The decade prior to World War II was a time of intense introspection on the part of librarians. There was considerable controversy over whether librarianship constituted a science in any proper sense of the term. Education for librarianship was undergoing close scrutiny and reform. Issues related to federal aid, adult education, and rural library development were unresolved and subject to heated discussion. In the late 1940s the Public Library Inquiry was conceived to study and document the conditions, achievements, and weaknesses of public libraries and librarianship. For the next 40...

The problem of purpose in the title is the 130-year debate within the library community over the proper place for the library in society. Chapters discuss roles for public libraries from the founding of the Boston Public Library with its clear educational purpose through attempts at rational planning for library roles in the 1980s. The controversy about the place of popular fiction in American libraries in the late 19th century; the militant outreach efforts during the early decades of the 20th century; the adult education phase during the 1920s to 1940s; and the library as an information...

Research does not have to mean getting buried in statistics, claims Constance Mellon, and in this unique study she describes an approach to applying the naturalistic inquiry of anthropology and sociology to the field of information science. Drawing on the author's experience in the design of instruction, the book outlines a humanistic and relevant method of naturalistic research whose aim is understanding rather than prediction. Unlike other books on the topic, here the method is directed specifically toward librarianship and its particular needs and problems, and made clear through a...

This is the first booklength study of women in library education. The authors set out to examine the dynamic social processes and significant relationships--such as mentioning--that have shaped the aspirations and career goals of women faculty in library and information science. Employing a intergenerational sample the authors construct a unique view of the changes in opportunities and gender role expectations in the field. In addition, Maack and Passet apply management models of mentoring and support relationships to the university environment. This leads to an analysis of the kinds of...

Public librarianship is a constantly changing field, and the direction of its development depends on theoretical and applied research. This book examines many of the research needs in public librarianship and discusses appropriate strategies to meet those needs. The chapters, written by active researchers in the public library field, reflect a variety of issues and opinions. Included are chapters on the evaluation of collections, community awareness of the library as an information source, models for library siting, and communication between librarians and public library educators....

Constant developments in information technology are creating fundamental changes in librarianship. This book challenges the uncritical acceptance of these changes caused by technology. The volume begins by explaining the importance of a critical approach to information technology in librarianship. The first part of the book then explores the fundamental critical issues at the heart of technology in the library. Chapters in this section consider such topics as the neutrality of technology, information technology and censorship, the role of computers in education, and the sometimes critical...

During the last decade, the library profession has been confronted by a serious problem. More than 15 accredited graduate library schools in the United States have closed, including distinguished programs at the University of Chicago, the University of Southern California, and Columbia University. The closing of these schools raised critical issues about the future of the library profession, the place of library schools in higher education, and the role of libraries in society.

This book explores the causes and consequences of the recent closures of American library schools at a time...

Although urban historians point to the creation of the American public library as one response to the chaos experienced by big cities at the end of the 19th century, this study shows that the library developed in the rural community of Hagerstown, Maryland, resembled its urban counterparts. Business elites, concerned about the image of the town, created a library as the first cultural institution in Hagerstown. This book traces the societal changes in Hagerstown from 1878 to 1920, examines the motivations of the businessmen for creating the library, and explores the changes in attitude of...

Today's rapidly evolving information-based society demands that public libraries implement planned, proactive, and innovative change to meet patron needs. Rapid, widespread, and substantive change and innovation in public librarianship depends on the ability of public librarians to share in the exchange of new ideas, regardless of the size of their communities. This book explores how managerial innovations are generated and disseminated among public librarians.

To examine how new ideas are created and spread among public librarians, the volume focuses on the case of the dissemination of...

This is the first book on audio book selection and use for public and school librarians and teachers. Topics addressed include how to begin and upgrade a collection, the relative merits of complete and abridged audio books, a sample written selection policy for the audio book collection, how to evaluate production qualities of audio books, ratings of products from major producers and distributors based on a survey of AV librarians, and an annotated bibliography of more than 200 outstanding audio books. A chapter on audio in education offers a rationale and many practical suggestions for...