1. Choose a particular type of library or information center (archive, special, academic/research, school or public). For this environment, describe emerging technologies, their uses, and the impact of these technologies on materials, services, and management.

2. Michael Buckland notes, "The online public access catalog, originally a prisoner of the walls of the library in which it did its work, is now the gateway to the Internet for many library users." Discuss the impact of the enhanced online public access catalog on reference services for library staff and users.

3. Select a type of library or information center and indicate an area where research is needed to improve practice. Discuss why you have selected this area, and describe in detail the kind (or kinds) of research that best addresses this area of concern.

4. Various attempts have been made to organize information on the Internet. Describe and assess efforts, such as Cyberstacks and INFORMINE, made by librarians to organize Internet resources.

5. Describe the impact of the mass media on the types of materials sought by library users. Discuss how libraries can respond to the demand for popular materials while fulfilling their roles as educational institutions and information providers.

6. Increasingly as reference tools are being offered in electronic media (CD-ROM, online, via the Internet) in addition to print, reference librarians must decide what version or medium of the tool best serves the needs of their library. Discuss the evaluation process for making choices about the medium of a reference tool, including the issues for user services that should be addressed.

7. Select a specific type of library or information center (archive, special, academic/research, school or public). Assume that you, a recent graduate, have just been hired to develop its website. Discuss the uses that might be considered for the website and the appropriate policies for its implementation.

8. In the provision of information, the information professional must be alert to those factors, both human and system-related, that affect the retrieval of information. Discuss.

9. Contemporary libraries and information centers, both in the public and private sectors, are admonished to build partnerships and to foster collaboration. Provide the rationale for this emphasis. Select a particular type of library or information center and discuss how it can develop partnerships and collaboration and use them to best advantage.

10. The American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights and its interpretations provide that a person's right to use a library or library materials should not be denied or abridged because of age. Discuss the rationale behind this provision and the factors involved in implementing it.

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