Librarianship has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. In addition to subject area knowledge and interpersonal ability, librarians must now possess considerable technical skill. This collection of 50 essays, all written by librarians working in college, university, and public libraries, elucidates the many facets of modern librarianship, as well as the personal and professional characteristics and skills expected of today's librarians. Topics include:^L ^DBL Required knowledge and attitudes^L ^DBL Interviewing techniques^L ^DBL The role of technology^L ^DBL Interpersonal relationships^L ^DBL The need for business and management skills^L ^DBL And moreThese short essays are written mostly in an informal style that combines library philosophy and practical advice. The collection will be a useful for discussion and class assignments in introductory library science courses.^L The Greenwood Library Management Collection of professional handbooks provides librarians with operations and management strategies for all types of libraries: public, academic, school, and specialized. Gerard B. McCabe, Director of Libraries at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, serves as Series Editor. Books in this series cover such topics as second generation automated systems, automated retrieval in libraries, circulation department procedures, the consultant-library relationship, strategic management of academic libraries, multicultural librarianship, and more.

This collection of 50 essays elucidates the many facets of modern librarianship and what is expected of today's librarians.

PrefaceIntroductionThe Land Grant University Reference Librarian of the 21st Century: Exciting Opportunities and Unprecedented Challenges by Mary Ellen HansenJohn Henry's Dilemma by Philip SwanOut of the Box by Marie JonesThe Curious Librarian by Kenneth A. SmithOf Babies and Bathwater: Hiring Library Staff for the 21st Century by Danelle HallGoing to Town: Interviewing in the Large Urban Public Library by Alison Hopkins"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze" by Janice KruegerThe Cooperative Librarian by Jennifer InglisMere Mortals Need Not Apply by Jane Birks and Liz OeslebyWe're Looking for a Few Good Catalogers by Bridgette ScottHiring Academic Reference Librarians in the 21st Century by Mary M. NofsingerLibrarians in the 21st Century by Barbara Lovato-GassmanNeeded: Energetic Librarian Willing to Work in Challenging Arena! by Jetta Carol CulpepperWanted--New Creations: Dinosaurs Need Not Apply by Anne A. SalterLibrarians: What Supervisors Are Seeking by Kathleen FlemingLibrarians and Human Interaction by Ronda GlikinA Business Plan Model of Employment for Librarians by Angela K. HorneHot-Links Are Hot Hires by Virginia E. YoungTechnology Skills in Libraries of the 21st Century by Sheila KasperekA Word to Future Academic Librarians by Vickie KlinePreferred Qualification: Ability to Think Conceptually by Melinda DermodyVoices from the 21st Century: Librarians at the University of Arizona by Carla J. Stoffle, Patricia Morris, and Ninfa TrejoBeing a Deep Generalist by Leslie M. HaasAcademic Reference Librarians for the 21st Century by Colleen Boff and Carol Singer"The More Things Change": What Is a Librarian Today? by Cynthia AkersReference Staff of the Digital Beyond by Beth AveryIt Takes a Cyber Librarian by Janet FosterThe Academic Library--Not a Lair for Fiery Dragons by Barbara BurdThe Academic Librarian of the Future: The View from California Lutheran University by Susan HerzogThe Facts of Life: Being a Small College Librarian by Molly FlaspohlerWhy a Good "Sh-h-h" Doesn't Cut It Anymore: Characteristics of the 21st Century Librarian by Maria C. BagshawThe Future of Librarianship by Felix T. ChuArrogance, For Obvious Reasons by Shelley RossDeveloping Business and Management Skills for the 21st Century Academic Librarian by John RiddleThe 21st Century Librarian by David H. StanleyAcademic Reference as a Second Career by Cheryl GunselmanAcademic Librarians as Caring Knowledge Managers: Are We There Yet? by Wendy TanElectronic Resources Librarians in the 21st Century by Eleanor L. LomaxCompetition in the Library by David M. BynogQualities of a 21st Century Librarian by Necia Parker-GibsonThe More Things Change in Academe, the More They Need to Stay the Same by Karen FischerThe Joy of Special Librarianship by Ronald N. BukoffNew Librarians in the 21st Century: The Normalization of Change by Lorena O'EnglishElectric Luddites: Special Collections Librarians Make the Great Leap by Roger C. AdamsSelling Instruction: Communicating the Value of the Library in the Age of the Internet by Michael J. RoseMilitant Segregationists, Control Freaks, and Techno-Believers by Craighton HippènhammerMetaphor Matters: Imagining the Future of Librarianship and the Library by Nancy KuhlSeeking: Enthusiastic Artists by Randall M. MacDonald and Andrew L. PearsonBefore We Look to the Future by Liz Kocevar-WeidingerTeaching Excellence and the Academic Librarian: Paralleling the Teaching Faculty's Track by Martha Henn McCormickTechnical Services Librarians for the 21st Century: What Are We Looking For? by Gwen M. GregoryThe Most Important Thing They Don't Tell You in Library School by Janet T. O'KeefeThe Library at the University of Vermont in 1900 by Karl Bridges