Some job descriptions of academic librarians, tenure track or otherwise, will emphasize publication, while in others, it is essentially an irrelevant factor. Some librarians have a combination of education and experience, however, that permits them to undertake research and writing in scholarly fields other than librarianship. In some ways,…

A very high proportion of librarians are neither required to publish nor rewarded if they do. The would-be librarian/writer would be well advised to take a brief self-examination before developing a research and publication plan. The author provides a list of questions to consider and also suggests consultation with a colleague with greater…

There is a growing literature on the disappearance of the traditional model of higher education. Fewer courses are taught now than was the case just a few years ago by a full-time, permanent instructor in a single location, to students that the instructor has actually met in person. Another very real threat to the range of education is the growing…

Few academic librarians ten or fifteen years ago would have believed that those days of flat-lined budgets and miniscule raises could ever seem a golden (or at least silver) age by comparison. It turns out that there is something even worse than uncertainty, however--the absolute certainty of budgetary constriction and unwise decisions.…

Some librarians are required to publish a certain amount as part of earning tenure. Some choose to do research and write articles as a form of self-expression, because of intellectual curiosity, or perhaps to justify bearing faculty status. For whatever reason(s) librarians might want (or need) to see their own work in print, this article offers…

In this article, the author addresses a problem that plagues virtually all academics, as well as most people in business, K-12 education, and many other walks of life. At one time or another most members of post-millennial western society have suffered through that most hideous of well-intentioned experiences, the botched PowerPoint presentation.…

This article categorizes and discusses the kinds of cataclysmic events that threaten the human race and the natural world. A useful set of definitions is provided, and an annotated bibliography of a representative assortment of reference books and monographs.

Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) was an efficiency expert whose concerns were less about avoiding worker fatigue and more about increasing profit margins by any means necessary. Taylor was devoted to finding the One Best Way to carry out a task and then training workers to do that task unvaryingly; attempts by employees to improve their own…

This article describes and discusses some of the chief resources in the study of post-World War II mainstream popular music. In addition to indicating major areas of research, it can serve as a guide to collection development in the discipline.

Many community colleges are located near rural areas where significant folkloric research could be done. Community college librarians may be pleasantly surprised to find many of the standard folkloric resources on their reference shelves. In addition, folklorists may be professors of English, anthropology, history, sociology, art, or music, who…

Situations arise almost every day of a reference librarian's working life in which a student (or a professor, a colleague, or a person off the street) asks a straightforward question that the librarian recognizes in a specific way. On the other hand, there are specific questions that come up fairly often and routinely lead to further queries. What…

Over the past few years a troubling pattern has emerged, one that might be termed the trivialization of the Master of Library Science (MLS). As a result of several factors, not least the closing of library schools, low rates of pay for librarians, and high costs of living in many parts of the country, some college libraries have found it difficult…

This paper discusses the advantages of a film library as compared with other possible methods of providing films to academic programs and individual viewers, and provides information about creating, maintaining, and evaluating such a collection. Many recurrent problems and their solutions are briefly described.

This article discusses the sad state of affairs in academic recruitment and retention--of library upper management. Anyone who has taken part in searches for library directors or deans knows frustration first-hand. At times there may be more open leadership positions around the country than there are applicants for them (any applicants whatsoever,…

People use the words "profession" and "professional" in a multitude of ways. This article provides an extensive discussion about the idea of "profession." The author discusses how librarianship stacks up against the established professions and explores whether librarianship is considered as a profession. The author argues that librarianship is not…