Interview a working librarian and tour the library where the librarian works, then document your interview and tour in a short video.

1. At the beginning of Chapter 2 Rubin discusses the three conditions necessary for libraries. One of the conditions is political stability. The world has seen numerous instances recently in which societies entered into periods of conflict (for example, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt). Pick a nation that has recently undergone or is currently experiencing violent conflict. What has happened to libraries there? Are there any organizations, whether within the country you selected or international, that have stepped in to help?
   
   Living thousands of miles away from these libraries, why should we care about what happens to them? Are we stake holders? In what way?

2. On pages 38 and 39 Rubin discusses the Library of Alexandria of the ancient world. Please visit the website of the new Biblioteca Alexandrina at http://www.bibalex.org/Home/Default_EN.aspx. How do the mission and objectives of the new Biblioteca Alexandrina compare to those of the ancient one?

3. The Biblioteca Alexandrina is now a host of the Internet Archive. In your view, how does that fit with the mission of the library?

4. Rubin notes that from the time of ancient Greece through the Renaissance the centers of scholarship and research shifted a number of times. What are the factors you see as most important in becoming such a center during that period? Are these factors still at work today? Based on the factors you have listed, where would you expect to find the major centers of scholarship and research today?

5. Rubin talks about the development of the social library in eighteenth-century America. How does the author describe the mission of the social library? In particular Rubin mentions one such social library, the Library Company of Philadelphia, established by Benjamin Franklin. This library still exists. Please visit http://www.librarycompany.org/. How does the mission of the Library Company of Philadelphia today relate to the mission of social libraries in the eighteenth century as described by Rubin? Perusing the descriptions of programs on the library's website, do you feel it is relevant to society today? If yes, how so? If not, why not?

Barr

1. Visit one of the sites mentioned by Barr. Do you find anything of interest to your future career plans? If so, please share this with your group.

Ozek

1. What do the findings of the work reviewed by Ozek suggest to you about preparing for your future job search?

Other

1. Now that you know the history of the library, connect the work and how the Biblioburro got started to the overarching history of the library.