Libraries in today's global world have emerged as key players in building a culture for reading in communities while enhancing the literacy development of children, youth, adults and seniors. Whether one lives in a modern city with sophisticated library services or in a remote region of the world where access to books and literacy services may be limited, librarians and libraries are contributing to the development of learning communities. This book captures some of the essence of this work in libraries in order to inspire and support all those who value the role of libraries in building global communities. The authors highlight the emerging role of libraries and community partners in literacy development and provide concrete examples via case studies drawn from global communities, demonstrating how libraries are working to support local literacies. They also suggest recommendations for supporting the critical role for libraries in supporting global literacies. The book will become essential reading for all those interested in literacy and libraries throughout the world.

Focusing on the major educational initiatives of our times--the National Education Goals outlined and endorsed in 1990 by the nation's governors, and President Bush's America 2000 strategy--this report reviews and summarizes information about the role of libraries in many different educational efforts designed to meet the national goals. It is argued that libraries can and must play a pivotal role in meeting these goals, including efforts to prepare students to cope with learning in an information age (resource-based learning), and to provide a national electronic network for students, teachers, administrators, and community members (the National Education and Research Network). This work provides direct evidence of the relationship between existing and developing library programs and the national education initiatives, citing specific examples whenever possible or appropriate. A separate chapter is devoted to each of the six goals to be reached by the year 2000. Within each chapter, information is presented for each of three spheres of influence defined in "Education Counts: An Indicator System To Monitor the Nation's Educational Health" (U.S. Department of Education, 1991)--learning and schools, social context, and national values. Within each sphere of influence, examples of ways in which libraries can contribute to meeting the goal are presented together with research findings, comments, and highlights of programs already involved in the types of activities related to a particular example, and sources of the information given are cited. A 15-item selected bibliography of sources on which this work is based concludes the report. (BBM)

Examine cataloging and classification training programs around the world Education for Library Cataloging: International Perspectives examines the global development of educational programs for cataloging and classification in the library and information field. Library school faculty and professional librarians from more than 20 countries discuss a wide range of topics, including formal school and continuing education of catalog librarians, education and training for paraprofessional staff in cataloging and technical services, changes in library school programs, and metadata and information organization instruction. Faculty members and seasoned librarians from Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America, and the Middle East present case studies and overviews of library and information school programs, bibliographies of cited works in both Western and non-Western language literature, and plenty of helpful tables and charts. Articles presented in Education for Library Cataloging: International Perspectives are organized geographically to make it easier to check which countries are covered in each region, and to determine regional similarities and differences. Political, historical, cultural, religious, and linguistic factors were also considered to demonstrate the wide range of educational efforts and programs to cultivate cataloging professionals all over the world. Topics examined in Education for Library Cataloging: International Perspectives include: * education and training development for librarians in the University of Botswana Library * the library science school curricula in the Cross River State of Nigeria * the training of students in cataloging via distant education in South Africa * education programs in China * the education for knowledge organization (including cataloging and classification) in India * the current status of cataloging education in Japan * on the job training of catalog librarians in South Korea * the education for cataloging in Australia * how catalog librarians are trained in Germany and Austria * recent changes to the library education system in Poland * a critical study of cataloging instruction within the library and information science programs in Spain * a recent survey of graduate education and training for cataloging and classification in the United Kingdom * an overview of the education for cataloging and classification in Mexico * the current status of cataloging and classification education in Egypt * recent changes to cataloging teaching in Israel * the continuing education for catalogers in Saudi Arabia * and much more Many of the articles presented in Education for Library Cataloging: International Perspectives document the initial efforts to introduce education for cataloging in particular countries, including Egypt and Japan. This book is an invaluable resource for library and information school educators, administrators, and students.

Increase patronage with effective outreach strategies!From the Introduction, by Wendi Arant and Pixie Anne Mosley: “Outreach is a concept that is gaining more and more significance for libraries, particularly with the recent developments in information technology. Dictionaries define it as 'the act of extending services, benefits, etc. to a wider section of the population.’This definition also implies a mission to communicate a particular message to an audience in order to gain their support. Its meaning for libraries is profound, having consequences for fund raising, public service, and public relations.”Library Outreach, Partnerships, and Distance Education: Reference Librarians at the Gateway focuses on extending community outreach in libraries toward a broader public by expanding services that are based on recent advances in information technology. This crucial volume with help you will explore many of the issues that are currently affecting libraries, including: the growth of technology and its effect on libraries and library users emerging literacy issues (computer literacy, non-English-speaking populations) providing effective services to at-risk populations diversity and multiculturalism and how they are changing the ways that libraries are used targeting and reaching specific user groups distance education--bringing the mountain to MohammedIf the public perception of libraries is ever to move beyond that of “musty old book warehouses,” librarians must take a more active role in the development of new services and in heightening awareness of their existing services and collections. Library Outreach, Partnerships, and Distance Education presents ideas and strategies that are now being implemented around the United States to do just that. This book should be a part of every library's plans for the future!

Have changes such as cloud computing, search engines, the Semantic Web, and mobile applications rendered such long-standing academic library services and functions as special collections, interlibrary loans, physical processing, and even library buildings unnecessary? Can the academic library effectively reconceive itself as a virtual institution? Stielow, who led the library program of the online university American Public University System, argues most emphatically that it can. His comprehensive look at web-based academic libraries synthesizes the changes wrought by the Web revolution into a visionary new model, grounded in history as well as personal experience. He demonstrates how existing functions like cataloging, circulation, collection development, reference, and serials management can be transformed by entrepreneurship, human face/electronic communicator relations, web apps, and other innovations. Online education can ensure that libraries remain strong information and knowledge hubs, and his timely book Shows how the origins and history of the academic library have laid the foundation for our current period of flux Identifies practices rooted in print-based storage to consider for elimination, and legacy services ready to be adapted to virtual operations Discusses tools and concepts libraries will embrace in a networked world, including new opportunities for library relevance in bookstore/textbook operations, compliance, library/archival/museum functions, e-publishing, and tutorial services Offers a thorough examination of the virtual library infrastructure crucial for an online learning program, with a special look at the particular needs and responsibilities of online librarians Looks at the evolving relationship between higher education and copyright, and posits how educational technology will bring further changes Bursting with stimulating ideas and wisdom gleaned from first-hand experience, Stielow’s book presents a model for offering outstanding higher education library services in an increasingly online environment.

This unique new volume considers how well new librarians are being prepared for the profession. Here, in one easy-to-reference volume, are the valuable opinions, perspectives, and facts of those who influence library education, those who are responsible for it, and those who are the recipients of it. Intended for those who are considering entering the library profession, professors of library and information science, current students in library school, and for administrators of academic, school, public, and special libraries that employ library school graduates, this comprehensive volume features chapters that are both candid and philosophical. In Library Education and Employer Expectation, the question of preparation is discussed from several perspectives by individuals representing various aspects of the library profession. Potential employers of those with library degrees spell out their expectations of potential employees, voice their views on how well library education is preparing those who choose to go into the profession, and give suggestions aimed to help library educators to better meet employer expectations. Persons representing academic, school, public, law, health science, and state libraries, as well as a major network and the archival profession are among the contributors. This volume also represents the library school perspective. Deans of a public and private library school explain present library education philosophy, tell of specific objectives of their schools, indicate the type of student they like to attract, spell out constraints under which they work, and indicate expectations they have of future employers of their graduates. Another important dimension presented is that of the recent gradute who has been on the job for a few years. These authors indicate why they decided to go into the profession, detail why they chose the library school they did, tell what they expected to get out of library school education, and spell out how well library school prepared them for the profession. Another perspective represented in Library Education and Employer Expectations is that of the accreditation body. A thorough coverage of the Committee on Accreditation's role in library education is given by the Chair of the committee. An issue very much associated with the topic of library education and employer expectations is that of the value of the ALA accredited degree. A recented study undertaken by a librarian reports on how Association of Research Libraries’directors value the ALA accredited degree for potential employees. Included in the study is a summary of what appears in job ads in the professional literature about ALA accredited degree requirements.

The book is grouped under five main sub-themes as: Theme 1: Planning Development and Management of Digital Libraries; Theme 2: Collection Development in Digital Environment; Theme 3: Resource Sharing and Networking; Theme 4: New Technologies and Adaptability; Theme 5: Change Management Issues and Strategies.