The discussion begins with a brief analysis of the process of spoken, written, and nonverbal communication, with an emphasis on…

Identifies types of assistance available to librarians preparing user education programs, some of which have already been developed, and proposes further exploration of ways in which librarians can be helped to educate their users. (Author/CWM)

Examines staff management problems within British public libraries, one example of which is the unsuccessful attempt to introduce participative management. The effect of trade unions is noted and three levels of personnel planning (national, professional, and local) are discussed. (SW)