Reflections and distortions: Canadian folklore as portrayed in children’s literature

Abstract

In Great Britain and the United States common developmental issues have resulted in the evolution of two very different models of school library provision. In the United States, school libraries are integrated media centers, separate from public library influence, staffed by specialists with dual training in teaching and librarianship, and dedicated to an educational mission. British school libraries are contested terrain with two patterns of staffing, support by Public Library Services, and incomplete formulation of mission and rationale. This article discusses five factors which have facilitated or retarded school library development in the two countries (standards, staffing and certification, government support, rationale, professionalization) and generalizes about development factors and the successful promotion of school libraries.     

Wild West Libraries: A Study of Southwest Kansas Public Libraries

Public Libraries developed and grew along with the United States. In southwest Kansas, money, materials, staffing, and distance have been factors in the growth of the public libraries, and they remain current factors as well. Library consortia have aided in this development and have helped solve small library problems. This article reports a 2008 survey of public libraries that are served by the Southwest Kansas Library System (SWKLS). The survey lays out the operating conditions of some of America's small libraries and shows the extent of their interrelationship with their consortium.     

The changing role of school/media resource libraries in secondary schools in Singapore and the need to implement mandatory standards, 1946–2010: Issues, challenges and opportunities

The aim of this paper is to study the development and evolution of secondary school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) in Singapore after the Second World War and the rationale to have mandatory school library standards. It is an historical survey analysing published data about the linkages of libraries and librarianship, school library standards, education and school reforms in Singapore. It analyses historical and current documents on the roles played by stakeholders like the Library Association of Singapore (LAS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) in the introduction and development of school library standards. The need for school libraries standards was first discussed when the Malayan Library Group (MLG) organised the first course on librarianship for school teachers in 1955, but, with no follow through. The need for school libraries standards was also mentioned by the LAS in 1962 in a memorandum to the Commission of Enquiry into Education to train teacher librarians and adopt school library standards. However, this was left out in the final report of the Commission published in 1964. The need for school library standards was discussed in a school library seminar for 150 teacher librarians in 1970. The first Recommended Minimum Standards for Secondary School Libraries was published two years later by the Standing Committee on Libraries set up by the MOE, but it was not mandatory for schools to adopt the standards. In 1997 the MOE launched its “Thinking School Learning Nation” vision to teach thinking skills. Students were expected to do multidisciplinary project work and be independent users of information. The MOE began to convert school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) with print and non-print materials. However, a survey conducted in 2001 on the roles and competencies of 112 Library Coordinators (LCs) or teacher librarians revealed that they lack the skills and knowledge to manage MRLs effectively. This is because subsequent school library standards published in 1983 and 2002 did not require trained and full-time teacher librarians to manage the MRLs. Furthermore, it is essential for the standards to be periodically updated with regards to professional staff, collection development, facilities, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and school library programs. Otherwise, MRLs risk being “hollow shells still considered on the periphery of core educational requirements, and are run by teachers not professionally prepared to do the work” (Hart, 2001, p. 25). The national standards published in the United States from 1918 to 2008 are well researched and provide substantive guidelines to develop school libraries. Therefore, it is essential for the MOE to formulate MRL standards by doing comparative studies of school library standards in other countries. These standards have to be mandatory and fully adopted by the schools. It provides opportunities for stakeholders like the LAS, National Library Board (NLB), the National Institute of Education (NIE), and the Singapore Teachers’ Union, to collaborate in the formulation of these standards and take collective ownership to implement them.     

The changing role of school/media resource libraries in secondary schools in Singapore and the need to implement mandatory standards, 1946–2010: Issues,challenges and opportunities

The aim of this paper is to study the development and evolution of secondary school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) in Singapore after the Second World War and the rationale to have mandatory school library standards. It is an historical survey analysing published data about the linkages of libraries and librarianship, school library standards, education and school reforms in Singapore. It analyses historical and current documents on the roles played by stakeholders like the Library Association of Singapore (LAS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) in the introduction and development of school library standards. The need for school libraries standards was first discussed when the Malayan Library Group (MLG) organised the first course on librarianship for school teachers in 1955, but, with no follow through. The need for school libraries standards was also mentioned by the LAS in 1962 in a memorandum to the Commission of Enquiry into Education to train teacher librarians and adopt school library standards. However, this was left out in the final report of the Commission published in 1964. The need for school library standards was discussed in a school library seminar for 150 teacher librarians in 1970. The first Recommended Minimum Standards for Secondary School Libraries was published two years later by the Standing Committee on Libraries set up by the MOE, but it was not mandatory for schools to adopt the standards. In 1997 the MOE launched its “Thinking School Learning Nation” vision to teach thinking skills. Students were expected to do multidisciplinary project work and be independent users of information. The MOE began to convert school libraries into Media Resource Libraries (MRLs) with print and non-print materials. However, a survey conducted in 2001 on the roles and competencies of 112 Library Coordinators (LCs) or teacher librarians revealed that they lack the skills and knowledge to manage MRLs effectively. This is because subsequent school library standards published in 1983 and 2002 did not require trained and full-time teacher librarians to manage the MRLs. Furthermore, it is essential for the standards to be periodically updated with regards to professional staff, collection development, facilities, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and school library programs. Otherwise, MRLs risk being “hollow shells still considered on the periphery of core educational requirements, and are run by teachers not professionally prepared to do the work” (Hart, 2001, p. 25). The national standards published in the United States from 1918 to 2008 are well researched and provide substantive guidelines to develop school libraries. Therefore, it is essential for the MOE to formulate MRL standards by doing comparative studies of school library standards in other countries. These standards have to be mandatory and fully adopted by the schools. It provides opportunities for stakeholders like the LAS, National Library Board (NLB), the National Institute of Education (NIE), and the Singapore Teachers’ Union, to collaborate in the formulation of these standards and take collective ownership to implement them.     

The economics of academic health sciences libraries: cost recovery in the era of big science

With launching of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s, science and technology became a high priority in the United States. During the two decades since, health sciences libraries have experienced changes in almost all aspects of their operations. Additionally, recent developments in medical care and in medical education have had major influences on the mission of health science libraries. In the unending struggle to keep up with new technologies and services, libraries have had to support increasing demands while they receive a decreasing share of the health care dollar. This paper explores the economic challenges faced by academic health sciences libraries and suggests measures for augmenting traditional sources of funding. The development of marketing efforts, institutional memberships, and fee-based services by the Louis Calder Memorial Library, University of Miami School of Medicine, is presented as a case study.     

Centralization vs. decentralization in medical school libraries

Does the medical school library in the United States operate more commonly under the university library or the medical school administration? University-connected medical school libraries were asked to indicate (a) the source of their budgets, whether from the central library or the medical school, and (b) the responsibility for their acquisitions and cataloging. Returns received from sixtyeight of the seventy eligible institutions showed decentralization to be much the most common: 71 percent of the libraries are funded by their medical schools; 79 percent are responsible for their own acquisitions and processing. The factor most often associated with centralization of both budget and operation is public ownership. Decentralization is associated with service to one or two rather than three or more professional schools. Location of the medical school in a different city from the university is highly favorable to autonomy. Other factors associated with these trends are discussed.     

Libraries,Literacy and Development: Combined Libraries as an Option for Developing Countries: A Brief Communication

Public and school library development has been slow in Third World countries. This can only be overcome by a shift in perception whereby libraries become important to national development and educational and literacy goals. When considering transformation in library mission and delivery systems, combined school and public libraries offer an alternate and innovative model. Research has determined conditions under which combined libraries are successful and when these success factors and conditions in developing countries are juxtaposed, striking correlations appear. Combined libraries may offer the integration necessary in a climate of scarcity; they may provide the framework in which libraries can serve all the people by contributing to a literate environment and literacy efforts, while supporting formal education and development programs.     

Libraries,Literacy and Development: Combined Libraries as an Option for Developing Countries

Abstract

Public and school library development has been slow in Third World countries. This can only be overcome by a shift in perception whereby libraries become important to national development and educational and literacy goals. When considering transformation in library mission and delivery systems, combined school and public libraries offer an alternate and innovative model. Research has determined conditions under which combined libraries are successful and when these success factors and conditions in developing countries are juxtaposed, striking correlations appear. Combined libraries may offer the integration necessary in a climate of scarcity; they may provide the framework in which libraries can serve all the people by contributing to a literate environment and literacy efforts, while supporting formal education and development programs.     

美国公立大学图书馆本科生服务调研分析及启示--以美国8所大学图书馆本科生服务为例

大学图书馆是高校学习、教学和研究的信息资源保障中心。其使命是为用户提供学术、教育、文化和技术支持,在促进学生成功方面起着重要作用。美国公立大学图书馆普遍将本科生培养服务作为战略规划的重要组成部分,为本科生提供创新服务。本文采用网络调研和文献研究法,以美国8所公立大学图书馆为研究对象,从教与学支持服务、研究支持服务、空间与技术支持服务等方面,分析和归纳了这些大学图书馆在本科生服务实践方面的经验和特点,以期为我国高校图书馆开展本科生服务提供参考。     

美国学校图书馆服务标准化进程述评

美国自20世纪20年代开始制定学校图书馆服务相关标准,到2007年共出台了九个全国性学校图书馆服务标准文件,这些标准的制定和实施反映出美国学校图书馆服务发展的脉络。在此过程中,ALA、AASL等行业协会发挥重要作用,图书馆服务和馆员价值得到彰显。具体呈现出以下特征:1学校图书馆服务根据教育改革需要进行调整,保持对学校教育的贡献度;2建设标准和服务标准统一,定量评价和定性评价相结合;3与行业协会的成熟和馆员专业化发展相辅相成。本文呼吁我国的研究者和教育管理部门关注中小学图书馆服务标准的确立,重视学校图书馆服务对素质教育的影响和作用。     

1876—1976年美国图书馆未成年人服务发展历史研究

1876-1976年这一百年是美国图书馆未成年人服务发展的重要历史时期,其中1876年、1900年、1920年和1950年是几个重要的时间点,该段历史可以划分为几个不同的阶段.Carline M.Hewins和Anm Carroll Moore是美国图书馆未成年人服务的开拓者和先驱,美国图书馆协会的成立、公共图书馆报告的发表、阅读八报告的连续出版和学校标准的发展是该时期的重大事件.推动美国图书馆未成年人服务产生及发展的因素包括:女性馆员对图书馆未成年人服务的推动、未成年人阅读发展八报告的推动、对未成年人的发现、未成年人权利意识的崛起,以及对阅读与未成年人性格形成和发展关系的认识.表1.参考文献16.     

图书馆建筑空间与自然人文环境融合促进阅读研究——以国际图联和美国图书馆设计最佳实践为例

[目的/意义] 图书馆建筑空间和自然人文环境融合能够有效地促进阅读,对国际图联"IFLA/Systematic年度公共图书馆奖"提名或获奖图书馆和获得美国"AIA/ALA图书馆建筑设计奖"图书馆的自然人文环境展开研究,能够为我国图书馆在旧馆扩建或新馆建设中建筑空间体现自然人文环境提供参考和借鉴。[方法/过程] 采用网络调查法和案例分析法对获奖图书馆中馆舍内外部空间的自然人文环境建设较好的部分图书馆进行归纳分析,总结这些图书馆空间建设的相关实践经验。[结果/结论] 推动二者的融合发展,需要创新设计理念与更强有力的理论支撑,同时引导图书馆充分利用自然景观、进一步挖掘地域文化,并最优组合促进阅读的空间因素。     

Law Library Faculty Services Web Sites: Effectively Communicating Services Provided for Faculty

This article contains the results of an empirical analysis and review of 199 American Bar Association-accredited law school library Web pages to identify the law library services for faculty that are advertised or promoted on law library Web sites. The analysis ranked the Web sites based on how thoroughly a law library communicates, or promotes on its Web site, the services it offers to faculty. The analysis also identified the percentage of law libraries advertising specific services for faculty, such as those related to library staffing, publishing support, teaching support, and research services. Suggestions are included for the promotion of the law library to faculty, including services some libraries are uniquely offering.     

E-Reserves in Transition: Exploring New Possibilities in E-Reserves Service Delivery

Nearly all academic libraries offer course reserves, and most have long considered it a core library service. However, expanding use of course management systems in academia have opened new opportunities for libraries interested in exploring changes to electronic reserves services. Budget constraints and staffing shortages have also led several institutions to consider eliminating or modifying their e-reserves operations. Potentially difficult challenges, however, also accompany making significant changes to often well-established practices.

This environmental scan of selected academic libraries across the United States discusses institutions that have maintained the status quo in e-reserves services, as well as those who have changed or discontinued these services. The article also provides insight on why some of the latter decided to make these changes.     

InfoEyes Information Service: A Virtual Reference Service for Print-Impaired Individuals

This article discusses the InfoEyes Information Service, an innovative virtual reference service for individuals who are print-impaired, which began as a pilot project in 2004 and continues to serve this historically underserved population. The context for this discussion is framed by a brief historical summary of the provision of library services for people who are blind or visually impaired in the United States. Challenges facing this service such as accessibility of virtual reference chat products, reference staffing issues in talking book libraries, and the relationship to public library virtual reference services are also presented.     

促进知识服务的图书馆空间资源利用——21世纪初美国图书馆空间设计趋势与设计思想

文章通过分析美国图书馆的主要建筑项目和相关文献,提出21世纪初美国图书馆空间设计发展趋势是建设＂生态友好＂空间、儿童青少年空间、文化休闲空间和特殊人群空间,指出新世纪初美国图书馆的建筑空间具有＂平等＂、＂和谐＂和＂发展＂的设计思想。     

在合作中生存发展——论图书馆联盟

介绍国内外图书馆联盟的研究情况,深入探讨图书馆联盟的概念,并与相近和相关概念加以区别;阐述图书馆联盟活 动兴起的缘由,并简要分析当今图书馆联盟的组织模式。     

The Impact of Digital Resource and Service Use on Urban Residents in New England Public Libraries—A Survey Report

Today, access to digital information is essential to patrons using public libraries, whether they have contact with computers at home, work or school or whether the public library is their only contact. In order to evaluate and ultimately enhance public library digital resources and services, it is critical for administrators, librarians and digital information architects to recognize the impact their current digital offerings have on users. This study utilizes a survey to gauge the perceptions of patrons who use digital resources and services in six urban New England public libraries as part of ongoing research into digital information access in public libraries in the United States from the perspective of users.     

Rural Libraries Services for Older Adults: A Nationwide Survey

The author examined the survey results from 721 rural libraries throughout the United States and Canada to learn more about how they are serving older adults (defined here as anyone 65 years and older). The following areas of library service in particular were studied: funding sources, collections, strategic planning, staffing, technology use, partnerships, outreach efforts, and building design and accessibility. Results of this study were compared to those found in recent studies of services provided to older adults in suburban and capital city public libraries.