DOCUMENT RESUME ED 301 227 IR 052 607 TITLE Rethinking the Library in the Information Age. Issues in Library Research: Proposals for the 1990s. Volume II. PUB DATE 88 CONTRACT 300-86-0089 NOTE 226p.; For Volume I, see IR 052 606 - AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. PUB TYPE Collected Works - General (020) -- Viewpoints (120) -- Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Access to Information; Archives; Educational Policy; Essays; Foreign Countries; Government Role; Indexing; Information Retrieval; *Library Education; *Library Research; Library Role; *Library Services; Models; Preservation; Public Service; *Research Needs; Technological Advancement; *User Needs (Information) IDENTIFIERS West Germany ABSTRACT This collection of nine essays is an outgrowth of a study which was conducted by the Office of Library Programs to identify researchable issues that could help librarians fill a position of leadership in the information society. An introduction to the collectioa describes the study and includes a list of the 10 major issues identified by field-nominated experts as being the most important to the profession: (1) information policy issues; (2) education and training of librarians; (3) access to information; (4) archives and preservation; (5) organization, indexing, and retrieving materials; (6) role of the public service librarians;(7) library funding and economics; (8) libraries and education; (9) information users and needs; and (10) library models. It is noted that the essays in this collection were commissioned to explore these topics and were subjected to several stages of review prior to publication. References and/or notes are provided for each paper as well the reviewers' comments and recommendations for additional research issues. Also included is a summary of an international teleconference offered via Worldnet which was held in Washington, D.C., with interactive participants in Cologne, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart, West Germany. A list of participants in the study is attached. (CGD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. Department of Education William J. Bennett Secretary Office of Educational Research and Improvement Chester E. Finn, Jr. Assistant Secretary Library Programs Anne J. Mathews Director Information S -vices Ray Fields Director Prepared for the Office of Library Programs under contract 300-86-0089 with the U.S. Department of Education. Contractors undertaking such projects are encouraged to express freely their professional judgment.This report, therefore, does not nec- essarily represent positions or policies of the Government, and no official endorsement should be inferred. This report is released as received from the contractor. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government hinting Office Washington, D.O. 20402 PREFACE In September 1986, the Office of Library Programs launched the project, "Issues in Library Research:Proposals for the 1990s."The project investigated library and information science issues to assess the current state of the profession and identify a research agenda to lead us into the next decade. The "Information Age" has become accepted nomenclature for describing the increasingly technological nature of our society.As we move toward the third millenium, the pan libraries will play in this age isstill unclear -- many assert they are the institutionto usher society into the Information Age, while others maintain that the library as we know itis headed for obsolescence.Which view will time bear out?Are libraries finding a niche fast enough inthis dynamic environment to secure any role atall, much lessa roleas information leaders? And most importantly,if libraries cannot weather the changes, do thecitizens of this country know what is at stake? This publication represents the thinking of some of the foremost library and information science specialistsin the country. Itis my hope that the research suggested here will take steps toward clarifying what libraries are and what they can become. Chester E. Finn, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Research and Improvement and Counselor to the Secretary For More Information Additional information may be obtained by contacting Library Development Staff Library Programs, OERI U.S. Department of Education 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20208-1430 -iv-- CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 Anne J. Mathews Information Policy Issues: Putting Library Policy in Context 9 Louis Vagianos and Barry Lesser Education and Training of Librarians 43 Robert M. Hayes Education and Training of Librarians 75 Beverly P. Lynch Research Issues in Information Access 93 Pat Molholt Selecting Information of Enduring Value for Preservation 115 Richard J. Cox and Lynn W. Cox Organizing, Indexing, and Retrieving Information 131 Raya Fidel Information Needs: Old Song, New Tune 159 Joan C. Durrance The Role of the Public Services Librarian: Ms New Revolution 179 Brian Nielsen Library Funding and Economics 201 Yale M. Braunstein Libraries in the 1990s: The German Perspective 215 List of Participants 219 INTRODUCTION This collection of essays addresses the future of libraries:how they fit into our "information society," how they must adapt to social and technological change in order to play a meaningful role in that society, which elements of their tradi- tional roles must be preserved and which abandoned, and h'w the education and training of library p.ofessionals must be restructured to create both practitioners and researchers who can shape the future of librarianship. These published essays are an outgrowth of a study conducted by the Office of Library Programs.The study was designed to identify researchable issues that could help librariesfilla position of leadership in the information society. As part of the study, a series of four meetings was held during 1986-87, at which field-nominated expertsidentifiedissuesthey considered most important tothe profession. From transcripts of the four meetings, alistof major issues was generated. They included: Policy issues:federal, state, and local roles and responsibilities Education and training of librarians Access to information Archives and preservation Organizing, indexing, and retrieving materials Role of the public services librarian Library funding and economics Libraries and education Information users and needs Library models. A series of papers was commissioned to explore these topics.Each author, selected by his or her peers, outlined the general approach that would be taken in the paper, and then met with me to flesh out the proposal.No specific guidance was imposed by my office, nor was any form or specific point of view advocated. Each essay reflects the thinking of its author or authors, free of editorial influence concerning content of the paper or the overall collection. At first draft stage, each paper was reviewed by three subject experts, and the authors were given the opportunity toincorporate suggested changes.Each final paper was again reviewed by three specialists on the topic, with an eye toward identifying additional areas of investigation.An unusual feature of the book is theinclusionofthereviewers' comments and recommendationsforadditional research issues following each of the essays in the collection. Another phase of the 18-month study involved a cooperative effort between the Office of Library Programs and World Net/USIA.Together, we began to host international teleconferences linking us to U.S. embassy posts in Europe and Latin America fordiscussionofissuesidentifiedinour fourmeetings. Thefirst teleconference was held on November 4, 1987, with three German posts:Frankfurt, Stuttgar,, and Cologne.Participants from the United States were Robert M. Hayes (Dean of the UCLA School of Library and Information Science) and Sharon Rogers (University Librarian, George Washington University).There were seven German participants,and theteleconference was heardby 400 peopleatvariousposts ,M. Issues in Library Research: Proposals for the 1990s throughout Europe. A second teleconference took place on May 17, 1988with U.S. posts in Tel Aviv, The Hague, London, and Cologne.The subject was CD-ROMs. Several other countries have also requested their own interactive teleconferences, and planning for these is now in progress. The results of our study will be summarized in the following publications: eThis collection of essays, enriched by reviewers' suggestions of additional research topics, plus a summary of issues raised during the international teleconferences; and A statement of problem areasthatare candidatesforfuture research, based on the ten major issues identified during our four meetings The essays in the present collection should not be viewed as sequential chap- tersin a book. Each stands aloneasa statement regarding a particularissue facing librar;esin the 1990s.The issues identified are not exclusively "library problems."They are problems facing educators, government leaders at every level, and the citizens who use library services.The content is of great interest and concern fo any library professional, but should be equally informativetothose concerned with such basic social issues asliteracy, effective and appropriate use of public resources, accessibility of information to all segments of society,preserva-