Deborah Hicks

Using discourse analysis, this article explores three questions: (a) Why was “principled, transformational leadership” the leadership style added to Core Competences? (b) What was the discourse of leadership in the profession surrounding the development of the Core Competences? (c) How might this competence affect LIS education? And what measures, if any, have MLIS programs taken to address it? Informants involved in the development of the Core Competences indicated that leadership was added because it is an important issue for LIS professionals and it links “transformational” to professional change; however, they were unable to provide a clear explanation for the descriptor “principled.” Discursively, leadership is strongly tied to discourses of management, change, and youth. Preparing leaders is a stated goal of most ALA-accredited LIS programs; however, the discourse on leadership within the profession indicates that schools of LIS may be paying more attention to leadership within their curricula, specifically in management classes.… (mere)

Single sentence summary from the preface: "This book focuses primarily on the impact of information technologies on how librarians practice librarianship." (pg ix)

I borrowed this book for the chapter on gender (Chapter 7: Technology, Gender, and Professional Identity) after there was a small kerfuffle on a librarianship discussion list. Overall and independently, the book and chapters are well written -- though it seems obvious this was probably a chunk of Hicks' dissertation.

The only thing I take issue with immediately is the term "cybrarian." It is dated considering almost all librarians interact with technology and the internet for their jobs (whether public services or technical services). Also, I don't think Hicks makes a convincing argument for using the term though she attempts to explain her use of the term on page 17.… (mere)

A look at a literature program that the author created to help at-risk girls in Cincinnati public schools. The book hooked me right away, as one of the girls in the program had a strong attachment to a book by Stephen King, one of my favorite authors! This book follows the girls, teacher, and program for four years, and does a brief follow up at the end. The stories are sad, inspiring, and at times, hard to read, but it is a good look at what can happen when education and literature combine to inspire learning! And I also enjoyed the digs at George W. Bush and his horrible No Child Left Behind "education program". As anyone who has been in education can tell you, it was a mistake from the beginning, and the success this author has is yet another example of "his" misguidedness. I wish there were more programs like the one described in this book, and I really wish there was funding to make it happen!… (mere)