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An Leabharlann The Irish Library

Second Series, Volume 12, 1995/96

Volume 12, Number 4

Art Exhibition Catalogues: A Resource for Art Documentation
Olivia Fitzpatrick
The collection and recording of art exhibition catalogues is a topic which has interested many beyond the specialist field of art librarianship. This paper surveys the topic and details latest practice. (pp.117-120)

Impressions of Library Services in King County, Washington
Deirdre Ní Raghallaigh
This paper describes a three month job exchange in an American public library system. It focuses attention on matters of funding, staffing, customer care and reference services. (pp.123-128)

Crossroads? A Symposium on the Future of Public Libraries in Northern Ireland
Liam Parker, Gerry Burns, Kirby Porter, Anne Peoples, Beth Porter
The announcement in June from the Department of Education, Northern Ireland, that the present five Education and Library Boards are to be replaced by three ushers in, whether or not the final legislation assumes this exact form, a period of uncertainty and change in a public library status quo which has held since the setting up of the Boards in 1974. Whether this change is seized as an opportunity or endured as a threat will depend, to a considerable extent, on the response from the library community. Here, five leading practitioners give their views of the present situation and express their hopes for the future. (pp.129-144)

Reviews:

William J. Martin The Global Information Society (Ian Cornelius);

Hans Prin & William de Gier The Image of the Library and Information Profession (Agnes Neligan);

William Nolan, Liam Ronayne & Mairead Dunlevy (Editors) Donegal History and Society (Nodlaig Hardiman);

Jennifer MacDougall Information for Health (Margaret Haines).

Volume 12, Numbers 2 & 3

Ireland and the Information Age
Ruairí Quinn
This paper describes recent developments in the emergence of the "Information Age", internationally and locally. It identifies national issues and suggests some strategies for their address. (pp.57-60)

Issues for Government Libraries
Monica Wallace
A Civil Service-wide Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) has been the vehicle for change and reform in government departments, driven by a percieved need for more effectiveness and openess in the public service in general. The SMI's demand for more efficient use of resources is exacting for government libraries, a service area which is simultaneously challenged by the "Information Revolution". In the Department of Transport, Energy & Communications, the SMI process has highlighted potential enhancements to the information service available to staff and the public, and a new library system has been proposed in order to meet the challenges of the current environment. This paper outlines that proposed library system in relation to current issues for government libraries in general, and concludes that these demands may indeed offer opportunities for revitalising many of our government libraries. (pp.61-65)

A Few Thoughts on Effectiveness
Jeffrey Glenn
Attempts to create a quasi-commercial culture in public library services are misguided and futile, yet they alienate staff and undermine basic effectiveness. This paper proposes an exercise which library organisations can use to check if they are being strangled by bureaucracy!! (pp.67-72)

Information and the Voluntary Sector
Prionsias de Rossa
This paper describes a case for provision of an independent community information service in the Republic of Ireland. It identifies necessary supports, including the role of the National Social Services Board (NSSB)and suggests useful relationships between the voluntary sector and the State. (pp.73-75)

School Library Services: Policy Statement
Library Association of Ireland
This policy statement was adopted by the Library Association of Ireland at its Annual General Meeting, March 1996. (p.77)

Reviews:

Diarmuid Breathnach & Máire Ní Mhurchú Beatháisnéis a ceathair: 1882 - 1982 (Etaín Ó Síocháin).

General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland Turning over a New Leaf: The Public Library Service; A Report (Anne Peoples).

Mary Liu Kao Cataloguing and Classification for Library Technicians (Andrew J. Richardson).

Noel Kissane The Irish Famine: A Documentary History (Clara Cullen).

Agnes Neligan (Ed.) Maynooth Library Treasures: From the Collections of Saint Patrick's College (Maire Kennedy).

Kate McAllister (Ed.) Irish Periodicals First Published Before 1901: A Union List of Northern Ireland Holdings (Vincent Kinane).

Raymond Refausse (Ed.) A Library on the Move: Twenty Five Years of the Representative Church Body Library in Churchtown (Agnes Neligan).

Library and Information Services Council, Northern Ireland Libraries in Primary Schools: Guidelines for Good Practice / Libraries in Post-Primary Schools: Guidelines for Good Practice (Marjorie Sliney).

Volume 12, Number 1

Getting It on Paper: A Policy for Library Services to Children
Laura Plummer
A major policy review of library services to children and young people was undertaken by the South Eastern Education and Library Board following the publication of guidelines by the Library Association. This paper outlines the methodology of the working group and the approach to implementation. (pp.5-10)

Focus on Children: The National Children's Resource Centre
Angela Canavan
This paper describes the development of the National Children's Resource Centre which aims to provide information and training relevant to the welfare of children in Ireland. It outlines how the service developed in the context of its parent organisation Barnardo's. It goes on to describe the centre's collection of resources and gives a breakdown of typical enquiries. This paper was delivered at a seminar which was organised by the Youth Libraries Group in November 1994. (pp.11-19)

Children and Reading Promotion: Examples of Good Practice
Storytime in Ennis: Patricia Fitzgerald
Poetry for Pleasure: Mary Carleton Reynolds
The Reading Tree: Maureen Moran
Author Visits: Joe Higgins
Helping Parents Choose: Bernadette McAdam & Finbarr O'Connor. (pp.21-29)

Recent Irish Publishing for Children: An Overview
Rosemary Hetherington
This article outlines the growth of publishing for children in Ireland during the last fifteen years and identifies significant authors within dominant genres. Books of Irish interest published abroad - and there are many - do not come within the scope of the article. (pp.31-36)

Reviews:

Library Association of Ireland/Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland Library Info Pack for Second Level Schools (Elizabeth Turley).

South Eastern Education and Library Board Library Services to Children and Young People (Elizabeth Turley).