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Technology has transformed teaching and learning environments in tertiary education, introducing new collaborative library spaces and developing the roles and skills of library staff. Academic libraries need continually to re‐examine their services to ensure they meet student needs. The current survey aimed to discover how students perceived staff in the Information Commons (IC) and whether their perceptions of staff attitudes and skills influenced their use of library resources.

A questionnaire containing closed and open questions was distributed electronically to undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Sheffield, obtaining 250 responses (around 1 per cent of the student population).

The results showed that most students were unable to distinguish different groups of staff, were unaware of their departmental librarian and did not recognise the academic role of librarians. However, those who had sought assistance in the IC or attended classes delivered by librarians had positive views of their experiences.

The timing and fixed duration of the study limited the size and nature of the sample, the generalisability of the findings and depth of the investigation, but sufficient data were collected to establish patterns of behaviour and identify important factors.

Low awareness among students of the expertise of librarians and their capacity to provide academic support indicates a need for more promotion to ensure library resources are properly utilised.

The study is thought to be the first of its kind conducted in the UK and the only such survey carried out in an IC setting.

The purpose of this study is to examine the portrayals of librarians in world cinema. In so doing, librarian stereotypes within film may be examined, but also those wishing to develop a collection of films featuring librarians and libraries will have a resource to which they may refer.

The authors approached this study as an annotated bibliography of the films studied. A synopsis of each film is provided as well as analysis of libraries and librarian roles within the context of each film.

Films from around the world tend to have many similar stereotypes concerning librarians. Whether those stereotypes are necessarily good or bad may lie in the eye of the beholder.

Although there have been numerous articles written on librarian stereotypes and librarians within literature, there has been relatively little written about librarians within the context of cinema.

Describes the efforts of the owner/directors of a private limited company to put into place a succession strategy. Considers three major themes: second generation entrepreneurs/management succession; action learning as a human resource development strategy and philosophy; and the learning organization. Concludes that people (and organizations) “learn” best from the priorities of the business, once they have been identified, and that organizational learning is really based on institutionalization of what has been learned – requisite learning.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of parental involvement among 317 teachers in the Arab education system in Israel.

A questionnaire measured teachers’ attitudes regarding parents’ involvement in the school relating to pedagogy, resources, and control.

The findings show that Arab teachers perceive parents’ involvement as related to pedagogy and resources rather than control. In addition, the research results revealed that young teachers in terms of age, and seniority of teaching, and teachers who are not members of the management team demonstrated a stronger perception of the pedagogy and control components than did older and senior teachers and teachers who are members of the management team. However, older and senior teachers and teachers who are members of the management team had a stronger perception that parental involvement related to resources than did young teachers and teachers who are not members of the management team.

Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The paper contributes to our understandings of the different components that affect parental involvement in developing and minority societies.