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This article seeks to promote a critical perspective on the present conceptualization of library management and the problems posed by technology. More specifically, it addresses the challenges faced by library administrators in relation to computing technologies. Through the adoption of Ursula Franklin's view of technology as “practice”, the article contrasts the practice of holistic and prescriptive technologies in library contexts. It also addresses the transformations of librarianship and the increasing adoption of prescriptive technological models. To exemplify the ongoing destruction of traditional librarianship, the three practices that comprise the fundamentals of librarianship are analyzed, namely, cataloging, collection development, and reference work.

This paper seeks to re‐establish memory's role within reference librarianship, and to argue that continued research on how memory affects the reference librarian can encourage growth within the profession.

Neuroscience and psychological explanations of memory are introduced and then utilized to show how reference librarians access and impress memory. Perspectives on reference librarianship in relation to memory, service, education, and knowledge management are also presented and scrutinized.

Memory is an integral part of librarianship, yet often overlooked. Memory is also a complex tool which comprising overlapping systems. Owing to the nature of these systems, it is sometimes difficult to decipher when one system is being utilized and another is not.

Memory is not tangible, though neuroscience has been able to map out some processes. Because of memory's elusive quality, the paper relies heavily on present biological and psychological theories. There is a need to assess memory practices further in the realm of librarianship and to determine more ways in which memory can contribute to the enhancement of library services.

The paper provides insight for the role of memory within reference librarianship, and suggests a structural basis to analyze librarian service through memory systems.

Utilizing both psychological views and biological constructs of memory, the author systematically incorporates these ideas into roles which are beneficial to the development of the reference librarian and enhancement of reference services.

This paper presents a novel approach to associating patron interactions with specific student learning objectives (SLOs) incorporated into reference transactions in an environment where learning, as opposed to usage or user satisfaction data, is considered a benchmark of success.

As part of the routine process of recording reference transactions into a tracking database, reference librarians associated each of their patron interactions with library programmatic SLOs they perceived addressed through the teaching they incorporated into the interaction. Reporting functions of the transaction database software were utilized to uncover notable patterns of teaching.

The most and least addressed programmatic SLOs were identified. The distribution pattern of SLOs addressed was found to be consistent over time. A correlation was found between the length of interactions and which SLOs were addressed in the interaction. Citation assistance was found to be often incorporated into complex research questions. SLOs addressed varied slightly by day of the week. The distribution patterns of SLOs addressed were found to vary greatly by the librarian.

It is difficult to verify the quality of tagging data. Strategies for addressing such concerns include ensuring participating librarians agree on the importance of creating reliable data and ensuring they have solid and similar understandings of the program's SLOs.

This project demonstrates that actionable findings can be derived from tracking the specific programmatic SLOs being addressed in reference interactions. Formal assessment projects and other targeted efforts to improve learning in reference interactions in response to such findings are suggested as positive contributions to the overall reorientation of academic libraries toward measuring successful librarianship in terms of student learning.

It all began a very long time ago, sometime before 1876, that annus mirabilis of librarianship during which the American Library Association was founded, Library Journal debuted, and Samuel Green published in its pages the first article about reference librarianship. And it continues today. In April 1994, an unidentified library school student from the State University of New York at Buffalo queried the participants of the LIBREFL listserv, asking them, “Can you give a summary of the ‘hot’ library reference issues of the week? I'm working on a project for my Reference course, and would like to find out what is REALLY vital to refernce (sic) librarians out there today.” I was tempted to reply that all of that week's “hot” issues were identified in Green's 1876 article. In that article describing the phenomenon we today call reference service, Green touched on issues such as the librarian's obligation to provide information without injecting personal values, the inability of any librarian to know everything, the need sometimes to refer a patron to another information agency, SDI services, the value of proactive rather than passive service, the challenges of the reference interview, and, of course, what has come to be called the “information versus instruction debate.”

To explore the feasibility of utilizing the Bar-On mixed model of emotional–social intelligence as a framework for the competencies and traits needed for reference and information services librarians. Through a survey of the literature, the author created a baseline list of competencies, which was compared and contrasted with the abilities, traits, and competencies that comprise the Bar-On model of emotional–social intelligence. The author conducted a pilot study with a small group (n = 10) of reference and user services librarians who took the EQ-i 2.0. The competencies and traits of reference and user services librarians identified in the literature compare favorably with those measured by the EQ-i 2.0. Overall, a majority of the participants (70%) obtained a total score on the EQ-i 2.0 in the mid or high range. Composite scales with the highest overall mean scores were decision-making and self-perception. Subscales with the highest scores included the following: impulse control, self-actualization, social responsibility, problem solving, and reality testing. As a pilot study, it was conducted using a small population of academic reference and user services librarians. Further research should be conducted utilizing a larger population of reference and user services librarians or librarians who have been recognized as exemplary in reference librarianship. The findings of this study could assist pre-service and in-service reference and user services librarians in further developing their emotional–social intelligence competencies and abilities by identifying areas where improvements could occur.

This study aims to examine the state of embedded librarianship in African academic libraries by exploring the extent of librarian embedment in research processes in selected academic libraries in Africa.

A survey was conducted to collect data using an online questionnaire. The study population was comprised of librarians who directly support researchers throughout the research process in the scholarly communication and information services sections. Purposive sampling was used to select librarians, and 63 responses were received from the target of 100. The collected data were analysed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software, and content analysis was used to analyse open-ended questions.

The study results showed that the extent and nature of librarians' embeddedness in the research process vary across different university contexts in Africa. Challenges and areas of research skill gaps among librarians were identified, and propositions to address the research skill gaps were provided.

The study findings can be used as a framework for libraries to embed librarians in the research process. The study made recommendations with practical implications for library practitioners in academia, and institutions offering library and information science education, and the library management responsible for the research process.

A study brings a novel perspective by examining the state of embedded librarianship in the African context. Its contribution generates knowledge and insights that inform the development of effective embedded librarianship practices in African academic libraries to enhance research support services and advancement of scholarly research in the region.

The evolution of technology in libraries is causing more technically oriented professionals to join the library profession. Having an electronic services librarian has become a hallmark of the electronic age. Many imaginative but similar job titles appear in library employment advertisements: “Network Services Librarian,” “Reference and Electronic Information Services Librarian,” “Electronic Information and Multimedia Librarian,” “Information Integrator.” Why is this new field in librarianship so popular? What are the requirements to be an “electronic services librarian?” What will their future be like? Is this new professional the answer to all new library technology developments? This article examines these questions and explores the problems in this emerging position by analyzing the experience of one academic library.

Academic libraries are experiencing numerous changes in their services due to high demands for digital resources and changes in users’ information needs and expectations. Many academic library users give preferences to Google, Google Scholar and other search engines on the internet when they search for information. As reference transactions are decreasing in many academic institutions, this paper aims to investigate the continuing need for mediated reference services in the technology-driven environment in academic libraries.

The authors have conducted a literature review to document and analyze the current trends in reference services in academic libraries. They have examined the relevant published literature through a series of reflective questions to determine whether the demise of mediated reference services is imminent in academic libraries. While this literature review is by no means an exhaustive one, the authors have provided a fairly comprehensive representation of articles to synthesize an overview of the history, evolution, and current trends of reference services in academic libraries.

This paper clearly demonstrates the importance of human-mediated reference services in academic libraries. It reinforces the need for skilled, knowledgeable professional librarians to provide effective and efficient reference services in a digital environment.

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of current trends in reference services in academic libraries and analyzes the merits and demerits of these trends to establish the need for mediated reference services in academic libraries. The arguments used in this paper will be useful for library and informational professionals as validation for the need to hire skilled, knowledgeable reference librarians to provide reference services in a digital environment.

This paper critically looks at the current trends and practices in reference services through the published literature to determine the future need for mediated reference services in academic libraries. It offers important insights to demonstrate why professional librarians’ skills, knowledge and expertise are essential to provide efficient reference services in the digital age.

IN DECEMBER 1969, I reviewed for the Library world the library literature of the 1960s'. I remember hoping, when I wrote that I might have the chance to perform a similar office for the library literature of the 1970s. The opportunity has come. But note: I have not used it to nominate the best publications of the decade. I would certainly like to think that I knew the best, and therefore also the worst, when I saw them, but after a swift reconnaissance of the decade's offerings I was appalled at what I had missed. There was a time when I could recite the names of every British librarian who had published at least one book on librarianship, and a fair number of American librarians besides. Who could do it now? Who would want to?

The book is a mighty instrument for communication, labor, struggle. It arms a person with life experiences and the toils of humanity. It expands his horizons and gives him knowledge to tame the forces of nature.N.K. Krupskaya, wife of V.I. Lenin

This chapter examines historical developments and current trends in Ukrainian library education, based on a review of the Ukrainian literature, a survey of Library and Information (LIS) curricula, and conversations with senior figures in Ukrainian LIS education. Ukraine became an independent state only in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Prior to independence, Ukraine's LIS education was integrated within the Soviet system. After independence the system evolved slowly, but with the recent Orange Revolution, reform efforts have increased apace. Ukrainian LIS education remains more vocational than in the United States, with a two-year nondegree certificate as the most common training, and a four-year bachelor's degree offered by elite institutions. One emerging trend in LIS education there stresses the new opportunities for librarians and information professionals because of Internet technologies. Another trend is part of a more general shift, inspired by a new Ukrainian higher education law, stressing the country's independent culture and formalizing standards for different degrees. Although Ukrainian LIS leaders advocate adoption of open access mechanisms, customer friendly practices, and electronic resources, my own experiences as a library user suggest that Soviet-era habits continue to shape library practices. LIS education has now reached a turning point as reformers grapple with the limited resources, the power of inertia, and remnants of Soviet culture in their efforts to meet current challenges and prepare a new generation of information professionals.