
Archive-name: books/library-faq	
Posting-Frequency: Every other month
Version: 1.4
 
------------------------------

Libraries FAQ 1.4 (Oct. 16,1996)
Anthony Wilson
paw@iglou.com

------------------------------

1.0 Introduction 
1.1 What is a FAQ?
1.2 Where can I find this FAQ?
1.3 Who has contributed to this FAQ?
2.0 General information about libraries.
2.1 What is a library?
2.2 What is library science?
2.3 What types of libraries are there?
2.4 How long have libraries been around?
2.5 How old is librarianship?
3.0 Training
3.1 Where can I earn a degree in librarianship?
3.2 Where can I earn a library technician diploma?
3.3 Can I take courses or earn an accredited library degree through
	correspondence?
3.4 What conferences can I attend in 1996 to keep my knowledge and skills
	up to date?
4.0 Work
4.1 What distinguishes the work of shelvers, library assistants, library
	technicians and librarians?
4.2 Who decides the attitudes, policies and actions of libraries?
5.0 Classification
5.1 How does the Dewey decimal Classification (DDC) work?
5.2 What are the ten major classifications of the DDC?
5.3 What are the twenty major classes of Library of Congress?
5.4 What are the major Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) classes?
5.5 What are the ten major classes of Universal Decimal Classification?
5.6 What other classification systems are there?
6.0 Organizations
6.1 What organizations can I join to network with fellow professionals?
7.0 Culture
7.1 How did the "Marian the Librarian" stereotype start?
7.2 What happens when downtown New York's fiercest ruling party girl finds
herself
	down and out working in a public library?
7.3 May werewolves be librarians? Can they be happy?
7.4 Where can I find a list of sources of librarians in film?
7.5 Where can I find the lyrics for songs with libraries in them?
7.6 Who's the patron saint of librarians?
8.0 The Cyberstacks
8.1 Can I get/give answers to difficult reference questions through the
	internet?
8.2 What other internet library resources are available?
8.3 Who are the internet librarians/cybrarians/cyberlibrarians?
9.0 Miscellanea
9.1 Where can I read more about librarianship?

------------------------------
1.0 General

1.1 What is a FAQ?

FAQ is an acronym for Frequently Asked Questions, a type of document found
throughout the internet, which gives brief information about specific
topics. A collection of them can be found at:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers
and
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/top.html

1.2 Where can I find this FAQ?

The libraries FAQ is posted on the 16th of every other month to the
usenet newsgroups news.answers, soc.answers and
soc.libraries.talk. 

This FAQ is archived at:

ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/books/library-faq

1.3 Who has contributed to this FAQ?

The maintainer of the Libraries FAQ as of version 1.3 (Oct. 1, 1996) is
Anthony Wilson (paw@iglou.com).

The creator of the FAQ was Steve Bergson. Steve had the help of
Abdul Salau, Nick Chang, Bruce Hamilton, Barbara Leff, Rhonda Moeller,
Marcus Patz, Elanor MacLean, Ellen Mahar and Godfrey Oswald plus many 
others who have shared their ideas.

------------------------------

2.0 General information about libraries.

2.1 What is a library?

The traditional definition is "a collection of books"; The _ALA Glossary
of Library and Information Science_ (Heartsill Young (ed.) Chicago:
ALA, 1983) defines library as "A collection of material organized to
provide physical, bibliographical, and intellectual access to a target
group with a staff that is trained to provide services and programs
related to the information needs of the target group". Will Manley adds,
in his _Manley Art of Librarianship_ (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1993),
"An unused collection of books is simply that - an unused collection of
books.
It is not a library."

2.2 What is library science?

The _ALA Glosssary..._ defines it as "the knowledge, demands and skills
by which recorded information is selected, acquired, organized and
utilized in meeting the information needs of a community of users."
(pg. 132) However, Will Manley writes, "library science is an oxymoron.
There is absolutely nothing scientific about librarianship." (pg. 175)

2.3 What types of libraries are there?

There are four types of libraries - (1) public libraries, (2) school
libraries, (3) academic and university/college libraries and (4) special
(including corporate) libraries.
 

2.4 How long have libraries been around?

Libraries have existed for thousands of years. One of the greatest
libraries of the ancient world was the one at Alexandria (290 BCE).

2.5 How old is librarianship?

Much younger, but difficult to pinpoint. The _ALA Glossary..._ defines
librarianship as "the profession concerned with the application of
knowledge of media and those principles, theories, techniques and
technologies which contribute to the establishment, preservation,
organization, and utilization of collections of library materials and to
the dissemination of information through media." (pg. 130) Barbara
Ehrenreich writes, in her _Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle
Class_
(Pantheon: New York, 1989) that professionalization occurred between 1870
and
1920 (pg. 133). I don't know if a consensus has been reached on a specific
year for this development. Certain milestones are noteworthy, though.

1876 - Melville Dewey established the first standardized classification
       system for libraries (DDC)
     - the American Library Association was founded
     - _Library Journal_ began publication
1882 - first ALA library conference held
1887 - Dewey established the first library school at Columbia University
       (which has since closed down)
1965 - MAchine Readable Coding (MARC) coding was introduced

------------------------------

3.0 Training

3.1 Where can I earn a degree in librarianship?

The ALA site < http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oa/uslis.html > contains the most 
up-to-date list of accredited programs in the U.S.

For a list of Canadian programs accredited by the ALA see:
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oa/canlis.html

Lists of other library science schools around the world:
http://www2.hawaii.edu/uhlibdev/slis/library-schools.html
http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/I-M/is/lecturer/tom2a.html

3.2 Where can I earn a library technician diploma?

Check out the Library Support Staff Resource Center site at the U of
Rochester
for a list of schools in the U.S, Canada, Australia and the UK:

 http://rodent.lib.rochester.edu/ssp/


3.3 Can I take courses or earn an accredited library degree through
correspondence?

Yes, there are distance and continuing education programs which can
lead to an Associates Degree, Diploma, Certificate, or Continuing Education
credits. See:
http://rodent.lib.rochester.edu/ssp/educate.htm

3.4 What conferences can I attend to keep my knowledge and skills up to
date?

There is a conference page at 
http://rodent.lib.rochester.edu/ssp/events.htm

Some major conferences are:

AASL National (1997)    Apr. 2-6
ACRL National (1997)    Apr. 11-14
Adult Literacy and Technology  Chicago
    Contact: Judith A. Rake, Literacy Office, Illinois Network of Literacy
    Adult Education Resources, 431 S. Fourth St., Springfield, IL 62701
    Phone: 800-665-5576 or 211-524-3529  e-mail:rake@sangamon.edu
ALA Annual  (1997)  San Francisco, CA  June 27-July 3
            (1998)  Washington, DC     June 26-July 2
ALA Midwinter (1997)    Washington, DC Feb. 14-20
              (1998)    New Orleans Jan. 9-15

International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA):
Copenhagen (1997) Aug 31 - Sep. 5

*****
LITA/LAMA National Oct. 13-16 Pittsburgh, Pa.
CALL FOR PAPERS: Spring 1997 meeting of the Ohio Valley Group of
	Technical Services Librarians
Tradition and Innovation : Technical Services for the 21st Century

The Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians (OVGTSL),
serving Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, will hold its 1997 annual meeting
at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on April 17-
18.

Sylvia Frost
Head, Cataloging Department
Hesburgh Library
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Phone: (219) 631-6465
Fax: (219) 631-6772
Internet: sfrost@vma.cc.nd.edu

------------------------------

4.0 Work

4.1 What distinguishes the work of shelvers, library assistants, library
technicians and librarians?

In 1927, "The Report of the Bureau of Public Personnel Administration
submitted to the Committee on the Classification of Library Personnel of
the American Library Association proposed 'a separation of clerical from
non-clerical duties.'" [Baker, P. (1986) _What About the Workers?: A Study
of Non-professional Staff in Library Work_. London: Association of Library
Assistants, pg.2]. Shelvers are the minimum wage teenagers (usually) who
shelve the materials after they have been returned. Library assistants or
technicians might do any of the following: shelving (in the absence of
shelvers), circulation duties (check in, check out, supervision), derived
cataloguing, programming, ordering, answering ready reference questions or
materials processing. Librarians might do any of the following
professional tasks: book selection, original cataloguing, making library
policy, evaluating performance of others, answering more complex reference
questions, or dealing with the complaints and concerns of patrons.
Librarians may do nonprofessional tasks in the absence of technicians and
shelvers. Library technicians and assistants may do professional tasks in
the absence of professional staff. There is a "Staff Support Issues" page
on the WWW at < http://rodent.lib.rochester.edu/ssp >

4.2 Who decides the attitudes, policies and actions of libraries?

It depends on who you ask. Librarians will proudly tell you that, being
professionals, they make independent judgments based on sound, ethical
principles. They will flaunt the infamous Library Bill of Rights (adopted
1948; revised 1961, 1967 and 1980) to prove it. The sad truth is that
librarians have often been caught between their professional principles
and nonprofessional antagonists. One type of antagonist is the library
board member/politician seeking to gain easy publicity or to win votes at
the expense of the library, its staff or its patrons.The other type of
antagonist is the narrow-minded patron who insists that his/her
opinion (on policy, book selection, hiring, etc.) is decisive because it
is his/her library (this particularly is a problem in tax-supported and
public libraries). A large group of anti-library antagonists met
to discuss ways to fight/control library policy at the "Family-Friendly
Libraries" conference held last summer (see _American Libraries_ Nov.
1995, pgs. 983-984 for details).

------------------------------

5.0 Classification

5.1 How does the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) work?

There are ten main categories in DDC. These are divided into ten
subcategories, which in turn are divided into further subcategories. The
more specific the subject of the item is, the longer the number assigned
to it is. Today the classifications are the responsibility of Forest
Press.

5.2 What are the ten major classifications of the DDC?

000-099: General works (encyclopedias and similar works)
100-199: Philosophy and Psychology
200-299: Religion
300-399: Social Sciences
400-499: Languages (including dictionaries)
500-599: Natural science
600-699: Applied science
700-799: Arts
800-899: Literature
900-999: History, Geography and Biography

For a further breakdown, go to the 3 summaries site on the WWW at
  http://www.oclc.org/oclc/fp/ddc/ddcsumm/ddcsm1.htm
There is also a subject guide to Dewey at
  http://www.state.wi.us/agencies/dpi/www/dewey.html</A>

5.3 What are the twenty major classes of the Library of Congress
Classification scheme?

A: General works
B: Philosophy and religion 
C: History - auxiliary  sciences
D: History and topography (except America) 
E-F: American history
G: Geography, anthropology, folklore, recreation 
H: Social sciences
J: Political science 
K: Law
 KE: Canadian Law
 KF: U.S. Law
L: Education 
M: Music 
N: Fine arts
P: Language and literature 
Q: Science 
R: Medicine 
S: Agriculture
T: Technology 
U: Military science 
V: Naval science 
Z: Bibliography and library science

Matt Rosenberg <mtrosenberg@ucdavis.edu> has created a web page designed to

train patrons and new library staff to read and understand LC call numbers.
It is linked from his Library of Congress Classification System homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8459l/lc.html

5.4 What are the major Medical Subject Headings classes?
    (What are the major Dental Subject Headings classes?)

QS: Human Anatomy 
QT: Physiology 
QU: Biochemistry 
QV: Pharmacology
QW: Bacteriology & Immunology 
QX: Parasitology 
QY: Clinical Pathology
QZ: Pathology 
W: Medical Profession 
WA: Public Health 
WB: Practice of Medicine 
WC: Infectious Diseases 
WD 100: Deficiency Diseases
WD 200: Metabolic Diseases 
WD 300: Diseases of Allergy 
WD 400: Animal Poisoning 
WD 500: Plant Poisoning 
WD 600: Diseases Caused by Physical Agents 
WE: Musculoskeletal System 
WF: Respiratory System
WG: Cardiovascular System 
WH: Hemic amp; Lymphatic Systems
WI: Gastrointestinal System 
WJ: Urogenital System 
WK: Endocrine System
WL: Nervous System 
WM: Psychiatry 
WN: Radiology 
WO: Surgery 
WP: Gynecology
WQ: Obstetrics 
WR: Dermatology 
WS: Pediatrics 
WT: Geriatrics. Chronic Disease 
WU: Dentistry. Oral Surgery 
WV: Otorhinolaryngology
WW: Opthalmology 
WX: Hospitals 
WY: Nursing 
WZ: History of Medicine 

****

Black's Dental Classification

D    Dentistry in general

D01-09 Form numbers

D1-17  Basic sciences

D2-29  Operative dentistry

D3-38  Prosthetic dentistry

D4-47  Orthodontics

D5-59  Dental health

D6-69  Oral pathology

D7-79  Oral surgery

D8-89  Dental practice and management

D9-95  Anesthesia


5.5 What are the ten major classes of Universal Decimal Classification?

0 : Generalities. Science and Knowledge Organization. Information
    Documentation. Librarianship. Institutions. Publications.
1 : Philosophy and psychology
2 : Religion and theology
3 : Social sciences; Statistics; Politics; Economics; Trade; Law;
    Governments; Military affairs; Welfare; Insurance; Education; Folklore
4 : [vacant]
5 : Mathematics and natural sciences
6 : Applied Sciences
7 : The Arts. Recreation. Entertainment. Sport
8 : Language. Linguistics. Literature
9 : Geography. Biography. History

5.6 What other classification systems (or subject headings systems) 
	are there?

In Canada, _Canadian Subject Headings_ is often used. Sears is another
classification, but I am unfamiliar with it. Randall W. Scott at Michigan
State University Libraries has developed a schedule (which he uses in
conjunction with LCSH) for sequential art material (i.e. comic books and
strips). This appeared in his _Comics Librarianship: A Handbook_
(Jefferson: McFarland, 1990). For more information on it, e-mail him at
   20676rws@msu.edu 
or check out his homepage at
   http://www.lib.msu.edu/publ_ser/spec_col/rs/rws.htm.
Sanford Berman has written lists of "greater accuracy" subject headings to
supplement/replace traditional LCSH. They appeared in his _Subject
Cataloguing: Critiques and Innovations_ (New York: Haworth, 1984). He is
currently working at Hennepin Public Library, which puts out the bimonthly
_Hennepin County Library Cataloguing Bulletin_. Sanford's e-mail
address is
   sberman@hennepin.hennepin.lib.mn.us
and HCL's web address is
   http://sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us/public.

There is a Wiene Classification and Elazar Classification for Jewish
libraries that are
available from the Association of Jewish Libraries.

------------------------------
                                          
6.0 Organizations

6.1 What organizations can I (or my library) join to network with fellow
professionals?

There is a list of library organizations on the WWW at:

   http://witloof.sjsu.edu/organizations.html


American Association of Law Libraries
American Library Association (ALA)
	http://www.ala.org
Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL)
	http://aleph.lib.ohio-state.edu/www/ajl.html
Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
	http://arl.cni.org
Canadian Association of Law Libraries
Canadian Library Association (CLA)
	http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freeport/prof.assoc/cla/menu
International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA)
	http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/ifla/home.htm</A>
Medical Libraries Association (MLA)
	http://www.kumc.edu:80/MLA/</A>
Public Library Association (PLA)
	http://pla.org</A>
Special Library Association (SLA)
	http://ruby.ils.unc.edu/SLA

------------------------------

7.0 Culture

7.1 How did the "Marian the Librarian" stereotype start?

The following comes from Grimes, Deborah J. "Marion the Librarian - The
Truth Behind the Image" in Scherdin, Mary Jane (ed.) _Discovering
Librarians: Profiles of a Profession_ (Chicago: ACRL, 1994), pg. 3:

"In 1950, Meredith Wilson wrote a musical entitled _The Music Man_, in
which
the lead female character is Marian Paroo, a smalll town librarian and
music
teacher. The character is a self-proclaimed spinster, who must continually
resist the exhortations of everyone around her, including the mother with
whom she lives, to "find a man". Marian is characterized as picky,
hardworking, standoffish, bookish, and, by most accounts, pitiable. The
phrase, "Marian the Librarian", was coined, along with the image, in a song
in _The Music Man_. Over forty years later, the image continues to permeate
public opinion and remain the stereotype of the professional librarian."

7.2 What happens when downtown New York's fiercest ruling party girl
	finds herself down and out working in a public library?

PARTY GIRL
http://www.movienet.com/movienet/movinfo/partygirl.html
From _First Look Pictures_ 

"Armed with a quick wit and begged or borrowed Gaultier, Mary (Parker
Posey)
struggles to pay the rent. As a hostess extraordinare Mary packs 300 of her
closest friends into her Chinatown loft for a rent party. When her
roommate,
Derrick (Anthony DeSando ), splits with half the rent, and DJ Leo
(Guillermo
Diaz)threatens to walk out if Mary doesn't give him a place to stay, Mary 
throws open her doors to the NYPD and ends up in jail. Desperate, she calls
her 
godmother, Mrs. Lindendorf (Shasha von Scherler ), who bails her out but
insists
Mary take a responsible job - as a librarian! So despite her phobia of the 
Dewey Decimal System, Mary becomes a 9-5er.

"Mary's having an identity crisis. Torn between the high-drama,
high-fashioned
world of nightclubs and DJs and a steady paycheck as a librarian, she's not

sure if she should grow up and settle down with Mustafa (Omar Townsend),
the
handsome Lebanese neighborhood falafel vendor, or join the ranks of Rene,
the aging, strung out diva of New York's club scene. Or should she just
curl
up in a fetal position and couch potato the '90's out? 

"Daisy von Scherler Mayer makes her directorial debut with PARTY GIRL
having
co-written the screenplay with Harry Birckmayer who produced the film with 
Stephanie Koules. Starring Parker Posey (SLEEP WITH ME, DAZED AND
CONFUSED),
the supporting cast includes Sasha von Scherler, Omar Townsend, Anthony 
DeSando (FEDERAL HILL, "Under Suspicion"), Donna Mitchell (LESS THAN ZERO, 
THE ROOKIE), and Guillermo Diaz (FRESH, CROSSING THE STICKS)." 


"Party Girl", the FOX Network sitcom, Mondays at 9 EST, is on hiatus.

	"Monkeys have died trying to learn the Dewey Decimal system."


7.3 Can werewolves be librarians? Can they be happy?

Yes; maybe. See "Wilderness", a UK TV series featuring a sex-mad academic 
librarian werewolf type ("Oh dear, I'm going to turn into a wolf") who
declares "academic libraries are sexy". 

Male academic type: "I've seen you around, do you work here?"
Werewolf librarian, pouting, : "I'm JUST the librarian.."

(Special thanks to Sheridan L. Dunkley)


7.4 Where can I find a list of sources of librarians in film?

George M. Eberhart has a list in his book (see 9.1 below). His book has a
website and the address for that section is:
http://www.ala.org/alayou/publications/alaeditions/wlh/movies.html

Also see Raish's list at:
http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/staff/mraish/movies/introduction.htm

Shoji Ichimura's Librarians in Films database is at:
http://www.bekkoame.or.jp/~ichimura/libmvdb/libmvdbE.htm 

7.5 Where can I find the lyrics for songs with libraries in them?

The lyrics to "Library Rap" from the sci-fi hit tv show _Sliders_, as
provided at its unofficial website:

http://www.brillig.com/sliders/earth-prime.shtml

  "Library Rap"

     Yo Homes, what's up?
     What up with you?
     Whatcha' gonna say?
     Whatcha' gonna do?
     Where you gonna go?
     What we gonna see?

     We're goin' to the li-bra-ree.

     I'm moving down the aisle with my Homeys in tow
     We're grovin' through the home of the librarian Ho
     She checks us out from behind thick glasses
     We walk right past and we wiggle our asses

     Hemingway... Lawrence... Checkhov and Miller
     Fitzgerald was a freak, Mailer is a killer...

     Quiet pleeease!
     Quiet pleeease!

     The silence is golden
     To books I am beholden
     I know I'm bad
     'Cuz of the knowledge that I'm holdin'
     And I give you one warnin'
     There will be no repeats
     Get out of my face
     While I'm readin' my Keats

     "Library Rap" performed by MC Poindexter & The Study Crew

7.6 Patron Saint of Librarians? 

St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church. A biographical sketch of him
is given in _The Lives of the Saints_, pg. 307-310.

------------------------------

8.0 The Cyberstacks

8.1 Can I get/give answers to difficult reference questions through the
internet?

One way is to use the STUMPERS-L listserv. 
To subscribe to the listserv, send the message "SUBSCRIBE STUMPERS-L" to 
mailserv@crf.cuis.edu . Stumpers now has a website as well:
http://www.cuis.edu/~stumpers/intro.html. 

Another method is to post it to the newsgroup bit.listserv.libref-l.
Or use the real-time online reference at the Internet Public Library
(IPL) reference desk. For more information, visit the IPL at:
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu

or telnet to their MOO (Multi-user Object-Oriented) at:
telnet://ipl.sils.umich.edu 
[logon as iplmoo and, when prompted, type "connect guest".]

8.2 What other internet library resources are available?

Info Connect for Librarians
	http://www.bogo.co.uk/kusk/Page1.htm
Internet Public Library
	http://ipl.sils.umich.edu
Library-Oriented Lists and Electronic Resources
	http://info.lib.uh.edu/liblists/home.htm
	sbonario@uh.edu
Librarians' Home Pages Directory
	http://www.he.net/%7Elibdir
MCI Library Link
	http://www.library.link.com</A>
Plethora of Web Sites: The Librarians' Meta-List
	http://ainet.com/scfl/plethora.htm</A>
WWW Libraries
	http://www.albany.net/~ms0669/cra/libs/libs.html</A>

Newsgroups

soc.libraries.talk

A list of listservs that are converted to newsgroup format (such as
bit.listserv.medlib-l [a medical libraries discussion group]) is
available on the WWW at the URL:

http://info.lib.uh.edu/liblists/newsgrp.htm

8.3 Who are some internet librarians/cybrarians/cyberlibrarians?

Here are a few, I'd love to hear about more:

_American Libraries_  Karen G. Schneider
	http://www.intac.com:80/~kgs
	kgs@intac.com
_Computers in Libraries_  Laverna Saunders
	lsaunders@mecn.mass.edu</A>
_Internet World_  Cynthia N. James-Catalano
	jamcat@gate.net
_Library Journal_  Steve Cisler
	sac@apple.com

------------------------------------------------------------

9.0 Miscellanea

9.1 Where can I read more about librarianship?

Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science_ / editors: Allen Kent
&amp;
  Harold Lancour. New York: M. Dekker, 1968-
Encyclopedia of Library History_ / edited by Wayne A. Wiegard &amp; Donald
G.
  Davis, Jr. New York: Garland, 1994.
_Whole Library Handbook 2_ / compiled by George M. Eberhart. Chicago: ALA,
  1995.

------------------------------

"Libraries are reservoirs of strength, grace and wit, reminders of order,
calm and continuity, lakes of mental energy, neither warm nor cold, light 
nor dark. The pleasure they give is steady, unorgastic, reliable, deep and
long-lasting. In any library in the world, I am at home, unselfconscious, 
still and absorbed."
Germaine Greer, "Daddy, We Hardly Knew You" (1989)

"Just because the f---er's got a library card doesn't make him Yoda."
Brad Pitt, in the movie SEVEN (1995) 

------------------------------ 			


