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The purpose of this study was to explore and investigate the ways faculty at The School of Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh, obtain information to support their academic tasks. Library and Information Sciences faculty at the University of Pittsburgh were chosen as the population for this study. The study matched e-journals, faculty use, for different academic activities or tasks they perform, in order to answer the following questions: (1) What are the main academic activities that highly depend on e-journals?; (2) To what degree does each faculty member depend on e-journals?; (3) What are the main reasons for using E-Journals?; and (4) What characteristics of electronic sources limit using of E-Journals? The study matched the basic academic tasks of Information Science faculty with electronic journals to determine to what degree they depend on this source.

The purpose of this study was to explore and investigate the ways faculty at The School of Information and Library Science, ranked # 1 in 2004, at the University of North Carolina, obtain information to support their teaching tasks. Information and Library Science faculty at the University of North Carolina were chosen as the population for this study. The study matched the various networked information sources and services, faculty use, for different teaching activities or tasks they perform. (Contains 11 figures and 10 tables. The following are appended: (1) Formal Email; (2) Paper-Based Questionnaire; and (3) Web-Based Questionnaire.)

Across the various programs of study, portfolios serve many functions and purposes. Electronic portfolios have been used as a culminating product for students in our Master of Library Science and Master of Education in Instructional Technology at East Carolina University. Two conclusions were drawn from this study - (1) authentic assessment using portfolios is useful for facilitating reflective thinking that results in selfregulated learning, and (2) student products in the form of electronic files can be archived, indexed and used as evidences in program evaluation.

This paper describes a research project conducted in March 2001 for the Master of Library and Information Studies at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington. The project investigated the perceptions of information professionals (denoting qualified practitioners) in New Zealand regarding applied LIS (Library and Information Studies) research. It was hoped the findings would direct the future production of such research in a way that might promote its use. The project assessed the local situation and attempted to redress an imbalance in the literature created by previous studies focusing on the production, rather than consultation, of LIS research by the practicing community. Project participants were asked to indicate their amount of research use; their motivations for and against consulting the research; and their opinions concerning the relationship between LIS research and practice, and how it might be improved. Amounts of research consultation were compared with the following participant variables: library/information qualifications; experience, indicated by number of years/months in current position; library/information center size; organizational context of the library/information center; and involvement in professional activities such as conferences. Includes nine tables. (Contains 19 references.) (Author)

Recent government initiatives to combat social exclusion within the United Kingdom have served to place librarians and libraries as prominent players in the movement to providing information over a wider social context. For example, The Peoples Network is a government initiative to connect all public libraries to the information superhighway by the end of 2002. Other similar initiatives to combat social exclusion are being undertaken by the Gates Foundation in the US, Canada and Chile. Internationally published literature demonstrates a recognition of the importance of access to information to the preservation and upholding of the democratic process, and the continual development of the electronic environment is central in facilitating these changes. An ever increasing amount of library and information science (LIS) literature is becoming available through electronic databases, with current trends suggesting that literature available in this format has the potential to be disseminated quickly, more easily, to a wider audience and more cost-effectively. Given these directives, LIS journals can be fundamental in encouraging library workers to see LIS in a wider social context, though an emphasis on focused,unbiased and current content which oversteps parochial boundaries. LIS journals can convey the wider social context by incorporating experiences of meeting and problem-solving new challenges, such as the provision of changing resources, their delivery by a variety of means, reaching remote users who may never visit a library, and the establishing of whole new client base and relationships. (Contains 21 references.) (Author)

The thesis of this paper is that the growth of the field of medical informatics, while seemingly a potential threat to medical librarianship, is in fact an opportunity for librarianship to both extend its reach and also to further define its unique characteristics in contrast to those of medical informatics. Furthermore, because medical librarianship represents a sector of librarianship itself, the relationship between medical informatics and medical librarianship provides an example of the influence of a cognate field on the profession of librarianship that may extend across the profession. This paper defines both medical informatics and librarianship, their areas of overlap and their claims to professionalism. The "informationist" a new health professional, which was recently proposed in one of the leading U.S. medical journals, illustrates one model of collaboration between the two fields. The paper concludes by suggesting new educational pathways. (Contains 24 references.) (Author)

During the first half of 2000 a pilot project on library and information science (LIS) journal quality was undertaken in the Asian region for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Round Table on Library and Information Science Journals (RTLISJ). It showed that a simple, but effective, methodology could be used to determine the most commonly accepted criteria for evaluating LIS journal quality, the success or otherwise of LIS journals in meeting those criteria, and some critical factors that could improve the quality of those journals. The current project, developed on the basis of the pilot study, is examining a selective random sample of LIS journals from around the world to determine their quality using the criteria devised and tested in the pilot study. This paper reports on the findings to date, which are currently being completed and remain to be compared with the views of editors and editorial board members on the quality of their respective journals. Preliminary findings suggest that independent qualitative assessment of journal content does not match the perceptions of those intimately involved with controlling this content. Includes five tables. (Contains 14 references.) (Author)

"Libraries for life" in Papua New Guinea today is not an impossible goal to strive for to achieve with today's new and old information and communication technologies. However, in order for this to happen, a number of questions will need to be asked. There are three that need immediate attention: (1) What is an "information society" and what is its significance for Papua New Guinea? (2) What is information literacy and its relevance for Papua New Guinea an information society? and (3) What is the role of women as information professionals participating in a democratic Papua New Guinea society? These three questions need to be answered to provide some understanding of whether or not libraries are used as a way of life in the Papua New Guinea society. Student assignments from two of the courses, which the author developed and has taught since 2000, are used as the main data for this paper. These courses are Information Society and Information Literacy, both originally developed as librarianship courses. Due to the rationalization program at the University of Papua New Guinea and the need by the Information and Communication Sciences Strand to attract student numbers, the content of both courses now caters to students in all disciplines within the main campus at Waigani. Course descriptions of the Information Literacy and Information Society courses are appended. Includes three tables. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/AEF)

Librarianship has undergone a radical change in recent years, which will be continued in the future. Whereas previously the administration of media was most important, nowadays an ever increasing willingness to provide a service is required. In addition to the essential restructuring of libraries, a generational change is taking place within the core workforce. On the one hand this offers opportunities, but is also fraught with problems. This paper focuses on human resource management and shows ways towards the further development of libraries, which cause the least friction. First considered is the influence of the age structure of the library staff on the handling of innovations in librarianship, as well as changes in the daily work. Following this, various options available to the company management are presented, to enable them to disengage the further development of the library from the influence of the age structure. Finally the issue of the framework for a dynamic and conflict-free generational change in librarianship is addressed. (AEF)

This paper presents the selective student recruitment and the admissions process implemented at the Department of Library and Information Science of Lund University, Sweden (BIVIL). The background is the profound changes in the library profession that have taken place during the past 10-15 years, with the development of information technology and the advent of the information society as the main driving forces. The results of the recruitment policy of BIVIL are favorable compared to results of a research project, Potential for Success, which includes a survey of desirable personality traits in new recruits as expressed by Swedish library managers. Survey results indicate that the employers' first choices are recruits who are dedicated, responsible, and able to work in teams. These are qualities strongly encouraged in the LIS students of BIVIL. (Contains 4 references.) (Author)

This paper presents results of a recent study designed to identify learning styles in Library and Information Science (LIS) students of the twenty-first century, and to determine whether information-oriented students are more likely than a control group to exhibit sequential and visual learning styles. This paper also discusses the results of a classroom experiment designed to make students aware of differences in learning styles and the need to accommodate multiple learning styles when creating learning activities in practice. Subjects were 56 graduate LIS students in four different LIS courses. Subjects' learning styles were evaluated on four scales: sequential versus global, active versus reflective, sensory versus intuitive, and visual versus verbal. Includes two tables and five figures. (Contains 10 references.) (AEF)

This research project studied the perceived quality of the library and information science literature and asked questions regarding international librarianship. Additionally, it questioned what librarians read, how they choose their reading material, and how they use the literature for their decision making. The sample consisted of librarians from the United States who were perceived as leaders or activists within the library science profession; 243 names were randomly chosen from the American Library Association (ALA) Handbook of Organization, and 116 valid surveys, or 53%, were returned. The instrument consisted of 18 questions and a list of journals (respondents were asked to identify titles that they read from this list). The respondents were mostly female (83.5 percent). All types of libraries were represented with academic libraries being the most abundant. In many aspects, this study confirms the findings of earlier studies or research and shows that librarians still believe professional reading is an important part of their professional life and they are still critical of the quality. Librarians want to read more, but "lack of time" is the big deterrent; most chose their reading material by browsing a journal. Another finding is that most US librarians are interested in information science issues worldwide. A table lists library science journals with statistics for "usually read,""sometimes read," and "total per cent of readers." (Contains 6 references.) (AEF)

Equity of access is one of the American Library Association's (ALA's) five key action areas. Discussions of digital divide issues sometimes sound confusing and unfocused; however, the digital divide issue provides information professionals with the opportunity to discover more about their own skills and potential, to understand more about library patrons, and to support the dissemination of exemplary model projects currently underway in libraries. This paper suggests that it is time not only to highlight successful attempts to lessen unequal participation in the creation and use of digital record, but to provide individual ALA members with a toolkit to successfully convert their libraries into laboratories of discovery. These laboratories will be interactive environments where information professionals involve library patrons in the creation of content and services for communities in need. The paper outlines one potential continuing education resource, a Web site with intelligent features, that can provide ALA members with workplace fluency in the issues, applications, and skills to accomplish this vision. (AEF)

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)