1990 Final Exams Questions
November 16, 1990
- Explain the distinction between controlled vocabulary and
natural language as means for providing access to information.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? What effects
has technology had upon the use and effectiveness of controlled
vocabulary and natural language?
- The President of the American Library Association recently
issued a call for a "renewed campaign to establish library and
information science as America's most respected profession." She
went on to insist that what was needed was renewed attention to our knowledge base, our professional organizations, and our
commitment to service to all on an equal basis." Present your
views on the way in which professions gain professional power in
American, and describe the steps you feel librarians would have
to take in order to achieve full professional status.
- Staff evaluation is, perhaps, the most common kind of
evaluation occurring in libraries at this time. What is the
purpose of staff evaluation? Describe how staff evaluation is
typically accomplished in libraries and discuss some of the
strengths and weaknesses of such evaluations.
- From the perspective cf a library of your choice (i.e.,
academic, public, special, school media library, etc.) describe
what a patron is likely to find when he/she walks into a library
twenty years from now. Give special attention tlo how the patron
will access information sources which he/she needs to satisity
personal information needs and the kinds of services which such
libraries are likely to provide their clients.
- In preparation for the 1991 While House Conference an Library
and Information Services, each state is identifying major issues
and preparing recommendations for "improvements in library and
information services for all citizens in this information age."
Assume that you are responsible for preparing the recommendations
from Kentucky (or Ohio if you wish). Briefly define four
important statewide issues you would consider, and discuss your
specific recommendations regarding each'of the issues you have
selected.
July 13, 1990
- Most management experts agree that organizations (including
libraries) must have clearly defined goals and objectives if they
expect to satisfy the needs of their clients or patrons. Discuss
the general value of goals and objectives to an organization, and
describe how well defined goals and objectives can contribute
(i.e., how they are used) to the effective management of
libraries.
- Describe several major developments in computer and other
forms of information technology, over the last decade, and
discuss how they are likely to influence the nature of libraries
and their services during the 1990's.
- Critics of the library profession have noted that while
librarians constantly talk about cooperation they rarely engage
in any largle scale cooperative projects--especially when it comes
to collection develooment. Assuming that there is some truth to
this claim, explain why American libraries have made relatively
little progress when it comes to cooperative collection
development. Can you offer any reasons for believing that the
level of cooperative collection development among American
libraries may change over the next decade? Discuss.
- Most libraries, and other types of information organizations,
are very much concerned with satisfying the information needs of
their clients or patrons. What kinds of things should an
information professional (e.g., a refererce librarian, etc.) know
about the client. and his/her information need, in order to
develop an effective search strategy for satisfying a client's
information need? Discuss.
- Two years ago a hypothetical library introduced a new Health
Information Service which was designed to provide the Library's
clients (non-specialist/gereral public) with access to general
health care information which was accurate, up-to-date and
understandable. The library now wants to evaluate the service to
determire its future. As a knowledgeable infrmation
professional, what basic elements/steps should the library
include in the evaluation? Who should be involved in developing
and implementing the evaluation? What evaluative criteria would
you recommend be considered for use in the evaluation.
Discuss.
April 13, 1990
- Controlling an organization, or an organizatiorial unit such
as a department, is commonly considered a basic responsibility of a manager or administrator. What, is meant by the concept of control in the management sense? Discuss how control is achieved in libraries,and how it relates to the management function of planning.
- It is difficult to consider the subject of information
storage and retrieval without recognizing the recent introduction of CD-ROM mediated information retrieval systems to the library eivironment. How has CD-ROM technology changed the library community's basic approach to delivering computer based information retrieval services. Discusd some of the major advantages and disadvantages of CD-ROM mediated systems from the perspective of libraries.
- Librarians who work directly with the library's clients
(i.e., public services librarians) are frequently described as information providers, mediators, and/or teachers. Describe what is meant by each concept, and from the perspective of a type of library (e.g., public, academic, special, school media center) discuss how each of these roles is likely to develop or e\volve over the next decade.
- A recent Study by the National Endowment for the Arts found that while 56 percent of American adults read at least one piece of literature a year, only 10-25 percent read "quality" literature. The study also found that American adults spend four times as much leisure time watching television or listening to the radio as they do reading. Discuss the extent to which you consider this state-of-affairs a significant problem to society at large? To libraries? In your view, how should libraries respond to this situation? Discuss.
- There has been considerable debate in the library community
regarding the value of a professional education in library and information science as a condition for employment as a professional in libraries. Describe the arguments most commonly offered by each side of this debate, and from the perspective of a type of library (e.g., public, academic, special, school media center) discuss your personal views regarding this subject.
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