1. Discuss the relationship between access
and preservation focusing on how the application of computerized
information and technology presents new opportunities for improving
both access and preservation.
2. Conducting an online search to meet
the information needs of a client requires the evaluation and
selection of appropriate databases and of the information retrieved.
Discuss evaluative measures and selection criteria that you would
use to ensure effective search results.
3. Access to information is a unifying principle
in the field of library and information science. Describe how
the process of bibliographic control and an understanding of information
seeking behavior facilitate access to information. Discuss in
this context what barriers might impede a user's access to information.
4. In his classic work, Management of Archives,
R. R. Schellenberg wrote "Library classification schemessuch
as the Dewey, the Cutter, and the Library of Congressshould
not be used for the organization of documentary material."
( pp. 8384). These words express the traditional view that
library methods of classification are not appropriate for archival
material. Compare and contrast the traditional methods of organizing
library and archival collections. Discuss whether or not Schellenberg's
view has validity.
5. A small college is advertising for a "generalist"
librarian to assume responsibility for "cataloging reference,
providing library instruction, assisting in collection development
with several academic departments, and participating in the governance
of the college." The ad suggests that the successful candidate
will possess the MLS (or MS in LS), a subject master's degree
in the liberal arts, knowledge of OCLC, familiarity with AACR2
Dewey classification, online searching, and knowledge of
one or more foreign languages. No experience level is suggested
in the ad, and the salary is entry level. Discuss whether it possible
to be a "generalist librarian", or has the field become
too complex for such a professional to exist in 1996? Discuss
what kind of supervision, support staff, and other resources you
would need to be successful in the position described in the ad.
6. Discuss how the shift from print to electronic
access may affect the concept of service. Choose a type of information
institution and describe the impact of this shift on serving users.
7. It is often stated that standards are critical
for effective information services. Describe at least three major
standards of information organization and retrieval, and discuss
the benefits and problems in implementing these standards.
8. The 1995 American Library Association Code
of Ethics calls on librarians, staff, and other information professionals
to continue their professional development. Describe how changes
in such areas as information technology, institutional support,
and user populations require information professionals to develop
new skills. Discuss how managers of information services can make
such professional development possible.
9. Some claim that we are moving into the digital
age. What is the difference between digital (electronic) and analog
(such as print, tape) forms for storing and presenting information?
Give examples of each kind of media, and discuss the implications
for storing information in digital rather than analog form.
10. Information professionals try to strike
a balance between building collections and providing customer
service. Discuss how information professionals address these related
but sometimes competing priorities.
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