This article explores the potential benefits of eliminating the requirement of a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) for branch library management positions. Waiving the requirement attracts a wider range of candidates, including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) applicants. Many of the skills necessary for library jobs—such as building community relationships and overseeing budgets—do not necessarily come from acquiring an MLIS and, in fact, are more likely to come from other experiences. At the same time, the MLIS does offer foundational knowledge about library values and professional ethics.

Public libraries are known as places for information, communication, and gathering, but what happens when a pandemic restricts social contact? In the years 2020 and 2021, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, libraries worldwide revised services and explored new ways to provide information and support to communities—primarily through digital services. This conceptual analytical paper responds to this approach by suggesting the use of a tripartite information access and digital inclusion model that can be used for evaluative processes related to ensuring ongoing physical, intellectual, and social access to public library services during a public crisis shutdown. We provide an overview of some of the new and altered services provided within the case of the Richland Library system in South Carolina, USA, and then discuss these changes using the tripartite model as a means to illustrate how this theoretical model can be employed for practical evaluation and decision-making.

The World Café (TWC) methodology is a form of action research that develops collective knowledge among individuals and communities to address shared problems. TWC can complement LIS research and practice that is increasingly participatory and community centric. The potentials and pitfalls for TWC are illustrated by ongoing research examining public library service to LGBTQIA+ communities for health information. The authors used TWC in a community forum between LGBTQIA+ community leaders and librarians/paraprofessionals in [name removed for blind review]. Per TWC conventions, participants engaged in day-long rotating café-style table conversations that encouraged new ideas and collective dialog. Discussion centered on two themes: barriers to health information faced by LGBTQIA+ communities and collective strategies for leaders and librarians/paraprofessionals to address them. Findings indicate that TWC can advance LIS research and practice in the following ways: refuting deficit frameworks, fostering information communities, and supporting social-justice-oriented praxis. Methodological shortcomings relate to the blind spots TWC affords to social inequality and power. The authors recommend that researchers and practitioners should incorporate intersectional and reflexive methods into TWC to address these shortcomings.

L'article presente une liste de ressources de l'internet selectionnees a l'usage des photojournalistes professionnels et etudiants : sites generalistes, journaux et magazines electroniques, sites d'ethique, sites de photographes connus, sites d'associations, ressources historiques dont les collections relatives au 11 septembre 2001.

Background: By March 2014, all U.S. citizens were required to have health insurance according to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Purpose: Study objectives were to explore individuals' opinions, perceptions, and communication sources and needs about the ACA and to assess differences by age group. Methods:In November 2013, 10 1-hour focus groups (5 with adults aged 40+; 5 with adults < age 40) were conducted with 102 individuals in one southeastern county. Audio files were transcribed and organized using NVivo 10. Recurring themes were examined by age group. Results: Younger participants had less awareness of the ACA. Both older and younger groups mentioned benefits of receiving preventive care and being covered for preexisting conditions. Confusion and lack of perceived understanding were evident across age groups. Participants heard about the ACA mainly through media and few interpersonal sources. They preferred to obtain in-person ACA information through state officials or trusted experts. Discussion: Varying knowledge levels, perceptions, and communication sources about the ACA impact use of health insurance and access to care. Translation to Health Education Practice: Clear information should be communicated to each age group using their preferred communication channels to increase understanding of the ACA and its importance to prevent chronic diseases.

ABSTRACTDespite implementation of most of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by 2014, the public still has questions about the health care law. To assess the potential of using the library as a hub for ACA education, we tested existing and new culturally relevant messages about the health care law with twenty-seven community members. Participants discussed the message prototypes, including the visual components and promotional content, and provided advice to modify content and design to best reach target audiences. Future research can follow this example to engage libraries and community members in developing and evaluating culturally relevant health messages.

PurposeThis paper proposes to provide information on how to handle gifts in academic libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on the author's research and practices developed at the Thomas Cooper Library at the University of South Carolina.FindingsThe author has suggested ways to handle materials being added to the library's collection in order to make them accessible to the users even if they are not as yet cataloged.Practical implicationsA new method is shown that allows keyword accessibility to MARC records in the local online catalog for donors' names, storage identification, and other details of importance, making the procedure simpler to use. It also allows for the rapid retrieval of materials.Originality/valueThis paper provides useful guidelines for handling gifts to a library so that they can easily be retrieved and so that the donor can see how the library is handling the donation.