1984 Final Exams Questions

July 16, 1984

1. Michael Gorman has put forth the opinion that a "sleeping beast" of unawakened demand exists among the users and potential users of online library catalogs. In his view, many enhance- ments and improvements need to be made yet in the design and implementation of on-line public access catalogs (OPACs). Discuss the problems associated with OPACs that remain to be addressed and propose some possible solutions.

2. "Perhaps the strongest threat to the concept of copyright is new technology--audiotape and videotape recoeders, photocopying machines, satellite receiving antennas, pay-TV descramblers, and microcomputers. What these technologies have in common is that they all make it very easy to copy a recorded work without the knowledge of the work's owner." (McDonald, ASIS Bulletin, Oct. 1983) Discuss the moral and economic implications of the current debate over copyright and outline some possible solutions to the copyright problem.

3. Information Brokerage, in-depth delivery of information for a fee, has emerged as an alternative approach to reference service in publicly-funded libraries. What are the implications (problems and opportunities) of this service for publicly-funded libraries?

4. Librarians have always been "high culture" advocates. Describe ways in which librarians attempt to implement their high culture advocacy. Then explore the implications of expanding library use by providing materials such as gothic romances and comic books, for example.

5. Many people insist that an antithesis is emerging in librarian- ship relative to the question of intellectual freedom. That is, a conflict now exists between the intellectual freedom advocates who adhere to the Library Bill of Rights, and the advo- cates of "humane censorship" such as the members of the Center for Interracial Books for Children (CIBC). A current illustra- tion of this is provided by the controversy surrounding Jake and Honeybunch Go to Heaven by Margo Zemach. CIBC has characterized the book as blatantly racist. The publisher has charged librarians with censorship because they are not buying the book.

   Assuming that a conflict exists between the Library Bill of Rights and humane censorship: Outline the positions on intellec- tual freedom of the two camps and present your own views on the issue of censorship.

April 16, 1984

1. Some in the profession feel strongly that an important responsibility of information professionals should be to train and/or to educate users, to allow them to get direct access to information themselves. Others, however, argue that the profession should concentnate on providing information and answers for users. What position do you feel the profession should take regarding this issue? Discuss.

2. Providing access to information sources has been a major goal of libraries traditionally through their own collections. What traditional and newer methods are currently being used to extend access to materials beyond the collection of an individual library?

3. The response to the Philadelphia Free Library's Forgiveness Week-- an opportunity to return overdue books without penalty-- was over-whelming. The tremendous success of the project high- lighted again the hotly debated subject of user fees and fines for services and materials provided by publicaly-funded libraries. User fees have many ramifications including public relations, politics, budgeting, equal access to information and competition with commercial information services. Identify the controversies surrounding direct user fees and present your own informed opinions on them.

4. Libraries have frequently been described as "arsenals of a democratic culture." They are hailed as basic sources of information necessary to enlighten citizenship in a democratic society. Studies have found repeatedly that people often do not use libraries as sources of information. 1). Discuss the causes of the lack of use of libraries as information centers; and 2) From the point of view of a library type of your choice, present your views on what libraries might do to stimulate wide use of them as information resources.

5. How has the introduction of new technology (micros, minis, mainframes, etc.) altered the nature of professional library/ information work?