The Johannah Sherrer Memorial Lecture in Library Service was established in 1999 at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, to commemorate the contributions and legacies of a…
Abstract
The Johannah Sherrer Memorial Lecture in Library Service was established in 1999 at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, to commemorate the contributions and legacies of a respected friend, colleague, and champion of service. Johannah Sherrer (1947–1998) served as Director of the Aubrey R. Watzek Library at Lewis & Clark College from July 1993 to September 1998 when she passed away following a gallant battle with melanoma. Previous Sherrer Lecture presenters have been: 1999 – Walt Crawford, “Service in a Complex Future”; 2000 – Jerry D. Campbell, “The Fate of Service in an Increasingly Digital and Commercial World”; 2001 – Elizabeth A. Dupuis, “The Importance of Being Learned”; 2002 – Joan K. Lippincott, “Service in a Collaborative Way.”
I'm sorry I looked into the whole thing. I mean reference service in libraries and a new economic model for reference.
It all began a very long time ago, sometime before 1876, that annus mirabilis of librarianship during which the American Library Association was founded, Library Journal debuted…
Abstract
It all began a very long time ago, sometime before 1876, that annus mirabilis of librarianship during which the American Library Association was founded, Library Journal debuted, and Samuel Green published in its pages the first article about reference librarianship. And it continues today. In April 1994, an unidentified library school student from the State University of New York at Buffalo queried the participants of the LIBREFL listserv, asking them, “Can you give a summary of the ‘hot’ library reference issues of the week? I'm working on a project for my Reference course, and would like to find out what is REALLY vital to refernce (sic) librarians out there today.” I was tempted to reply that all of that week's “hot” issues were identified in Green's 1876 article. In that article describing the phenomenon we today call reference service, Green touched on issues such as the librarian's obligation to provide information without injecting personal values, the inability of any librarian to know everything, the need sometimes to refer a patron to another information agency, SDI services, the value of proactive rather than passive service, the challenges of the reference interview, and, of course, what has come to be called the “information versus instruction debate.”
Don L. Bosseau, Beth Shapiro and Jerry Campbell
EBSCO's Executive Seminar for research library directors, Digitising the reserve function: steps toward electronic document delivery, was held on 5 February in Philadelphia, PA…
Abstract
EBSCO's Executive Seminar for research library directors, Digitising the reserve function: steps toward electronic document delivery, was held on 5 February in Philadelphia, PA during the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting. The Meeting was attended by more than 60 librarians from some of the most respected research libraries in North America.
Gary J. Egan and Brinley R. Franklin
Library accounts in the university financial accounting system should give administrators information for sound management decision. In light of the extensive body of literature…
Abstract
Library accounts in the university financial accounting system should give administrators information for sound management decision. In light of the extensive body of literature published recently on library accounting and cost analysis, 12 university libraries were reviewed to determine whether their accounting practices were keeping up theory.
As I once again go through the end‐of‐year analysis of my acquisitions accounts, it strikes me how much time I (and many others on the library staff) spend on accounting related…
Abstract
As I once again go through the end‐of‐year analysis of my acquisitions accounts, it strikes me how much time I (and many others on the library staff) spend on accounting related to the acquisition of information. The library profession, like most, has developed a specialized language to help its members talk to each other. The information acquisition staff has to be adept at translating library terms into terms used by the business community they deal with. There are a number of accounting contact points in the acquisition process which are critical for almost every level of staff in the library.
To judge from the published literature, recent conference topics, or any listserv where academic reference issues are discussed, reference service reforms are in the air. A steady…
Abstract
To judge from the published literature, recent conference topics, or any listserv where academic reference issues are discussed, reference service reforms are in the air. A steady increase in the sheer number of users seeking reference help, driven largely by the proliferation of new information technologies, has led to a questioning of the traditional structure and mission of the library reference desk. Brandeis University Libraries' approach, which has been described by Virginia Massey‐Burzio, is one example of such a reform. The essential change that the Brandeis model entailed was this: Brandeis' Main Library had included a reference desk at which one librarian at a time was assisted by one graduate student helper. Under the new model, reference services are divided in two: the graduate assistants staff an information desk, which is responsible for concerns like directional questions and quick look‐ups, while the librarians staff a research consultation office where more substantive questions are dealt with at greater length. The primary goal of this tiered approach, which we call the “research consultation model,” was to improve services to the classes of patrons who most need professional reference assistance, while also increasing professional job satisfaction in the face of the ongoing information explosion. (A more complete description of the model is given below under the heading: “Some characteristics of a research consultation model.”)
Jeff Heck and Gayle Baker
The Scholar's Workstation project at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville employs recent and developing technology to provide timely, convenient remote‐site access to…
Abstract
The Scholar's Workstation project at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville employs recent and developing technology to provide timely, convenient remote‐site access to information. The project serves four on ‐ and off‐campus sites associated with environmental studies. A station at each site includes an IBM‐compatible personal computer connected to the campus network to access electronic information resources and network tools. Graduate students from the School of Information Sciences serve as onsite team members who provide research assistance, technical assistance, and instruction. The project successfully tests a model for future library service, in which the workstations supply onsite access to information as an electronic branch library.
Jerry Aldridge, Jennifer L. Kilgo and Lois M. Christensen
This article explores the adoption of a transcultural education approach, rather than multicultural or intercultural education, and the implications this would have for…
Abstract
This article explores the adoption of a transcultural education approach, rather than multicultural or intercultural education, and the implications this would have for educational practice. With the multiple issues associated with multicultural and intercultural education, the authors emphasize the need for a definitive definition of the term “transcultural” in the educational literature, as well as a new model of transcultural education. Addressed in the article are: (a) the contribution of transdisciplinary teaming to the definition and practice of transcultural education; (b) the meaning of “trans” in the term, transcultural; (c) a discussion of culture and individuality related to education; and (d) possible conclusions to facilitate dialogue regarding the future of transcultural education. Twelve vignettes are included to provide real world examples of the need for a paradigm of transcultural education.