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This paper asserts that information literacy is a crucial element in education at all levels, and in particular at the community college level. The author defines information literacy in a number of ways, including this recent definition offered by Shapiro and Hughes: "A new liberal art that extends from knowing how to use computers and access information to critical reflection on the nature of information itself, its technical infrastructure, and its social, cultural, and even philosophical context and impact." Developing lifelong learners is central to the mission of higher education institutions, and information literacy is crucial to lifelong learning. Assurance of information literacy among college students must be incorporated into the academic curriculum. This article suggests that information literacy incorporation must be approached from the top down--administrator awareness of information literacy requirements will trickle down, and support will increase. It then will become the job of librarians and instructors to make sure it is practiced in the library and the classroom. The role of the librarian will expand from that of a custodian of information to one who teaches and develops curricula, making them key instructional team members and partners with faculty. (Contains 22 references.) (NB)

Open and distance learning is seen as a viable alternative to provide education for all, particularly in the context of developing countries. Open learning is basically a philosophy, while distance learning is a method of flexible education for the unreached, i.e., socially, economically, physically, and geographically disadvantaged groups of the society. In a skill-oriented discipline like library and information science (LIS), the circumstantial disadvantaged group would benefit from continuing education to enhance and upgrade their skills. Various models of distance education, based on the application of technology, have been developed. In India, five open universities and 60 correspondence departments in other universities offer such education, including Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). This paper analyzes the efforts of IGNOU to reach the unreached. The models selected should be based on learners' requirements, their capability, and the infrastructure available to them. Development of multimedia and simulated courseware together with internship will produce successful LIS professionals. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/MES)

This paper represents work in progress that considers the role of research in international development programs undertaken to establish and develop schools of librarianship and information science, and some of the possible reasons why many have failed to develop once the external support was terminated. It notes that the development of a research profile rarely featured in previous activities and contrasts this with other disciplines in which the research capacity has made university departments critical to social and economic progress. It notes the real and imaginary obstacles to research and to international cooperation and outlines the benefits to individuals and institutions of engaging in this type of international collaborative research. Finally, it urges a combined effort to take advantage of the current global interest in information transfer to persuade the funding agencies to support the schools' efforts to develop and apply research expertise that substantiates the role of information and information services in economic and social development. (Contains 36 references.) (Author/MES)

This report is part of an annual national survey that examines salaries of full-time teaching faculty in 54 selected disciplines. Data for the study as a whole were collected from 305 public and 403 private institutions for the baseline year of 1997-1998 and the trend year of 1999-2000. This portion of the study covers salary data for Library Science faculty at 56 public and 29 private institutions for 2000-2001, with comparable numbers for 1997-1998. Data are presented for average salaries by faculty rank, "faculty mix percent" (percentage of faculty at each rank), and "salary factors" (ratio of the average salary in the discipline to the total institution average). Salary trend information is compared for public and private institutions for each of the two study periods with trend information for all fields and with the Consumer Price Index. The study found that for the 2000-2001 period the average salary of $53,911 for 628 of faculty in public institutions was approximately 5.2% lower than the average salary for all faculty in all major fields, and the average salary for faculty in private institutions was 28.4% lower than that for all faculty. The average salary increase was 1.3% per year above the cost-of-living for public institutions and 1.7% per year above the cost-of-living for private institutions as measured by the Consumer Price Index. Appendixes contain a list of the selected academic disciplines and lists of public and private institutions participating in both studies. (SLD)

In 1958, the United States Congress legislated the National Defense Education Act to educated U.S. citizens in languages and area studies in order that they might qualify for employment at universities and government agencies. By 1995, many of the area studies librarians were beginning to retire with few qualified librarians having the area specialization to replace them. The solution became the Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral fellowship in research librarianship. With the endorsement of area studies librarians and directors and of library administrators, Duke University and Indiana University library staff obtained Mellon Foundation funding with the expectation to ameliorate the paucity of U.S.-trained area librarians. The Mellon fellowship was designed to prepare recent U.S. doctoral graduates of area studies for reference positions as area studies librarians (Kniffel, 1998) with the implication that this training was in lieu of the typical academic library qualification-a masters degree in library and information studies from an ALA-accredited institution. This paper first summarizes the background leading to this action. The author then describes her experience and training as an Africana fellow, and asserts that the training is equivalent to a masters degree in library and information sciences. The fellowship at Indiana University comprised training in collection development; practica in government documents, preservation, and cataloging; reference; attendance at conferences; and field trips. This self-study of a Mellon Fellowship suggests that the fellow actually does acquire substantial training and knowledge. Appendixes include the fellowship announcement for 2000-2001 by the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries; a comparison of Africana libraries (summary of field trips); and Africana librarian position announcements. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/AEF)

This paper looks at some of the potential roles that librarians could adopt in the age of the Internet; e.g., resource discovery, cataloging the Internet, and user education. It outlines the effect that networked information is having on the library profession. It identifies the new roles that information professionals are performing and shows that traditional professional library skills will continue to provide a good foundation for the sector. The paper concludes with a look at how some of the skills we traditionally associate with librarianship have been applied within the Internet environment. (Contains 14 references.) (MES)

The purpose of this study is three-fold: (1) to identify and describe the eminent, as well as, international LIS (Library and Information Science) journals; (2) to compare and contrast the leading and international LIS journals; and (3) to test the hypothesis that there is no significant difference between leading and international journals based on several variables. Independent ratio-level variables include volume number as a proxy for age of publication, region, acceptance rate, peer-review, total number of editorial board members, total number of editors, total number of women editors, total number of international board members, and total number of major articles per year. Outcome (i.e., dependent) variables include prestige and circulation. It is concluded that there are significant differences between leading and international LIS journals. The former group is older and has lower acceptance rates; the latter are smaller and have higher acceptance rates. There are a number of significant relationships between editors and gender, editorial size, and number of international editorial board members. International submissions are most influenced by international board members on international journals. U.S. journals are not as international as journals published elsewhere in the world. (MES)

In order to chart a course for the future development of professional librarians, the American Library Association (ALA) sponsored a Congress on Professional Education in 1999 to examine critical issues related to graduate education. Issues centered around university education generally, library and information studies (LIS) education specifically, and the perspective of the profession at large. More than 150 invited delegates were named from a wide variety of professional associations and other groups to ensure diversity of experience and commitment to continuing dialog and change. Recommendations were made to define the scope, content, and values of the profession, to establish and apply standards for accreditation of graduate programs, to enable credentialing and continuing education, to position librarianship as the 21st century profession, to continue the dialog between LIS educators and practitioners, and to recruit, educate, and place students from diverse populations. ALA subsequently established task forces to deal with the major issues identified by the Congress and assigned other recommendations to specific committees and units within the organization. The ALA Executive Board and Council are monitoring implementation. A second Congress on Continuing Education is planned for November 2000. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/MES)

This paper reports on a pilot project in Asia sponsored by the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and institutions) Round Table of Library and Information Science Journals that had the following objectives: to identify the most commonly accepted criteria for evaluating LIS (Library and Information Science) journals; to evaluate the success of LIS journals in meeting the criteria; to suggest critical success factors for improving the quality of LIS journals; and to assess the feasibility of an international project aimed at determining LIS journal quality and success factors. Twenty LIS journal editors in Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines were interviewed. Quality of papers emerged as the key category, with a number of criteria used to determine this quality, including advancement of knowledge, new information or data, theoretical soundness, level of scholarship, acceptable research design, and appropriate methodology and analysis. In-depth analysis of sample copies of journals provided by the editors was performed, and the quality criteria were ranked by importance. It was found that, given the relative ease with which data were collected for the pilot study and the ready participation of most editors approached for input, a more substantial project would be possible with only low level funding. (Contains 11 references.) (MES)

This paper evaluates the success of a new specialization in library science, Social Information Science, developed by the author at Bar-Ilan University (Israel). The aim of Social Information is to expand the role of the library, to build new Social Information Banks, and to create a new profession, Social Information Scientist. The paper describes the conception and curriculum of the Bar-Ilan University program and then analyzes a survey that was carried out among the students. Results show that the students are interested in the subject--20-25% of them chose to learn Social Information. However, in practice, only 15% of the graduates apply their new knowledge at work. In considering the fact that there is no formal profession of a Social Information Scientist in Israel, these figures show the beginning of interest in the subject. (Contains 23 references.) (MES)

This report is part of an annual national survey that examines salaries of full-time teaching faculty in 54 selected academic disciplines. Data for the study were collected from a total of 296 public and 390 private four-year institutions from the baseline year of 1996-97 to the trend year of 1999-2000. This portion of the study covers salary data for 531 library science faculty at 50 public institutions and 173 faculty at 33 private institutions. A data table lists average salaries for both public and private participating institutions by faculty rank, faculty mix percent, and salary factors. Salary trend information is compared for public and private institutions for each of the two study periods with trend information for all fields and with the Consumer Price Index. The study found that for the 1999-2000 period the average salary of $53,643 for library science faculty in public institutions and the average salary of $43,837 for faculty in private institutions were, respectively, 7.0 percent and 24.8 percent lower than the average salary for all faculty in all major fields. The average salary increase was, respectively, 2.2 percent per year and 2.8 percent per year above the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index. Appended is a list of the 54 selected academic disciplines and lists of the participating public and private colleges. (SM)

This paper discusses library and information science distance education in Thailand. Following an introduction, background information is provided on distance education, including reasons why many countries have found distance education to be a good way to disseminate education (i.e., geographical isolation, social isolation, and disadvantaged groups), and changes in technology. World Wide Web-based instruction (WBI) is covered in the next section, including the Web as a source of information, as electronic book, as teacher, and as a communication medium between teacher and students. Principles to be taken into account in designing effective WBI are also summarized, including motivating the learner, identifying what is to be learned, reminding learners of past knowledge, requiring active involvement, providing guidance and feedback, testing, and providing enrichment and remediation. The next section addresses interaction needs in distance education. The instructional systems design (ISD) model is described in the fifth section, including the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation phases. The sixth section discusses library and information science distance education, and the seventh section provides an overview of programs in Thailand at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Ramkamhaeng University, and Suraneree University of Technology. (MES)

During the 20th century, Asian countries have been very active in publishing books and journals in the field of library and information science. Journals have been published in English as well as in many vernacular languages. This paper deals with the development of Asian library journals, with an emphasis on South Asia. Japan was the first Asian country to publish a library journal, entitled "Toshoken Zasshi," in 1907, followed by India in 1912. In 1972, China became the newest nation to enter the publishing of library journals. Since 1907, many journals have been published from Asia, but many have ceased publication for various reasons. As recently as 1998, a new quarterly journal, entitled "Ranganathan Research Bulletin," started publication in India. This paper discusses the coverage, quality of articles, readership, and subscription rates of various South Asian library journals. It also deals briefly with the success of "Library Times International," edited by the author. Finally, a few suggestions are made to improve quality, circulation and coverage, and to attract readership for all library journals in a timely manner through technology. (Author/MES)

This paper presents an overview of the present state of the publishing activities of library and information science journals in Southeast Asia, focusing on format, circulation/readership, quality, and editorial focus. It also highlights some of the important titles from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, and Laos. Suggestions are made to advocate more support and to encourage more publishing activities, especially online. (Author/MES)

This study compared the managerial motivations of library and information science (LIS) students in the United States with LIS students in India, Singapore, and Japan. The students responded to a questionnaire containing 41 statements on managerial motivation. These statements were divided into 10 categories: task orientation, fear of success, perseverance, reaction to success/failure, future orientation, competitiveness, independence, rigidity, social needs, and acceptance of women as managers. Demographic factors such as educational attainment, age, marital status, and mobility were also compared. The respondents consisted of 665 students from 11 Southeastern universities in the United States, 814 students from 23 universities in India, 73 students from Singapore, and three students from Japan. A majority of the Indian, American, Singaporean, and Japanese LIS students were motivated to achieve the objectives they set for themselves and were future oriented. They were aggressive in setting their goals and expected that task orientation and perseverance would enable them to accomplish those objectives. The agreement percentages were close on task orientation, perseverance, future orientation, and competitiveness between countries and sexes. Differences between the sexes were found on factors like women as managers, reaction to success or failure, fear of failure, and social acceptance. (Contains 104 references.) (Author/MES)

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the elements affecting the weakness of the library and information science (LIS) profession in Japan in terms of quality of education, the employment system, and career development of Japanese librarians. It also provides an overview of the current status of LIS education in Japan and examines the implications of the rapid growth of this field while noting some of its significant issues and problems. The first section of the paper is an introduction. The second section outlines the legal qualifications of librarians in Japan. The third section describes LIS education in Japan, including historical background, educational institutions, curriculum, and students. The fourth section addresses issues and problems, including development, employment of graduates, and career development. (Contains 14 references.) (MES)

This paper reviews the purposes and standards for library and information science journals and then looks specifically at the evaluation process for an Anglophone journal, based in the United Kingdom, of which most of the contributors and readers are from Asia. Part 1, "The Editor's Perspective," addresses the following topics: the purpose of scholarly writing; stylistic trends in scholarly articles, including titles and abstracts, as well as discussion and presentation; editors and referees; criteria for assessment; and refereed articles and professional papers. Part 2, "The Publisher's Perspective," discusses the Literati Club (the MCB University Press network of authors, editors, and editorial board members), PeerNet (an electronic service that is an alternative to the traditional peer review process), and consortia workshops. (MES)

This paper describes experiences of a reference librarian at California State University (Sacramento) who spent three weeks in Vladivostok (Russia) to assess the library and research needs of faculty and students at the Far Eastern State Technical University. After briefly describing the city of Vladivostok and its military role in the Soviet Union, the paper describes the three libraries visited: first, the main university library with its comprehensive research-level collection but lack of adequate operating funds; second, a small departmental library in world politics and law where faculty were most interested in learning to use the Internet; and, third, the Maxim Gorky municipal public library which maintains both an online catalog and a traditional card catalog and is actively participating in international book exchange and interlibrary loan programs. Overall, the lack of basic, reliable technology was seen to hamper all three libraries. (DB)

This report, covering 1,365 library science faculty is part of an annual national survey of faculty salaries. The survey consists of two parts one covering public and one covering private four-year colleges and universities. Data for the baseline year 1995-96 and the 1998-99 trend year were collected for full-time teaching faculty in 53 selected academic disciplines from 279 public and 386 private institutions. The first section of the report defines the methodology and terms used; this is followed by a data page listing average library science faculty salaries for all participating institutions by faculty rank (including a new assistant professor rank), faculty mix percent, and salary factors. A brief summary of the data follows. A concluding section compares library science salary trend information for public and private institutions for the 2 study years with trend information for all fields and to the Consumer Price Index. It notes that average library science faculty salaries in 1995-96 in public and private institutions were, respectively, 21.2 percent and 30.5 percent below those of all ranks in all major fields; in 1998-99 these averages fell, respectively, to 4.7 percent and 31.4 percent. Appended is a list of the 53 selected academic disciplines, as well as lists of the participating public and private colleges. (CH)

This paper presents a case study focusing on community among students in a distance learning program, the Syracuse University (New York) Master of Library Science-Independent Study Degree Program (MLS-ISDP). During July 1998, the researcher conducted interviews with Syracuse University faculty and staff involved in developing and administering the program. MLS-ISDP participants were contacted via the MLS-ISDP listserv, which includes current students and alumni; 15 students from 1993-1998 cohorts participated. Results indicated that MLS-ISDP students felt a strong sense of community, although their cohorts were distributed across as many as 21 states and countries. Topics discussed include a program description and key terms; MLS-ISDP demographics; factors which foster and sustain community, such as "boot camp" (i.e., the initial 7-day residency), other required on-campus residencies, introductions and biographies, list of residence necessities, cohort directories, cohort photos, assigned "buddies" from previous cohorts, listservs, required class participation, group projects, and a suggestion for introducing new and returning students to each other; administrators' perspectives on the beginning of the program and changes over time, residencies, group identity and rivalry, and listservs; and students' perspectives on residencies, group identity, and rivalry. (DLS)

Published 10 times per year, SPEC Kits and Flyers contain up-to-date information on the latest issues of concern to libraries and librarians today. SPEC Kits and Flyers are the result of a program of surveys on a variety of topics related to current practice and management of library programs in the ARL membership. The Flyer is a summary of the status of a current area of interest; it comments on the present situation, reports on the results of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) membership survey and forecasts future trends. The Kit contains the Flyer and the best representative supporting documentation form the survey, as well as selected readings. The purpose of this particular SPEC survey was to get a more specific sense of the trend in libraries toward the use of team-based reorganization and to study how extensively ARL libraries are either making selective use of teams or reorganizing into team-based organizations. Results are discussed in terms of training, characteristic program features, and effectiveness of teams. Overall, the survey results indicate that while teams are a fast-growing feature of ARL libraries, there remains a reluctance to totally restructure into team-based organizations. (AEF)

This paper represents the state of the art of research in library science on professional competencies for academic, public and special libraries since 1985. The seminal research study done on librarian competencies was conducted in 1983-86 by King Research. The goal of the study was to identify the type of skills and knowledge that information workers will need in order to be effective in the future. The King study was widely anticipated and became almost as widely dismissed--especially by library educators. In the few years following 1985 researchers sought to replicate the King study's methodology. The overall conclusions of the Murphy and Bailey study were to make LIS courses longer, re-think core curriculum, emphasize communication in a term-long class, and recommend internships and the declaration of specializations. Various stakeholders in the library profession continue to research the issue of competencies, but each from their own standpoint. Later research studies have varied widely as to scope, hypothesis and conclusions. These are reviewed in clusters based on the author's employers, practitioners, students, professional organizations, educators' role in the profession. Appendices present selected study results. (AEF)

In collaboration with the National Research Council's (NRC's) Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education responded to a request from the National Science Foundation (NSF) by forming a project steering committee consisting of representatives from the NRC's four postsecondary boards and committees. The Steering Committee commissioned 10 "white papers" from individuals with expertise in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education, technological aspects of digital libraries, library science, and economic and legal aspects of this rapidly evolving area of knowledge and research. These commissioned papers served as the basis for plenary and break-out discussions at a workshop that was held at the National Academy of Sciences on August 7-8, 1997. Issues considered included curricular, pedagogical, and user issues; logistic and technology issues; and economic and legal issues. Appendices include the commissioned papers, workshop agenda, and a list of workshop participants and NSF observers. (Contains 14 references.) (ASK)

This work supplements a previous work, "Philosophical Aspects of Library Information Science in Retrospect." It explores Library Information Science, which deals with the facilitation of recorded knowledge, the metalibrarianship encompassing the theoretical aspects of a broad range of recorded communications, and the philosophies thereof. This essay identifies relationships between published librarians interested in philosophical aspects of the field and their philosophical "mentors." Philosophers cited by librarians are identified and their major contributions to philosophy are briefly summarized. The impact of cited philosophers on the philosophy of Library Information Science is inferred from the comments made by citing librarians. The study draws keywords from librarians' comments, earmarks them as representative of certain philosophical concepts, and examines how frequently they appear. This examination fuels consideration of various relationships between philosophers and their views, ways terminology is interpreted, and theoretical background of Library Information. Appendices contain: (1) profiles of cited philosophers; (2) major philosophical systems; (3) major key words; (4) frequency of key words citations; and (5) analysis of the most frequently cited words. (Contains 242 references.) (AEF)