Volume 63, Issue 1

Library and Information Science (LIS) education has responded positively to calls for professionals to be educated to serve the increasingly diverse and multicultural population in the USA and Canada. Analyzing LIS school websites’ missions, goals, and objectives as well as program curricula, this study reports on the expressions of multiculturalism and diversity in the programs and in courses. The study also explores the positions, types of institution, and geographic locations that advertise for diversity in information professionals, plus the qualifications, skills, and languages sought by employers. The paper argues for continued emphasis on the part of LIS programs to recruit students with multicultural backgrounds and for recognizing that a second language (other than English) is indispensible for new professionals.

In 1957, John Sperry Jr. published an article in Libri entitled “Egyptian libraries: a survey of the evidence.” Some 55 years on, this article revisits the subject, taking into account research undertaken in the field of Egyptology over the last half a century. Based on an extended essay written for the online Certificate in Egyptology course at the University of Manchester, this article considers the evidence for the existence of “institutional” (that is, created for the use and functioning of the state) libraries and archives in Ancient Egypt throughout the dynastic period (c.3500−30 B.C.); their history, purpose and, to some extent, their administration. It also considers an aspect not explored in Sperry’s article, that of “private” libraries in Ancient Egypt (texts collected by an individual for their own personal use). Whilst estimated literacy levels within the general population precluded the widespread collection of texts for personal edification, there is evidence to suggest that private libraries were present in Ancient Egypt. The article concludes with a brief assessment of the legacy of these ancient libraries and their influence on the creation of the Library of Alexandria, in both its ancient and modern manifestations.

Reference librarians have the opportunity to interact with patrons and colleagues of many different backgrounds, languages, and cultures as a result of our increasingly interconnected and peripatetic world. In order to provide the best possible service to these varied communities, reference librarians should understand some of the culture differences that exist across countries, and in particular, the differences in the way that reference services are conceived and delivered in different countries. This study explores some of these differences in reference services by surveying current practitioners in thirteen countries to find out which competencies they believe are most important for academic reference librarians right now, and in the near future. The results of this study highlight some important commonalities and differences, and could help reference librarians to manage and meet the expectations of their international patrons, and perhaps help them to prepare for an international job experience of their own. Academic reference librarians may be interested to see the extent to which their counterparts in other countries face similar challenges and expectations with regard to delivering reference services. Teaching faculty in library science programs will be interested to understand reference competencies and expectations in other countries, especially as they teach greater numbers of international students or consider collaborating with international colleagues. In addition, an international understanding is important in developing students who can compete in a global job market.

The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals seek to address poverty among other things. It is assumed that addressing poverty issues through financial literacy will bring growth to a country’s economy. The informal sector is one avenue that has been observed to be contributing highly to the creation of employment opportunities, economic development and empowerment in South Africa, especially for women. However, the informal sector is heterogeneous which makes it difficult to quantify its profile, and due to the nature of its existence, informal sector entrepreneurs are often characterised by low levels of skills, limited access to organised markets, and low and unstable incomes. This is influenced by their lack of knowledge and skills in business management. It is believed that financial literacy can improve the performance of informal sector entrepreneurs and sustain business information and skills. By means of financial literacy, their basic life skills such as numeracy and literacy, communication skills and information searching skills will be improved which, in turn, will improve their confidence, generate good income and Millennium Development Goals 1−3 , namely that of poverty alleviation and equal education opportunities for women, though not all will be reached. The study uses focus group discussions, interviews and observations to explore financial literacy levels and their impact on informal sector women entrepreneurs (ISWEs) in South Africa. The purpose of this study is to determine their mathematical literacy, money management behaviour and skills, selection and utilisation of financial products, and access to and utilisation of information and advice. There were young, middle-aged and older ISWEs in the three focus groups. Participants had some limited skills such as personal, business operation and mathematical literacy. It was also interesting to determine the ISWEs’ realisation of their lack of awareness of business information services, and of their need for training interventions.

This study presents the preliminary findings from research on the Everyday Life Information Seeking behaviours of Korean government officials in their 50s. The main objectives of this study were to characterize the daily life of baby boomers waiting for retirement by understanding their basic information use contexts, and to also identify a range of information seeking and search behaviours. Sixteen people, aged between 50 and 56, participated in this study. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed from four perspectives: 1) information seeking environments; 2) personal context of information seeking; 3) patterns of information searching; 4) recognition of discontinuation of information seeking. The qualitative findings indicate that the participants preferred to use physical materials and their existing social networks as information sources. The study participants generally held unfavourable or uncomfortable views of libraries as their source of information to satisfy their information needs. Nevertheless, the participants expected that libraries, acting as information centres, would be another useful place for their lives if libraries continue to transform. Finally, the study reveals the relationship among environment, context, and interaction with respect to personal information-seeking behaviours based on the analysis. This study should serve as strategic implications for library practitioners to develop the information services and the corresponding library management process in accordance to the potential and powerful evolving user group in a future aged society.