Foundations Of Library Services

Trained library support staff play a critical role in assisting the user in locating and interpreting the resources available in libraries. To do so requires the knowledge and practice of library missions and roles in different types of libraries and the delivery of that information to an increasingly diverse clientele. The plethora of resources available today requires that support staff understand and implement the basic principles of information services as well as the responsibility and relationships among library departments and functional areas. Foundations of Library Services is both a text for professors who teach in library support staff programs and an introductory reference manual for support staff who work in libraries. As part of the Library Support Staff Series, this updated edition will guide the LSS to be able to: Understand the mission and role of the library in its community Be familiar with the ethics and values of the profession, including those of the Library Bill of Rights, the ALA Code of Ethics, freedom of information, confidentiality of library records and privacy issues Know the responsibility and relationships among library departments Practice the basic principles of circulation, including interlibrary loan; current cataloging and classification systems; and acquisitions and collection development policies. Understand how libraries are governed and funded within their organizations or government structures Realize the value of cooperation to enhance services Practice quality customer service Communicate and promote the library’s values and services Recognize and respond to diversity in user needs

In its newest edition, Foundations of Library and Information Science remains the field's essential resource.

Library Services in Theory and Context provides a theoretical framework for considering the nature of library services. This book is organized into four parts encompassing 16 chapters that focus on the management of library services. The first part presents some basic problems in librarianship, along with the scope and probable nature of appropriate theory. The second part considers the five key aspects and use of library services, including inquiries, retrieval, the process of becoming informed, the demand for library services, and the allocation of resources to and within library services. The third part deals with the connection and extensions of library services, specifically the problem of achieving internal consistency and the generalizability of conceptual framework to information services. The fourth part reconsiders some of the basic conceptual problems in library services. This book will be of great value to school administrators and librarians.

This book is a joy. It is delightful to read authors who so clearly have read widely and who have carefully thought about the impact of other fields' scholarly literature on the practice of librarianship. . . . - Information Processing & Management This work is a general and synthetic study of the Post-Industrial era and its implications for library and information services in the United States. Since Daniel Bell promulgated his post-industrial metaphor in the early 1970s, it has become one of the most dominant metaphors in contemporary America. His ideas on the nature of the era, especially his articulation of what he refers to as the information society, have influenced the ways in which government officials, corporate leaders, and average citizens think about the future of social, political, and economic life in America. This influence has also been felt in the library and information science field. Yet, while there exists a massive critical literature on Bell's metaphor in the social, political and economic literature, librarians have failed to systematically grapple with it. As a result, they appear to be carrying on their own debate about the future in relative isolation from the most significant contributions to this intensely contested idea.

As a comprehensive introduction for LIS students, a primer for experienced librarians with new collection development and management responsibilities, and a handy reference resource for practitioners as they go about their day-to-day work, the value and usefulness of this book remain unequaled.