Management Development for Libraries and Information Services in Latin America and the Caribbean

This paper reflects on the outcomes of a project undertaken in 1997/98, and examines issues relating to the development of the managerial expertise that underpins the library and information services in Latin America and the Caribbean. It reviews the results of surveys of schools of Librarianship and Information Sciences and a small selection of employers in the region, examining the congruence between the needs of the employers and provision by the schools and possible explanations for an apparent mutual lack of awareness of modern management techniques. Proposals for developing management expertise include: enhancing access to indigenous professional publications and teaching materials; developing a Hispanic language distance-learning programme for library managers; improving research into the job market and skills requirements; and developing an electronic network for communication between the schools. The role of international agencies and technical co-operation projects is assessed, and attention is drawn to the need for a more positive approach to overcome the issues surrounding the transfer of management know-how between different cultures.     

Academic Criteria,Experiential Background,and Personal Interviews as Predictors of Success in a Counselor Education Program

A 4-year evaluation was conducted of a counselor education trainee selection process that places approximately equal weight on three selection criteria: academic index, experiential background, and personal interviews. Mean faculty rankings were obtained for 77 trainees on three separate evaluative areas: (a) academic success in the program, (b) overall counseling competency in the program, and (c) anticipated success in the field. Results of Pearson product-moment correlational analyses indicated that two selection criteria (Miller's Analogies Test and the Verbal portion of the Graduate Records Examination) were significantly related to faculty-ranked academic success. No single criterion, however, was significantly related with faculty rankings of either counseling competency or anticipated success in the field. The correlation between the Miller's Analogy Test and a measure of “overall success in counselor education” was in the predicted direction but failed to reach the traditional levels of statistical significance (p < .09). Implications for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.     

The Multicultural Infusion Process: A Research-Based Approach

The authors describe a research-based curriculum guide for the inclusion of multiculturalism in the preparation of master's-level counselors.     

Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries: the potential of Sen's capability approach for sociologists of education

Rationality and Freedom AMARTYA SEN, 2002 London, Harvard University Press 736 pp., £25.04 ISBN 0 674 00947 9 Valuing Freedoms. Sen's Capability Approach and Poverty Reduction SABINA ALKIRE, 2002 Oxford, Oxford University Press 340 pp., £45.00 ISBN 0 19 924579 This important selection of essays by the in.uential Nobel Prize winning economist, Amartya Sen, deals with economic theory and social philosophy. Sabina Alkire's book combines a lucid exposition of the significance of Sen's work with an analysis of how it might be operationalised in development practice. Together with Sen's popular and now very widely read exposition of his key ideas in Development as Freedom (Sen, 1999) the works provide a new language to understand important social and economic processes. These recently published works also indicate some new directions debates concerning Sen's innovative ideas are taking. On the one hand, the connections across disciplines that Sen's work represents are being explored, partly by Sen himself and partly by those who have interpreted his ideas. On the other hand, the implications of Sen's work for examining practical approaches to social justice are emerging. While Sen's ideas have posed some central questions for debates in philosophy concerning equality, for discussions on social choice in economics, and for the reframing of the de.nition of ‘development’ in development studies, his work has had surprisingly little impact on discussions in sociology of education. Before considering what some of the potential of his thinking is for sociologists of education, some elements of his thinking need explanation.     

Creating a Digital Preservation Network with Shared Stewardship and Cost: The Experience of Partnerships in the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program

The National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) was initiated in December 2000 when the U.S. Congress authorized the Library of Congress to work with a broad range of institutions to develop a national strategy for the preservation of important at-risk born digital content. Guided by a strategy of broad collaborations and iterative learning, the Library of Congress began catalyzing a national network of partners dedicated to collecting and preserving important born-digital information. Over the last six years, the Library and its partners have been engaged in learning through action. Our investments in preservation partnerships, public policy deliberations related to intellectual property challenges, basic technical research, and network architecture models have increased our understanding of the sustaining roles and functions for a national network of diverse stakeholders. The emerging network of networks is complex and inclusive of a variety of stakeholders: content producers, content stewards and service providers from the public and private sectors.     

Differently Literate: Gender identity and the construction of the developing reader

ABSTRACT This paper argues that three specific areas of influence contribute to shaping the attitudes and expectations of adolescent reading in Britain: that of the family, that of the friendship group and that of the peer group in school. I examine pupils' perceptions of themselves as readers, and the ways in which their early reading experiences have been differentiated in relation to their gender. I provide evidence that reading is constructed within both domestic and school settings as an interest more appropriate for adolescent girls than it is for boys, and examine ways in which their reading experience has been influenced by other members of the family and the wider community. Finally I identify the role of the school curriculum in promoting particular versions of literacy that have more appeal for girls than boys in the survey.     

Essential Characteristics of Master's Level Counselors: Perceptions of Agency Administrators

The purpose of this study was to determine to what degree the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards represent skills and knowledge that mental health agency employers use to judge candidates for master's level counseling positions. A total of 84 professionals who hired master's level counselors in their agencies rated the likely effect of each CACREP knowledge and skill area on their judgment of a potential candidate. Respondents also checked specific knowledge and skills they considered important and the type(s) of master's degrees typically possessed by counselors hired by their agency. Data suggested that each knowledge and skill area may have a moderate to significant impact on the employers' judgments, although some competencies were clearly seen to be more relevant than others. Family intervention was the most highly endorsed specialization, and candidates with social work degrees were hired far more frequently than was any other single type. Implications for counselor education programs and graduates are discussed.