Circuit librarianship: a twentieth anniversary appraisal

The twentieth anniversary of circuit librarianship is a fitting occasion to reflect on its history and success. The tradition of circuit riders is traced and the hallmarks and achievements of circuit librarian programs are described. Providing information services to remote health professionals has been a longstanding concern of medical librarianship, and it is presently a major focus of the National Library of Medicine. It is suggested that widespread adoption of circuit librarianship would not only satisfy the information needs of unserved health professionals but could enhance the image of the profession given the centrality of the librarian, not the library, in this model.     

International education for librarianship

Abstract

Three major international library science journals -International Information and Library Review, Information Development and Libri are studied to determine the nature and trends in library and information science research in Africa. 72 papers are analysed, covering the period 1990-1992 (three years). This includes the status of the authors, gender, affiliation, country and types of research. The type and origin of cited documents the authors used in writing articles were also explored. The findings show that more information professionals in Africa are getting involved in research and publishing, with the major areas being agricultural information and library education. A majority of the journals cited, however, came from outside Africa.     

Psychology applied to librarianship

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the perception of faculty members at King Abdulaziz University (KAAU) towards online search service in the Jeddah main campus. Survey methods were used to determine the demands of the faculty members from different faculties and to find out the subject areas for which more search requests are made. The data for this study were collected by administering a specially designed questionnaire to all the chairmen of departments within each faculty. Personal interviews were conducted with the library staff responsible for the online search service at the KAAU Central Library. Analysis of relevant data indicates that out of 73 questionnaires delivered to chairmen, 51 completed questionnaires were received, a 70% response rate. Further analysis revealed that 139 requests were made by 11 faculties and institutions during 1989 and 1990. Forty-five percent of respondents used online search service to conduct personal research.