A strong position in the institution is vital for any academic library and affects its recognition, resourcing, and prospects. Higher education institutions are experiencing radical change, driven by greater accountability, stronger competition, and increased internationalization. They prioritize student success, competitive research, and global…

If Google represents the first flicker of information technology, the development of additional tools has continued to enhance access to information but with the unfortunate downside of decreasing information literacy. Todd Gilman, librarian for literature in English at Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library, decries the resulting disconnect…

As community college learning resource centers deal more with student instruction, librarians are gaining credence as true educators. In an effort to reinforce library usage and understand teaching faculty constraints, some librarians--many of them teaching "drop-outs"--have returned to the classroom. This paper describes the experiences of one…

Describes an exercise in which journalism students were given living journalists to research and write about. (FL)

The need for a structure for the discipline of bibliographic instruction is discussed in the context of library instruction as a means of developing critical thinking skills in students, based on experiences with student patterns of thought. (MSE)

While the term paper can be a worthwhile teaching device, the project must be carefully structured to be effective. Creative teachers can devise other, equally effective activities to extend student knowledge of and skills in using library resources, such as writing annotated bibliographies, practical research assignments, and projects to evaluate…

Describes a three-week library assignment--designed to acquaint freshman students with a large library and with research techniques--that was focused on the topic of censorship. (EL)

Colleges and universities have much to gain from developing a teaching library, whose core component is a comprehensive bibliographic instruction program. The library's active involvement in academic programs leads to improved student skills and faculty productivity, and thus to the institution's educational quality and faculty and student…

Reviews development of bibliographic instruction in colleges and examines various components of such instruction (orientation, basic skills, course specialized skills, course-integrated study). Discussion of efforts to study user needs and to present library services as direct answer to these needs notes use of certain marketing techniques.…

Communication is the key to success and a stumbling block to pursuit of information-literate population. Many library media specialists and teachers withdraw from larger professional concerns and concentrate on resolving locally pressing problems. Societal factors also hinder the integration of library skills into the curriculum. Politics and…

This paper begins by discussing the problems encountered by nontraditional university students who, for a variety of reasons, lack the skills necessary to complete assignments that require library research, and the role of the librarian in assisting these students. It then describes two approaches being used by librarians at Northeastern Illinois…

This paper argues that more cooperation is needed between scholars and librarians. Toward this end, we need first to produce more literary scholars who are truly skilled in librarianship, and second, we need to produce more librarians who are true scholars. Some library-oriented professors give copies of their lesson plans to the reference…

Reviews issues cited in "A Nation at Risk" and other studies calling for educational reform, and discusses the role of libraries in general, and academic libraries in particular, in improving education in the United States. Library programs at three universities, involving information literacy, research skills, and peer counseling, are…

Discussion of role of the school library in the academic life of the gifted/talented student highlights characteristics of gifted students which relate to library services, teaching library skills and research techniques, and other library activities (author interviews, library aides, reading encouragement). A 95-item bibliography of library…

Bibliographic instruction can do more than provide directions on library use for a specific assignment; it can contribute to the objectives of liberal education by teaching skills in asking questions, critically analyzing information, and answering questions. (MSE)