What are Libraries and Librarians?
- 1. What are Libraries and Librarians? Bookwards and Bookwardens—or what? LIB 600 Libraries and Education Spring 2015
- 2. 2 What is a Library?
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- 6. 6 An Aussie take on this!
- 7. 7 Library, as defined by librarians library – From the Latin liber, meaning “book.” In Greek and the Romance languages, the corresponding term is bibliotheca. A collection or group of collections of books and/or other print or nonprint materials organized and maintained for use (reading, consultation, study, research, etc.). Institutional libraries, organized to facilitate access by a specific clientele, are staffed by librarians and other personnel trained to provide services to meet user needs. By extension, the room, building, or facility that houses such a collection, usually but not necessarily built for that purpose.
- 8. 8 OK—so what is a librarian?
- 10. 10 The librarian definition? librarian – A professionally trained person responsible for the care of a library and its contents, including the selection, processing, and organization of materials and the delivery of information, instruction, and loan services to meet the needs of its users (to see examples, try a keyword search on the term in Google Images). In the online environment, the role of the librarian is to manage and mediate access to information that may exist only in electronic form.
- 11. 11 Wait, there’s more! librarian – In the United States, the title is reserved for persons who have been awarded the M.L.S. or M.L.I.S. degree, or certified as professionals by a state agency. Also refers to the person responsible for the overall administration of a library or library system, synonymous in this sense with library director. Classified by functional specialization (acquisitions librarian, cataloger, instruction librarian, reference librarian, serials librarian, systems librarian, etc.), librarians in the United States are organized in the American Library Association (ALA) and its affiliates and the Special Libraries Association (SLA). Compare with support staff.
- 12. 12 What does this mean? 1. The definition attempts to define limits for the title by designating an academic qualification (it is “reserved for persons who have been awarded the M.L.S. or M.L.I.S. degree, or certified as professionals by a state agency.”). It also notes that this is a “professionally trained person.” 2. At the same time, the definition implies that there is great variation in how it’s applied, from “mere” professionals to administrators, to the Librarian of Congress.
- 13. 13 Other attempts to define “librarian” http://outofthejungle.blogspot.com/2006/ 08/what-is-librarian-defining- profession.html
- 14. 14 See also (a cataloger’s phrase! ) http://www.slideshare.net/wball/what-is-a-librarian-by-sheila-cannell