Cataloging conventional and digital objects: new tools with old names or old names to new tools?

Information concerning the creation of tools and bibliographic description standards of library material are referred. Detailed reference to their development and adjustment to the data created so as to reflect the new conditions and needs, the way these are formed in the contemporary environment, is made. We present the efforts made by the bibliographic agencies to develop new and to improve the traditional/conventional tools for the description of the conventional documents as well as the electronic resources available in the World Wide Web

Skills developed through library and information science education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report a study designed to identify qualifications and skills that library and information science (LIS) students should have when they graduate. Design/methodology/approach – The reported research examines the curriculum of 49 institutions in three countries which offer programs in LIS. Course descriptions are studied through the web and the module specifications presented there. Findings – The study identifies 59 qualifications/skills that were central to graduation in the field of LIS. Research limitations/implications – Course specifications have some limitations as they do not always include the detailed description that would be desirable. Originality/value – The paper examines the orientation of institutions that provide LIS programs and, more importantly, the way that orientation is integrated into their programs of study

Librarians' skills and qualifications in a modern informational environment

Purpose – The aim of the research is to investigate the qualifications and the skills of the librarian's profession as they are impressed through the job ads. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 200 job advertisements were studied from the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA in 2006 and 2007. The data were derived from known web sites. Findings – Overall, 38 skills and qualifications were identified through the job ads. Their percentage of appearance was recorded and this constitutes the basic element for the final findings of this research. Research limitations/implications – The research restricted in ads emanated from developed countries' web sites. This methodology records the ideal model of a librarian. Originality/value – The research, like others, confirms the meaning of the traditional library science in the modern informational environment