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Comprehensive Examination Questions
October 1990

1. Subject access to library materials has been achieved through shelf classification, the alphabetical subject catalog, and the classed catalog. Describe the historical development of the three or compare these approaches in terms of retrieval effectiveness and the convenience of the user.

2. Discuss the advantages of having a clearly written adequately publicized collection development policy. What are the disadvantages of having a poorly formulated policy or none at all?

3. Discuss "Librarians must provide the highest level of service.." from the Code of Ethics in light of budget constraints and increasing user needs.

4. How do you organize 2,000 books, subscriptions to 50 newsletters and journals, 10 filing cabinets of pamphlets, clippings and correspondence for a small nonprofit? What equipment and resources might you need?

5. Discuss the challenges of microforms or CD-ROM. Include use, storage and preservation in your discussion.

6. From the perspective of a particular type of library or archive of your choice, identify and describe three major programs, services, or products introduced in the twentieth century. Discuss the evolution of these innovations and their impact on the chosen institution and its users.

7. The nature and amount of reference help extended to patrons can vary from one library to another. Theorists have sometimes described this variation as a continuum from minimal reference service (merely pointing the way) to maximal reference service (providing fully researched responses). Assuming this model, discuss the factors that a library would reasonably consider in deciding what kind and how much reference service to provide to individual patrons.

8. In a 1950 article, "The Obligations and Responsibilities of the Librarian Concerning Censorship," Leon Carnovsky wrote, "I have never met a public librarian who approved of censorship or one who failed to practice it in some measure." Comment on Carnovsky's observation. Discuss the obligations and responsibilities of the librarian concerning censorship. Compare the censorship dilemmas facing librarians working in a public library with those arising in other types of libraries.

9. Choose a type of library. You have recently been named the director of that type of library. As you contemplate your new job, you recognize the importance of emphasizing a few key issues. What are five key issues for the manager of your type of library to consider in the first year on the job? Why are these particularly important in the type of library you have selected?

10. Despite professional societies' efforts at coordination, archivists and librarians are generally considered to be separate professional groups, with different educational backgrounds, credentials, approaches to materials in their custody, and techniques and practices for their organization, maintenance, and use. Differentiate between archivists and librarians, as suggested above, and comment on materials in library collections better suited to an "archival" rather than a "library" approach. Explain why and identify problems this may cause for libraries and their users.



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