Purpose This study aims to assess current academic library services to theater students through an examination of online research guides. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a representative sample of 100 universities that offer theater degrees; the library website at each of these institutions is examined for the existence of a theater research guide. Each research guide was analyzed in depth. Findings The vast majority of the universities in the sample did create research guides for theater students, though the contents of these guides varied greatly. The study highlights findings including popular databases and journals for theater students, as well as media resources and common subjects for subsections or course guides. Research limitations/implications This study only examined a sample of 100 institutions; many theater research guides were not examined for this study. Additionally, analysis of online content is a time-specific endeavor: a guide may look significantly different from one month to the next, though the recommendations in this article might prove useful even if the sites at these institutions have since been updated. Practical implications Through an examination of a great number of guides, a few practical suggestions emerge for librarians looking to create theater research guides, such as highlighting playscripts and other print materials and including hyperlocal information (such as university production history). Originality/value Though several studies have been performed on research guides in various disciplines, this article is the first on those to theater students.

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to offer a new perspective on library instruction by examining its relationship with various aspects of theatrical performance. Design/methodology/approach – The author uses personal observations as inspiration to examine what has been written in scholarly literature about various theatrical practices in instruction, applying the conversation to the library instruction context. Additionally, research from business and professional literature is also incorporated into the discussion. This literature review focuses on three general areas. First, a review on how to use tools and perspectives from the theater to help librarians prepare their lessons; second, an examination of the librarian as performer; and third, a discussion on how theater might help librarians deal with repetition and burnout. Findings – The literature on this subject has been extensive and includes an all-encompassing range of practical suggestions, research findings and theoretical analyses. Research limitations/implications – This article looks at this subject through the lens of scholarly literature. Empirical research on this topic is still needed. Practical implications – The author presents a number of theatrical practices librarians might consider incorporating into their instruction sessions. Originality/value – Much has been written about the connection between teaching and theatrical performance, but seldom from a librarian’s point of view. This article is of value to librarians looking to develop a memorable one-shot instruction session and those looking to examine the connection between teaching and performance.

This bibliometric study used citation analysis to uncover citing characteristics in the burgeoning academic field of emergency management. Of the 281 degree programs listed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency nationwide, those at community colleges accounted for 17 percent of the total. Using the interdisciplinary database of Academic Search Complete, a sample of 5,099 citations was collected from 146 articles published between 2002 and 2012. The most strongly represented disciplines revealed by the analysis were Social Science, Science/Technology and Medicine. A majority of citations (45%) came from academic journals, with nearly half (44%) of those from Social Science. When citing outside of their discipline, medical and science/technology journals cited most often from Social Science, 70% and 12%, respectively. This study also finds the 20 most frequently cited journals, which will be of help to collection development and subject librarians.