Bruce A. Shuman

This book employs a familiar vehicle in library literature—the case study—but in a departure from the expected, takes that time-honored genre into a new dimension. Shuman uses the conversational narrative as a vehicle for portraying 40 security and safety issues that may arise in libraries, disturbing or vexing patrons and library staff members, alike. Unlike the traditional narrative approach of other case study books, in this work, each case is presented as a soliloquy, within a fictional but plausible library situation, whereby the protagonist uses his or her own colorful mode of expression to describe not only what happened, but the thought processes that went into decisions reached, and how he or she felt about it afterwards. This approach is designed to make reading about library security not just informative but also interesting and fun to read. The case studies are accompanied by discussion questions.

Are libraries destined for extinction as more people turn to the Web for their information needs? Or will the role of libraries expand to bridge the gap between information haves and have-nots? How will censorship issues, information overload, and archiving affect libraries in years to come? The immense changes brought by the Internet pose many questions and dilemmas for today's librarians, challenging many fundamental beliefs and practices. This timely work addresses a number of major critical issues facing libraries and our society. Join author Bruce Shuman to explore the challenges and possible solutions in this lively and thought-provoking discussion. A fascinating read for anyone working in the information industry-from library managers and practitioners to faculty and students of library and information science. It is also of interest to researchers and Internet users.

Novice and advanced online searchers can prepare for cost-effective electronic database searching with this new resource. Starting with approximately 50 typical reference questions, the cases track through the steps and components of successful searches. The process includes conversation and question negotiation, strategy formulation, discussion of alternative approaches, search algorithm, file selection, search results, evaluation, and further steps if necessary. The tone of the work is conversational and advisory, and emphasis is on practical and creative problem solving. A great practice tool for beginners and a valuable supplement to any text (such as Online Retrieval by Walker and Janes-see above) or course in electronic information access.