Library and Information Science: The fight continues; Library Journal, October 23, 2024

  J.B. Levine, Library Journal; Library and Information Science: The fight continues

"Keeping up with the constantly changing technological and information landscape has presented a major challenge to the field of library science. But the ongoing fight for intellectual freedom presents an even bigger challenge—and a more insidious one, that goes to the very heart of librarianship and its enduring values.

“We are in the midst of an unprecedented, well-funded, and well-organized attack on intellectual freedom,” says Don Hamerly, professor and director, Dominican University School of Information Studies (SOIS). “The fundamental core values, ethics, and competencies that MLIS programs teach have not changed, but the world of information changes in dramatic and unpredictable ways that challenge the ability of librarians and other information professionals to exercise professionally what they learn in their graduate programs.”

The role of libraries—and librarians—is transforming. Since their extended societal role in their communities during the pandemic, librarians have been at the forefront of the “culture wars,” helping patrons learn how to access information they can trust, mentoring and helping them improve their digital and information literacy skills, and advocating for informational and intellectual freedom.

As the information landscape continues to evolve, the programs that are training library professionals must as well. “MLIS programs must prepare our future LIS professionals for this period of rapid change by grounding them in the core democratic values of the field and empowering them with robust and agile skills to meet the broader array of community and individual demands,“ says Anthony Chow, PhD, Director and Full Professor, San Jose State University School of Information.

Here are some of the leading library and information science (MLIS) master’s degree programs that are stepping up to meet these challenges."

ALA Full Membership to Vote on Executive Director Qualifications; Library Journal, January 25, 2018

Lisa Peet, Library Journal; ALA Full Membership to Vote on Executive Director Qualifications

"When Keith Michael Fiels, the former executive director (ED) of the American Library Association (ALA), announced in September 2016 that he would retire the following July, ALA leadership began considering its requirements for the role. As ALA convened a search committee and engaged a search firm to find the next ED, the question arose as to whether potential candidates should be required to hold an MLIS—or the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)/school librarian equivalent—or whether the degree should be merely preferred."

Where Are the United States Attorneys?; New York Times, June 6, 2017

Editorial Board, New York Times; 

Where Are the United States Attorneys?

"Three months after President Trump abruptly fired half of the nation’s 93 United States attorneys, following the resignations of the other half, he has yet to replace a single one.

It’s bizarre — and revealing — that a man who called himself the “law and order candidate” during the 2016 campaign and spoke of “lawless chaos” in his address to Congress would permit such a leadership vacuum at federal prosecutors’ offices around the country. United States attorneys are responsible for prosecuting terrorism offenses, serious financial fraud, public corruption, crimes related to gang activity, drug trafficking and all other federal crimes.

As is usually the case when confronted with his own incompetence, Mr. Trump has spent his time looking for somebody else to blame...

There are two other obvious, and perhaps simpler, explanations, and both may be correct. Mr. Trump does not actually believe in or care about his campaign claim of “lawless chaos” in our streets. And Mr. Trump is not a good manager — not of his businesses, certainly, and not of the vastly larger, more complex organization he now runs, the one that matters to the well-being of every American."

Losing a Fortune Often Comes Down to One Thing: Family; Scott James, February 19, 2017

Scott James, New York Times; 

Losing a Fortune Often Comes Down to One Thing: Family

"Heirs are not automatically qualified, competent or visionary leaders, Dr. McGerr said, and when power is passed solely from fathers to sons, those who might better manage an empire — like women family members or outsiders — are excluded.

While Ms. Stroh was being taught how to avoid being kidnapped, the men in her generation were being groomed to lead the company. “It would have been discouraged if a girl in the family had shown some ambition for a role like that,” she said.

Today, Ms. Stroh is a successful businesswoman. Now 50, she lives in San Francisco, and took a relatively modest inheritance of about $200,000 in stocks from her mother and made savvy investments in tech companies and real estate. As a small-time developer and landlord, she is able to live independently in one of the nation’s most expensive cities."