1. Bibliographic control is not just for books and similar published textual materials. The principles of bibliographic control can be applied to other types of documents -- unpublished materials, documents with visual images rather than text, and documents in a medium other than paper (electronic, microform, stone, or other). Describe which principles of bibliographic control apply to all types of documents and then discuss some of the special considerations in bibliographic control of "non-book" documents.
2. Discuss the issues involved in the use of unobtrusive testing to evaluate the effectiveness of reference service.
3. "What is past is prologue." Does this statement apply to library and information science? Is it necessary for library and information science professionals to understand the history of libraries and librarianship in order to address today's problems? Offer specific examples of contemporary problems that can be better understood in an historical context. If you do not think historical understanding is crucial, explain your reasons.
4. Meeting the needs of ethnic and cultural groups has become more challenging to educational and cultural institutions as these populations increase in numbers and diversity. Choose a type of library or archives and discuss how it can provide for the needs of diverse ethnic and cultural populations among its patrons.
5. Optical disks are revolutionizing the mass storage of information, but they come with very real tradeoffs. What should the librarian or archivist be thinking about in technical and financial terms when considering the introduction of such technology.
6. The philosophy behind the design of many computer-based information systems is to make them as "user friendly" as possible so that end users can use them without the help or intervention of an intermediary/librarian. Describe some of the ways that designers try to make their systems easy to learn and use. Illustrate your discussion with examples an online catalog, or other computer-based information storage and retrieval system.
7. Bibliographic utilities, such as OCLC, have dramatically ed the nature of library operations and services in the 25 years. Discuss the impact of bibliographic utilities with illustrations from various types of libraries.
8. In Megatrends 2000, John Nesbitt and Patricia Aburdene assert, "The primary challenge of leadership in the 1990's is to encourage the new, better-motivated worker to be more entrepreneurial, self-managing, and oriented toward lifelong learning." Discuss the extent to which this statement applies to the library and archives profession.
9. Recently associations of librarians have been asked to take on issues as diverse as the Persian Gulf War, protecting the environment, animal rights, and latchkey children. Using examples, discuss how librarians, as professionals, should decide when it is appropriate to take positions on societal concerns.
10. Can the criteria that librarians use to develop collections of reference books be used for the selection of reference tools in CD-ROM format? Are additional criteria necessary? Is the selection process basically different for these two formats? discuss specific criteria in your response.
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