Social and Behavioral Sciences | Open Access Articles

The Professional Development Of Academic Librarians: How Should Institutions Contribute To The Process?, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Professional development is universally recognized in education and librarianship as imperative for ongoing effectiveness. Most—though not all—academic libraries support professional development through financial assistance and release time. However, while funding and release time are necessary to professional growth, they are not sufficient. The role of the leader as a steward of organizational culture suggests that academic library administrators should concern themselves with fostering an environment conducive to their subordinates’ professional development. Innovative professional development programs in place at a number of academic libraries stand as a corrective to the seemingly haphazard practices of many libraries and librarians. Further research on …

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Intellectual Freedom And The Bible College Library, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

A number of evangelical Christian authors have grappled with the subject of intellectual freedom--few, though, in the context of Bible college libraries. The secular concept of intellectual freedom is incompatible with Bible colleges in that it is absolutist and shuns any standard of morality. Theological, educational, and pragmatic factors indicate that Bible college libraries should provide access to a broad range of information resources, irrespective of the positions they espouse, except to the extent that such openness poses a serious threat to the fulfillment of their sponsoring institutions’ mission. To this end, Bible college libraries should take positive action to …

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