School of Library and Information Science

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION QUESTIONS
October, 2003

1. Ranganathan, an early library theorist, stated five laws: Books are for use, every book its reader, every reader his or her book, save the time of the reader and the library is a growing organism. Select two of these laws and discuss how they could be adapted to be more reflective of library service today.
2. In many situations, library budgets are being reduced. One area that is often cut is staffing. Discuss the benefits of a library or information center that is managed by professionals.
3. RUSA, the Reference and User Services Association, provides a set of Guidelines for Behavioral Performance of Reference and Information Services Professionals. These guidelines include five areas: approachability, interest, listening/inquiring, searching, and follow-up activities. Discuss why each of these areas is important in reference and give an example of an appropriate behavior for each area.
4. Define metadata and cataloging and discuss in detail their similarities and differences. Select a professional role (i.e., collection developer, reference librarian, cataloger, etc.) and use your discussion as the basis to describe what this type of library and information professional needs to know about metadata in order to function effectively in the digital world.
5. Important stages in designing, developing, implementing and evaluating library information systems are needs assessment and usability testing. Using examples, explain: (1) what is involved in the process of needs assessment, and (2) what you believe are the core principles to support usability. Discuss the significance of needs assessment and usability testing in the context of developing web-based applications.
6. You have been asked to give a speech on the USA Patriot Act and patron privacy in a library. Discuss the effect the USA Patriot Act is having on patron privacy in library settings.
7. Instructional services (bibliographic instruction, information literacy, etc.) are offered by most libraries. Compare and contrast the major issues and problems in planning such services in a face-to-face setting vs. on the Internet, in a type of library or information agency of your choice (i.e., academic, public, school, special).
8. What procedures should be used to evaluate a library collection that includes both print and electronic resources? Identify two criteria often used in evaluation of collections. Discuss what problems might arise in applying each to both print and electronic resources.
9. With the rapid advancement of Internet technology, some users believe that most information needs can be met by searching the Web through search engines. Based on your own experiences with bibliographic databases and Web search engines, discuss three major differences in searching information through traditional information retrieval systems and on the Web.
10. Define knowledge management (KM) and discuss how KM has been practiced in a library or information center of your choice to improve organizational performance. Your discussion should address different types of knowledge involved and the activities of managing knowledge in the key areas of people, process, and technology.