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In cooperation with the Danish Union of Librarians in 2001 a comprehensive survey of Danish library directors was conducted. There is a growing societal concern about management and leadership qualities and it is evident that leadership attributes are becoming increasingly important in the information sector. The survey focuses on a whole array of topics connected with leadership qualities and perceptions of different future challenges. In this paper the focus is on job satisfaction among library directors. Job satisfaction is a central topic for motivational theories and some of the more major of these are evaluated in relation to our findings. The analysis correlates job satisfaction with a number of both extrinsic and intrinsic factors and the existence of major differences between these factors and levels of job satisfaction among the library directors is found. Some of these factors appear to be connected with the level of activity in the library. The context of the paper is the problems of recruiting the right kind of staff. Included in the context is the need to create attractive workplaces.

Teaching some kind of research methodology takes place in nearly all departments of library and information studies. Often the units or courses do not embrace more than the simplest introduction to statistics. Teaching methods differ quite a lot and it is not unusual for a person to obtain a degree without the slightest knowledge about numbers and their properties. Describes how statistics can be used in practical situations in all types of library activities.

Presents some of the main results from a comprehensive survey among Danish librarians and their activities within, and attitudes towards, the Danish Union of Librarians. Analysis of librarians’ responses to the survey indicates that both occupational setting and age play a significant role in forming attitudes among members. The age structure appears to have the greatest significance. The employment of different statistical tools, like factor and cluster analysis, make it possible to classify librarians as either sceptical or loyal in relation to their union. The two groups differ with regard to activities, age, employment, and general professional orientation. The groups also differ in relation to how they perceive their union ought to prioritise its services. The future for all the Danish unions probably depends on how successful they are in creating loyalty and satisfaction among members. This task seems to be difficult because the members differ much in relation to an individualistic and a communalistic view of the profession in society.

Gives an informed account of the authors’ experiences with different Tempus/Phare projects in East European countries. The paper is not therefore a scientific piece of research but a reflection of experiences in dealing with colleagues from Hungary and Lithuania. Emphasises the benefits that Western institutions can obtain from participating in these types of projects and co‐operation. Also points out some of the difficulties. Gives an account of experiences with the East European Library scene and tries to underline the differences and dissimilarities. Overall, the paper is about the joys and the frustrations of international co‐operation.

A heated debate concerning filters in public libraries has been on the agenda in Denmark in early Spring 2001. This debate was the background for a small investigation into how libraries cope with misuse of Internet access in the public library system. The results from the small scale investigation are presented. The investigation forms the basis for a discussion about filters, use and misuse of Internet access.

This paper explores how the relationship between freedom of access to information and freedom of expression is expressed across the international library community. Specifically, it analyses this relationship in the setting of Internet access in libraries where the Internet has been seen as a tool for fostering democracy and furthering social inclusion. Using preliminary analysis of data collected from a global survey of Internet access issues within the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) member countries (2003), and by comparing this data with a survey of European library institutions carried out in 2002, the paper shows the extent to which libraries – from the point of view of national associations and national libraries – are able to use the Internet to promote freedom of access to information and freedom of expression despite the existence of barriers to this task.

Presents some of the main results from a comprehensive survey conducted in 2001 into leadership and management in Danish libraries. The survey focused on leadership roles, perception of future challenges, perception of educational needs and the employment of different leadership tools. The main theme for the paper is an analysis of the data in relation to new public management and value‐based management. The paper starts with a theoretical framework that emphasises the powers that create a certain sort of cross‐pressure. The broad concepts of new public management and value‐based management are outlined. The paper analyses the leaders’ knowledge of leadership tools, classified according to their place in either new public management or value‐based management. The paper also analyses the perception of future leadership roles. It was found that library leaders tend to perceive future roles as being greatly oriented towards people and towards values and see themselves as a kind of catalyst for change.

The purpose of the paper is to explore changes in Danish public library managers’ perception of the environment, their own knowledge about management methodologies and tools and their perceived need for further education.

The exploration of the changing attitudes and perceptions is based on two comprehensive and comparable surveys conducted in 2001 and 2004. The frame of reference is the very distinctive changes in the public library system due to a very innovative employment of the technology and the turbulent political and economic environment resulting from plans of merging the municipalities and counties into fewer units. Another important element in the context is the comprehensive effort to develop leadership capabilities in the library sector.

The paper finds some very distinctive changes in managers’ outlook and attitudes. The most important is probably the discovery of a more conscious and professional position in relation to the leadership role. The turbulent environment with the coming merging of municipalities creates some job insecurity but it does not tend to decrease the job satisfaction. The managers have undergone a process of professionalisation in relation to their job. A higher degree of professionalisation correlates with mental attitudes to the job, self‐esteem in relation to managerial tools and approaches and confidence in relation to the stakeholders. This process of professionalisation is tied to the comprehensive educational programmes run for managers in the library sector.

Of use to public library managers everywhere who have an interest in management methodologies and tools.

This paper is concerned with dimensions of quality assurance in learning. It focuses on three questions. The first concerns students’ performance in formal exams. The second question focuses on factors that influence student evaluation of teaching and the third is about the possible correlation or co‐variation between the marking of students at formal examinations and students’ perception of their profit in relation to the unit. The data consists of two sets. One is a comprehensive file of approximately 10,000 formal exams. The other set of data consists of approximately 4,000 SET evaluation forms. The marking of students at formal examinations is investigated in relation to factors such as the type of examination, the level of examination and teachers’ and external examiners’ marking patterns. The SET results are analysed in relation to factors such as the gender and experience of the teacher, the students’ efforts and workload and other educational variables. The paper also compares SET results with performance at formal exams and finds that a linear correlation does not exist.