Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Learning to Lead and Manage Information Literacy Instruction

Grassian, Esther S., and Joan R. Kaplowitz. Learning to Lead and Manage Information Literacy Instruction. New York City, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2005.

Covers topics from management to cooperation and change, grant writing, publicity, promo and learning to manage technology. Comes with a CD with support materials including info lit enhanced syllabus, memo to administrator, help forms, web links.

Guiding Students from Cheating and Plagiarism to Honesty and Integrity: Strategies for Change.

Lathrop, Ann, and Kathleen Foss, eds. Guiding Students from Cheating and Plagiarism to Honesty and Integrity: Strategies for Change. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2005. Focus is on guiding students, educators and parents from a culture that ignores or tolerates cheating into one where every effort is made to value, encourage, and support honesty.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Library 2.0 and Beyond

Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow's User, edited by Nancy Courtney ; foreword by Steven J. Bell. Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 152 p.

Description:

Library 2.0: does everyone seem to know what this means except you? Or are you reasonably well informed but wondering what challenge to take on next? In this new work, Nancy Courtney has assembled some of the most forward looking thinkers in the library world to describe the next generation of online tools. Beginning with Steven J. Bell, each contributor introduces his or her favorite technology, outlines its use, and discusses its potential in today's library environment.

Table of contents:

Preface Steven Bell
Chapter 1: Web 2.0 and Library 2.0: What Librarians Need to Know Elizabeth L. Black
Chapter 2: Library Catalog 2.0 Michael Casey
Chapter 3: The Wonderful World of Wikis: Applications for Libraries Chad Boeninger
Chapter 4: Podcasting in Libraries Chris Kretz
Chapter 5: Handheld Computers in Libraries Christopher Strauber
Chapter 6: Mashups and Web Services Eric Schnell
Chapter 7: Online Social Networking Brian S. Mathews
Chapter 8: Folksonomies and User-Based Tagging Ellyssa Kroski
Chapter 9: up,up,down,down,left,right,left,right,a,b,select, start: Learning from Games and Gamers in Library 2.0 David Ward
Chapter 10: Library 2.0 and Virtual Worlds = Innovation + Exploration Lori Bell, Tom Peters, and Kitty Pope
Chapter 11: Digital Storytelling, Libraries, and Community Karen Diaz and Anne M. Fields
Suggested Readings
Index
About the Editor and Contributors

Web 2.0 for Librarians and Informational Professionals

Web 2.0 for Librarians and Informational Professionals, Ellyssa Kroski, New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers, c2008. 209 p.

Description from the publisher:

Here is a book that will help public, school, and academic librarians take advantage of Web 2.0 technologies. Using an easy-to-understand writing style, author Ellyssa Kroski provides librarians and information professionals with a detailed look at the latest and hottest technologies. She provides innovative, real-world examples of libraries which are using these technologies to enhance their online presence, showcase services and increase patronage – as well as helpful, illustrative screenshots. Whether to create a book review blog, social bookmark collection, subject specific RSS feed, or a specialized search engine, librarians will find this guide invaluable for promoting their services in a digital age and attracting even the most tech-savvy of patrons.

Library Services to the Incarcerated

Library Services to the Incarcerated: Applying the Public Library Model in Correctional Facility Libraries, by Sheila Clark and Erica MacCreaigh. Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited, 2006. 246 p.

Description:
More than 2 million adults are serving time in correctional facilities, and hundreds of thousands of youth are in juvenile detention centers. There are more than 1,300 prisons and jails in the United States, and about a third as many juvenile detention centers. Inmates, as much or more than the general population, need information and library services. They represent one of the most challenging and most grateful populations you, as a librarian, can work with. This book is intended to aid librarians whose responsibilities include serving the incarcerated, either as full-time jail or prison librarians, or as public librarians who provide outreach services to correctional facilities. It is also of interest to library school students considering careers in prison librarianship. The authors, a jail librarian and an outreach librarian, show how you can apply the public library model to inmate populations, and provide exemplary library service. They offer a wealth of ideas, answering questions about facilities and equipment, collection development, services and programming; computers and the Internet; managing human resources, including volunteers and inmate workers; budgeting and funding; and advocacy within the facility and in the community. The approach is practical and down-to-earth, with numerous examples and anecdotes to illustrate ideas.

Research-based Readers' Advisory

Research-based Readers' Advisory, Jessica E. Moyer ; with contributions by Amanda Blau ... [et al.] Chicago : American Library Association, 2008. 278 p.

From the publisher:
Written by RA expert Jessica Moyer with contributions from leading RA luminaries, Research-Based Readers' Advisory approaches research from two vantage points: the Research Review provides an expert overview of new research, and the Librarian's View, written by RA experts, discusses practical issues.

In recent years, many excellent research projects on topics related to readers' advisory services have been published. Yet keeping up with the latest research findings is a challenge for many readers' advisors.

Written by RA expert Jessica Moyer with contributions from leading RA luminaries, Research-Based Readers' Advisory approaches research from two vantage points: the Research Review provides an expert overview of new research, and the Librarian's View, written by RA experts, discusses practical issues.

Written in straightforward terms, this one-stop guidebook


  • Provides an easily accessible resource for reviewing everyday interactions with readers
  • Includes real-world examples of RA changes based on the results of research
  • Gives pointers for further research through reference lists at the end of each chapter
  • Offers extensive coverage on a wide range of topics, including bookgroups and audiovisual readers' advisory, as well as collection development and management
Librarians and staff doing readers' advisory and LIS students can become better acquainted with readers' advisory research using the guidance offered here. This book also serves as useful background for readers' advisory training programs and continuing education in library systems.

Library Challenges and Opportunities

Library Spaces: Future Needs, teleconference broadcast by the College of DuPage on March 7, 2008; taped off-air with permission. Host, Mike Jackson; teleconference moderator, Alan Kirk Gray; panelists, Jeffrey Hoover, Elisabeth Martin.

Alan Kirk Gray, Assistant Director of Operations for the Darien (CT) Public Library, brings together a panel of prominent architects whose focus is on libraries to discuss how library spaces can reflect the role of today's libraries. Alan has consulted on the development of appropriate, innovative library spaces, and is currently responsible for the planning and construction of a new Darien Public Library building. He will be joined by Elisabeth Martin and Jeffrey Hoover, noted architects whose focus is on library planning and design. The panelists will address design and function in all types of libraries, and explore creative ways of configuring current and future library space to meet new services. Join us for an enlightening discussion about making the most of current library spaces, and take a look at some of the more innovative library spaces today. Running time is 90 minutes.

Monday, April 21, 2008

People Watching with a Purpose: "Meeting Needs Before They Need It"

From the Soaring to Excellence Series 2007-2008
People Watching with a Purpose: "Meeting Needs Before They Need It"

How many times have you planned and prepared a program or service based on what you thought was a "community need"? How many of these didn't quite work out like you planned?

Libraries-public, school, and academic- are revising their roles in communities, moving beyond the rapidly outdated paradigm of creating services for patrons. Instead, libraries are beginning to partner with community members to build meaningful experiences and grow services from the grassroots.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Transforming Library Service through Information Commons

Transforming library service through information commons: case studies for the digital age by D. Russell Bailey and Barbara Gunter Tierney. Chicago : American Library Association, 2008. 155 p.

From the ALA website:
The Information Commons (IC) strives to unite all the facts and figures of the world into a resource available to everyone. Many academic libraries are considering implementing an information commons model that reflects the contemporary way patrons use resources. Others plan on revitalizing their libraries through configurations that easily integrate research, teaching, and learning with a digital focus.

This invaluable guide provides the “how-to” information necessary for institutions considering the development of an information commons. Offering plain-speaking advice on what works, expert authors Bailey and Tierney provide comprehensive case studies from small and large academic libraries to help librarians implement, provide training for, market, and assess an information commons.

Each of the 20 case studies details
  • Lessons learned through the successes and mistakes of building an IC
  • Summary Data Charts for each library including annual budget and number of patrons
  • Common properties and characteristics of ICs across the nation, including staff needs
  • Physical descriptions, photos, and sample brand and graphics from other ICs
Readers will learn the historical context for Information Commons and understand what practicalities need to be part of the planning process.

Academic, public, and school librarians who are considering an IC or are looking for ways to improve their IC will find a wealth of information here.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Fundamentals of Technical Services Management

Intner, Sheila S., and Peggy Johnson. Fundamentals of Technical Services Management. ALA Fundamentals Series. Chicago, 2008. isbn 0-8389-0953-1 158 pp.

The processes for acquiring, cataloging, and preserving resources have undergone dramatic changes in the pst decade,and library technical services departments have had to evolve quickly in response. Often Librarians asked to take on technical services management roles find themselves both underprepared and without guidance from their institutions.

In this work, the authors make sense of the chaos as they examine the role and responsibilities of the technical services manager. This authoritative book:

-gives new managers the tools necessary to effectively run the technical services dept
-provides guidance on working with and evaluating staff, vendors, and department outputs
-suggests was to boost department visibility

Information contained can be applied to all library types and all practitioners benefit from this practical, step-by-step approach.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World: A Report to the OCLC Membership.

Principal contributors, Cathy De Rosa, Joanne Cantrell, Andy Havens, Janet Hawk, Lillie Jenkins ; graphics, layout and editing, Brad Gauder, Rick Limes ; contributors, Diane Cellentani ... [et al.] Dublin, Ohio, USA : OCLC, c2007.

From the OCLC website:

The practice of using a social network to establish and enhance relationships based on some common ground—shared interests, related skills, or a common geographic location—is as old as human societies, but social networking has flourished due to the ease of connecting on the Web. This OCLC membership report explores this web of social participation and cooperation on the Internet and how it may impact the library’s role, including:

  • The use of social networking, social media, commercial and library services on the Web
  • How and what users and librarians share on the Web and their attitudes toward related privacy issues
  • Opinions on privacy online
  • Libraries’ current and future roles in social networking

The report is based on a survey (by Harris Interactive on behalf of OCLC) of the general public from six countries—Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States—and of library directors from the U.S. The research provides insights into the values and social-networking habits of library users.

Sustaining Public Access Computing Programs

Sustaining Public Access Computing Programs: Technology and Management Competencies.

Editor, Betha Gutsche. Dublin, OH : WebJunction ; OCLC, c2007.

WebJunction’s competencies are divided into three sections—two of which address technical skills
and knowledge and a third that addresses the management of public access computing programs.

Technology Competencies for Patron Assistance defines skills that frontline library staff need in order to provide direct assistance to patrons on the public computers. The System Administration section defines skills necessary to set up, configure and maintain the public computers and networks.

The Management Competencies are the umbrella over all, covering the mastermaster-planning, coordination and integration aspects of running a public access computing program.