ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


20

in library development. He was the first editor of 
the Journal o f  Education f o r  Librarianship, and 
also served as managing editor of Library Trends 
and joint editor of the Encyclopedia o f  Library 
and Information Science.

F e l i x  H . P r e t s c h , retired science and technol­
ogy librarian at Auburn University, died on May 
5, 1981.

M in n i e  W a l l , former head of the Cataloging 
Department at Auburn University, died on June 
5. She had served at Auburn for 31 years.

F r e d e r i c k  W e z e m a n , founding director of the 
University of Iowa School of Library Science, 
Iowa City, died on November 2. He had been 
head of the school from 1966 until his retirement: 
in 1980. ■ ■

W A S H I N G T O N  H O T L I N E  by Carol Henderson
Deputy Director 

ALA Washington Office

"We are going to have to adapt and adjust if we don't go the way of the 
dinosaur," said Education Secretary T.H. Bell in expressing his concern "about 
the future of our libraries and …  about the future of information science 
research" to a December 1 colloquium on library and information science 
research. Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement Donald 
Senese also addressed the group of 17 library and related association presidents
or their representatives gathered to review the draft report of the Education 
Department-funded project, "A Library and Information Science Research Agenda 
for the 1980s." Participants included Joanne Harrar (University of Maryland) 
for ACRL, and myself, substituting for ALA President Elizabeth Stone. The 
research agenda was developed by Cuadra Associates with the assistance of a 
group of 26 researchers and practitioners, including two university librarians, 
Miriam Drake (Purdue University) and Jay Lucker (MIT) ‚ as well as Mary Jo Lynch 
from ALA's Office for Research.

The 26 researchers and practitioners developed a research agenda of 20 
projects, grouped under the headings of 1) information generation and provision 
of library and information services, 2) information users and uses, 3) economics
of information and of library and information services, 4) education and profes­
sional issues, and 5) intellectual freedom. A sampling of individual project 
titles includes "Exploiting the True Capabilities of Electronic Publication,"
"An Online Network to Support Question Answering in Libraries," "Evaluation of 
the Changing Needs of Online Search System Users as Influenced by Search Systems
Experience," and "Impact of Information on Industrial Productivity."

The research agenda project was not designed as "the" agenda, nor did col­
loquium participants see it as such, but as "an" agenda reflecting important 
research needs, and as a very useful lobbying and communications tool within 
the library and information science field, with other fields, and with funding 
entities. Individual organizations were urged to publicize and disseminate the 
agenda, discuss it at conferences, act on it if possible, and consider it in 
any other appropriate way. Because it represents an excellent opportunity for 
interorganizational cooperation, it was agreed the National Commission on Librar
ies and Information Science could play a useful role by convening a meeting of 
representatives of interested organizations to discuss possible cooperative 
steps.

One of the most important points agreed to at the colloquium was that 
interaction between researchers and practitioners begun by the earlier project 
participants should be continued as organizations react to and act upon the 
agenda.

 

 

 

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