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Recent semi-structured interviews with 28 librarians and branch managers on the placement of social workers in public libraries revealed a need for library and information science (LIS) programs to better prepare students for their role as social service information providers and to provide models for working with and supervising social workers in the library. It is clear that libraries are experiencing increasing demands to respond to the social-service information needs that users bring to the library, and the importance of libraries to communities in times of uncertainty and crisis is clear. In response, some libraries are including social workers on staff, but this trend does not completely relieve librarians of the need to serve the public's social-service information needs. LIS students need to understand the professional boundaries of librarianship and social work and to develop the ability to feel confident in their interactions with users who have been traumatized, are in crisis, or are struggling with challenges such as the need for credible health information; home and food insecurity information; legal aid; access to the Internet for individuals and families from low-income situations; accessible adult education programs; and more. Interview participants offered a number of suggestions for how to incorporate social work concepts into LIS education and asked for several specific skills such as training in mental-health first aid, de-escalation techniques, and greater knowledge of social-service resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need to update library catalogs through focusing on the creation of new user services, sometimes layered on top of the current library system and catalog data, and sometimes in terms of a new model for the library's service to the user. The effort to update catalogs is reflected in the term "Web 2.0," which is a shared and open service for library and web users. The 2.0 philosophy emphasizes the social aspects of information such as reviews, recommendations and tagging. The library catalog is an organized index into the library's collection of physical terms.

The first part of the Hungarian library strategy cycle for the period 2003-2007 has finished. This report aims to give an overview of what has been accomplished so far. The development projects, the allocated financial resources and the changes in regulations reflect the following focus areas in the given period of time: extending access to documents and information, enhancing services to disadvantaged users, improving the library supply of geographically disadvantaged areas, and introducing quality management in the library field. These developments are in accordance with current EU development trends, the ultimate goal being the provision of the best possible services to users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces the July to December 2003 issue of the Latin American periodical "Revista Interamericana de Bibliotecologia." Area of library users' education; Reading and informative preferences of young people; Management structure of libraries.