Search

Presents an interview with the developers of the Integrated Tool for Selection and Ordering (ITSO), Cornell University librarians Adam Chandler, Scott Wicks, and Peter Hoyt. Purpose of ITSO, which organizes new title information into a single interface, replacing paper systems; Description of how ITSO works; Consideration of the capital needed to take ITSO beyond Cornell.

Presents news items on libraries and librarians in the U.S. as of September 15, 1988. Death of Karl Nyren, founding editor of ' Library Hotline' and editor of ' Library Journal' for 20 years; Response of the British Library to the Green Paper of the Office of Arts and Libraries; Approval of the Second White House Conference on libraries.

This article recalls issues and events that impacted library science service in the U.S. during 1989, including actions taken by the Library of Congress (LC) regarding the MARC database and the efforts of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to address the continuing serials pricing spiral. The Library of Congress may not be officially the national library, but its influence and its policy decisions affect virtually every library in this country and many of those abroad. It has undergone an internal self-study with implications for the entire library community. It eliminated some longstanding services and attempted to charge for a database built in large part by the people and institutions to which it was sold. LC has increased its prices for the MARC database by about 20 percent. MARC, an acronym for machine-readable cataloging, comprises the cataloging records for all the books and other library materials cataloged by LC and by those libraries contributing to the MARC database. LC attempted to license MARC database to libraries. Librarians have conflicting views on the MARC database licensing. Meanwhile, the ARL opened its meetings to the press this year. It has launched a multifaceted program aimed at mobilizing scholars, librarians, publishers and federal agencies to deal with the economic crisis caused by ever-rising prices in serials. ARL also created an office whose function it will be to communicate the nature of the problem and to develop services that deal with it. INSETS: People;Obituaries 1989..

The article discusses the importance of succession planning for libraries. We read the stories in the paper: an organization with tremendous influence goes from leading edge to leaderless in one horrible stroke of fate. Recently, McDonald's Corporation announced the sudden death of its chair and CEO, Jim Cantalupo. Yet the organization barely skipped a beat, announcing a new chair and CEO within days. Investors barely responded, and the $40 billion multinational purveyor of Big Macs and Supersize Fries survives better than most of our waistlines. The saving grace for McDonald's is succession planning, a common program in large corporations. Many librarians understand that they, too, have enormous responsibilities to stakeholders-the members of the public who rely upon their libraries for education, research, enrichment, and enjoyment-as well as the library's employees. Succession planning is more than planning for contingencies if the proverbial Mack truck wipes out your management team (heaven forbid!). It means assessing, as the Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR, has done, the number of key positions (not just top management positions but all variety of specialties and areas of expertise) that could become vacant in the near future. And, once the gaps are identified, providing training, coaching, special assignments, and other developmental opportunities so that staff members are ready to move into them when the time comes.

The article discusses how the Library Systems & Services in Memphis bid $584,854, and the library system bid $650,653 to operate the library for 52 hours a week, though it was unclear whether the two bids presupposed the same number of employees. City council members quoted by the paper cited cost as an issue but also emphasized the importance of local control now that the city must shoulder a larger portion of support for the library. As with Germantown residents, those in Collierville lose reciprocal borrowing privileges with the larger system but can buy an annual library card for $20-previously offered to noncounty residents-to borrow materials. Collierville and Germantown may share some librarians.

Profiles Elaina Norlin, undergraduate services librarian at the University of Arizona Library in Tuscon, Arizona. Her activity in the Council on Diversity at the university and with national library associations on strategies for achieving diversity; Research she has done on Web site usability, conference papers she has delivered, and articles she has written.

Reports that the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association membership has endorsed nominees for vice president and president-elect at the American Library Association and the Association of Research Libraries.

Examines an incident related to a plan of librarians to participate in a statewide reciprocal borrowing and lending program for libraries. Factors to consider in joining a statewide reciprocal borrowing program; Advantage of joining a statewide lending program; Details on the indicators of library usage.

The author discusses the status of the library as a public good. He describes the turmoil caused by the divisive administration of U.S. President Donald Trump which has trapped some libraries and librarians. He emphasizes the need for librarians to always remember the importance of their mission to help provide general information to all.

The article provides tips, techniques and rules of thumb contributed by readers of the Library Journal for librarians. An enjoyable way of expanding one's book budget is to find a good used bookstore near the area and make a deal with the owner. Use Velcro tabs when putting up new signs in the library. By using a tab at each corner of the sign, alternating between the sides, the signs can easily changed or moved. It is a common practice to have to check out of one's conference hotel on the last day of meetings but still have meetings left to attend. Instead of checking bags with the concierge in the hotel, check with the concierge of the hotel where the last meeting is located. Then one can just pick up bags after the meeting and take off for the airport or train station. At the reference desk, library heads keep a daily log of ephemeral information including what buildings on campus are open late or closed, news from the campus daily paper, questions that seem to be asked a lot because of a particular class or campus speaker and notes on reference interviews that need to be continued by another staffer. In short, they list anything that will facilitate the work of the other reference librarians at the desk. this could also be set up on a personal computer instead of a paper logbook.

The article presents a case study of a group of librarians at the Walker Public Library who were told that they could not publish anything without the approval of their supervisor. Numerous librarians spoke to their director, Joe Tagliani, and expressed concern that their freedom of speech was being limited by the rule.

The article discusses the Collections Convergence Initiative (CCI) started by the University of Southern California (USC) Libraries that aims at bringing together researchers, library curators and scholars for advance research. It mentions that CCI will help expand the libraries' public programming. It adds that CCI will support postdoctoral students.

The article discusses challenges and opportunities presented to libraries by the increasing ubiquity of digital records. Advances in recording technology, digital storage, and software for processing and analyzing stored records mean libraries will have access to more data than ever before. Librarians will be in the business of helping patrons with such tasks as data mining and finding desired digitized resources.

Features Carrie Miyoshi Macfarlane, instructional services librarian at the Harvard College Library, and Kathleen Sheehan, instruction and reference librarian at the Widener Library in Harvard University. Educational attainment; Hobbies; Details of the online publication guide on expository writing developed by Macfarlane and Sheehan.

The article discusses the need for librarians to assure that their audiobook collections reflect the diversity of the global community and their constituents. According to Books on Tape/Listening Library marketing director Cheryl Herman, the connection makes stories come alive and enhances the reading experience. Amy Metsch of publisher Penguin Random House Audio mentions that her company looks to acquire titles representing various life experiences for the broad constituency of listeners.

The article focuses on pay-per-view (PPV) texts in libraries. The pros and cons of PPV are weighed. Several pay-per-view services that are commonly used by libraries are reviewed, including Wiley InterScience, ScienceDirect, and HighWire Press. The prices of PPV article purchasing are presented and discussed. INSET: OTHER SOURCES.

The article focuses on using technology to preserve and archive documents. The article suggests that blogs and blogging tools are one way for archives to make digital content accessible to more people in more places. The term 'blog' is defined. Librarians and archivists discuss the format shift from print to digital. Several web links are presented.

This article examines the employment outlook for library professions as of October 2004. If the economy is rebounding, the library world has yet to feel it. The budget constraints of the last several years are now showing up in salary growth that lags behind inflation and in job searches that seem endless and are three times as long, on average, as last year. But first, the good news: in another year of increasingly high unemployment (6%) nationwide, LJ's annual Placements & Salaries Survey indicates that graduates of American Library Association (ALA)-accredited library and information science (LIS) programs continue to make modest strides in professional positions. The areas of reference and information services and school library media dominate while offices in administration and management show healthy growth. The disappointing news is that in 2003 salaries continued to display sluggish growth for all graduates reporting salary, while salaries for minority graduates decreased significantly, negating the strides made in the previous two years. While men break the $40,000 barrier, women reporting salaries continue to struggle to reach the levels achieved by their male counterparts in 2000. Between 1998 and 2002, men's starting salaries have experienced annual average growth of 4.5% while women have experienced average growth of 3.73%. However, at the upper limits, women continue to dominate the pay scales. A comparison of average high salaries, by schools reporting gender, shows that women receive an average of $4,528 more annually than men. Approximately 15% of the 1,052 who reported full-time salaries identified themselves as members of a minority group. While this shows that more minorities are attaining the LIS degree than in previous years, this group lost significant ground in salary parity in 2003. INSETS: Survey Methods;Make Sure Your School Gets Counted.

Discusses the library applications of personal digital assistants (PDA). Health and medical libraries that have incorporated the use of PDAs; Web pages that offer electronic books and reference materials; Medical text books and reference books which are being formatted for PDA use; Librarians who are creating new uses for the pocket computers. INSET: PDAs 101.

Discusses problems at the Central Library of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library in Atlanta, Georgia. Comments by director Mary Kay Hooker; Tight budgets which have fostered racially tinged board disputes over resource allocations; Reverse discrimination lawsuit won by eight white librarians; Historic background on the facility; Materials allocation budget; Charges of micromanagement. INSET: A Curious Reorganization.

Discusses employment in the library industry in the United States. Effect of the economic downturn in the United States on the library industry; Salaries of librarians; Discussion of American Library Association library and information science students; Influence of geography on librarian salaries.

Presents an interview of six librarians regarding the condition of the physical collections of libraries with the increasing role of Internet-based research. Digitization of collections and reserve readings; How libraries will need 24-hour services and the concept of an information commons; Role of the Internet on student research.

Presents news briefs relating to libraries and librarians. Outlook for "Library Journal" Librarian of the Year Peggy Goodwin to speak at the American Library Association Conference; Bancroft prizes which have been awarded by Columbia University for books of distinction in American history and diplomacy, including the presentation of an award to Nel R. McMillen of the University of Southern Mississippi and James H. Merrell of Vassar College; Report that Richard C. Torbert and the Atlantic Coast Conference will receive the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Recognition Awards for promoting libraries and information services; Dr. Ching-chih Chen, who won the University Microfilms International drawing which was offered at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting; Reception of the papers of film critic Richard Roud by Boston University; Sally Morgan, an artist and librarian whose book "My Place" won the Order of Australia Book Prize.

This article presents the insights of American Library Association president Richard Dougherty about library issues in the national media in the U.S. According to Dougherty librarians can no longer be generous with their funds because of strained budgets. Librarians must begin to use the research they have conducted on journal use to make some hard choices. In making them, librarians can improve the performance of libraries and maybe even force some publishers to rethink their pricing policies. The comments of Dougherty on serials crisis were taken from the article about the authority of librarians to cancel subscriptions to seldom-used journals in the January 19, 1991 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Librarians function as the nations information professionals by advocating, preserving, protecting and defending the exercise of free expression. Librarians believe in its importance and power. The restrictions covering the war operations threaten the ability of librarians to provide the needed information now and in the future. The insights of Dougherty were taken from the article concerning the Persian Gulf Conflict in the February 2, 1991 issue of the New York Times.

Presents books relevant to libraries and librarians. 'Expert Systems: Concepts and Applications,' by Charles Fenly and Howard Harris; 'Linked Systems,'; 'Recommended Reference Books 1988,' edited by Bohdan S. Wynar.

Presents several journals for libraries and librarians. 'Animal Kingdom,' edited by E.J. Walter; 'Journal of Polymorphous Perversity,' by edited by Glenn Ellenbogen; 'The Hudson Valley Regional Review,' edited by David Pierce and Richard C. Wiles.

Features several products for use by librarians in libraries. Desk-top collator; Rollfilm conversion system; Office equipment controller; Track electrical fixtures.

Reports on the program, entitled `Automated Acquisitions: What's Good? What's Bad? What's Missing?,' at the American Library Association (ALA)-Chicago Conference. Program sponsors; Benefits of the program on library decision markers; Focus of the program on problems, advantages and justification for investing in an automated acquisitions system.

Examines the impact of technology on libraries. Concept of technological change; Functions of technology in the library context; Integration of multiple technology; Concept of individuation; Disembodiment of libraries; Impact of media integration, individuation and distributed systems on librarians.

Discusses the basic relationship of libraries and librarians to the information being processed in light of the evolving information technology. Mission to connect people with information; Information activism; Impact of technology on the nature of librarianship; Relationship between professional identity and power; Human context for information.

Part I. Presents observations of a delegation of library professionals from the U.S., in their tour of libraries in China. Application of new technologies by librarians; Training of staff to meet the demands of the reading public; Strategies to cope with the gap in collection development.

This article focuses on the use of Library of Congress subject subdivisions in keyword searches at libraries. Subdivisions can identify the format of a book's content, put a spin on a subject, or define and specify relationships between topics. The article presents a list of subdivisions that could aid a librarian's search for books of a specific topic.

Presents letters from readers of ' Library Journal' concerning issues covered in the previous issues of the United States periodical. Measure of a librarian; Protection of legitimate users of libraries; Online searching by library users.

Looks at the debate on the library's changing role in higher education at symposium, entitled 'Administrative perspectives on the changing role of libraries in higher education: Critical issues and challenges for the 80s' at the Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Outcome of a telephone survey of directors of United States and Canadian college and research libraries; Trends in higher education and their ramifications of academic libraries; Reasons for librarians' high interest in unions.

Focuses on the inherent teaching functions of librarians. Education and training of librarians; Faculty status accorded academic librarians; Description of the librarians' role as teachers.

The author discusses what librarians should ask people about the services they want from a library. According to the author, asking the communities about what they want from the library shifts the burden of design on them, but it is a librarian's responsibility to create meaningful and convenient library service. The librarian's job is to find out what problems libraries can solve for their communities. The author says that the general public thinks that libraries are only for "books."

The article discusses the significance of instant messaging to libraries and librarians. Maybe your library isn't using instant messaging (IM), but you can be certain that a good number of your users are. IM is also making inroads in the corporate world, on the desktops of more than 11 million Americans. With such a wealth of participants out there, it makes sense that librarians jump into the IM fray to make their services available to their unique audience via this technology. This is not just any audience; many IMers are those hard-to-reach Millennials who grew up in the 1980s with computers and don't think of them as technology. "IM is essential because it aligns library services with the preferred technology of this target population of users--a huge mass of future library and information users who could, potentially and scarily, become nonusers," says Stephen Abram, vice president of innovation at Sirsi. But is it reference? IM reference works in much the same way as do other flavors of reference--just think of it as a sped-up email transaction. Questions generally begin with a cordial preamble, just like at the reference desk. With IM, the reference interview doesn't float away in conversation, it's right there before you. The types of questions received via IM are similar to those received via telephone, and IM works well with what Ashley Robinson, librarian at Pennsylvania State University Libraries, calls "just in time" reference: questions about library services, phone numbers, or a URL. Emailing articles from subscription databases and getting immediate patron feedback are also great ways to employ IM. In the process, librarians can truly be their users' personal guide through the information ocean. INSET: Libraries That IM.

Discusses the challenge of managing a virtual library. Importance of hiring the right personnel for a virtual library; Probationary periods that are a good idea for new staff; Encourage employees to develop solid working boundaries that prevent them from overworking; Important communication tools for the staff to communicate; Legitimacy challenges that virtual librarians face.

Focuses on the task of librarians to act as educators in the emergence of online libraries. Ways of teaching online skills; Description of short courses offered by the California Institute of Technology Library System for librarians; Discussion on the importance of instruction in the transition from print-based to online resources.

Presents news briefs on public and academic libraries worldwide. Reopening of the Central Library of the Berkeley Public Library, California, following renovations; Approval for the New York Center for Books and Reading; Increase in librarians' pay in New South Wales, Australia; Severe cuts in academic and public libraries in South Africa; Others.

Profiles executive librarian Silvia Watson of Highsmith Company, who left a career as an academic librarian to create a new corporate library. Way that the information center Watson developed has become an important part of the company; Work of Highsmith Co. in supplying office equipment and other materials to the library market; Graduate studies of Watson at Drexel and the University of Wisconsin at Madison; View that Watson's efforts at the company have brought new respect for the ability of librarians to provide information which will build business and maintain a competitive position; Statement of Watson that some school and public librarians she deals with are incompetent.

Discusses the professional responsibilities of librarians in acquiring books for library collections. Thoughts on how the decisions of some librarians may be affected by the opinions of library users; Challenges facing academic librarians who may be pressured by faculty to purchase certain publications; The impact of Phil Donahue and Oprah Winfrey on library acquisitions decisions; Reflection on the expertise of librarians in purchasing books in public and academic libraries; Argument that librarians must be able to define and explain the purpose of the library in order to build a collection for it.

Comments on key issues concerning libraries and librarians in the U.S. Key issues of interest; Analysis of pertinent issues and relevant topics; Implications on libraries and library science.

Relates the views of librarians regarding a customer service problem faced by a hypothetical library. Criticisms of a newspaper columnist against the unfriendliness of library staff members; Agreement of the library to investigate the issue of staff unfriendliness; Agreement on how they planned to deal with the problem.

Reports that the Selection Consulting Center has been retained by a consortium of libraries in California. Initiatives to bring personnel selection policies in line with anti-discrimination laws; Efforts to define the entry-level skills of librarians; Libraries participating in the initiative.

The article discusses the documentation of lost notes, personal belongings, and other found objects collected by librarians at the Oakland Public Library (OPL) in Oakland, California as of March 2014. Topics include the website for "Found" magazine, the possibility of an exhibition of OPL found objects, and comments from OPL librarian Sharon McKellar.

The article presents advice and information for NextGen librarians, who are defined as being part of either Generation X, which includes people who were born after 1960, or generation Y, which includes people who were born after 1979. A discussion of differences that are found between librarians who come from different generations is presented.