Friday, August 30, 2013

Transforming Young Adult Services (book)






Bernier, A. (2013). Transforming Young Adult Services. Chicago, IL: Neal-Schuman.

In this vigorous call to action that encourages LIS students, researchers, and practitioners to question some of the underlying assumptions of their discipline, Bernier initiates an open discussion about how YA professionals perceive young adults. Exploring the question of what an LIS-specific vision of young adults should be, this book offers a wide array of provocative positions with implications for libraries in literacy initiatives, YA space, intergenerational interactions, and civic life. Research-based articles and essays from leading scholars and practitioners examine young adults in historical and conceptual contexts, such as the ways in which social theory is rapidly changing the essence of YA librarianship. The variety of perspectives and analyses offered will launch a vigorous new debate on how libraries and those in the field think of and serve young adults. 

(book description)


Books Challenged or Banned 2012-2013 (supplement)

Doyle, R.P. (2013). Books Challenged or Banned 2012-2013. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

The annual supplement to the Banned Books Resource Guide contains information on recent bans, challenges, and successes in libraries and schools nationwide. Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

For more information about Banned Books Week, please visit the Banned Books website.
(supplement description)


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Communicating Professionally: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians, 3rd ed.



Ross, Catherine Sheldrick and Kirsti Nilsen.  Communicating Professionally: A How-To-Do-It, 3rd ed.  Chicago: Neal-Schuman, 2013.  020.14 Ross  ISBN 978-1555709082



An updated and expanded version of the training guide Booklist called "one of the most valuable professional publications to come off the presses in a long time," the new third edition of Communicating Professionally is completely revised with new sections outlining the opportunities offered by contemporary communication media. With more resource information on cross-cultural communication, including new applications of communication principles and the latest research-based material on communication in general, this comprehensive manual covers 


  •  Fundamental skills such as listening, speaking, and writing
  •  Reading others’ nonverbal behavior
  •  How to integrate skills, with tips for practicing
  • Sense-making, a theory of information as communication
  • Common interactions like speaking one-on-one, working in groups, and giving presentations
  • Training others in communication skills, including a special section on technology-based training

RDA: Strategies for Implementation



El-Sherbin, Magda.  RDA: Strategies for Implementation.  Chicago: ALA, 2013.  025.32 ElShe  ISBN 978-0838911686



In this important book El-Sherbini tackles key questions about how the new cataloging standard will be implemented by cataloging professionals, offering an orientation in the conceptual background and the structure of RDA: Resource Description and Access from a practical and technical perspective, including a detailed comparison with AACR2. Firmly rooted in the concrete application of RDA, with numerous sample records, this book:

  •     Covers FRBR-driven tasks, FRBR-Group relationships, and principles of FRAD, including how FRAD impacts the RDA application
  • Analyzes the roles of manifestations and items, such as pre-cataloging decisions, preferred sources of information, and mandatory elements of description
  •  Discusses works and expressions for specific library materials, from methods of recording primary relationships to constructing the authorized access point and recording relationships
  •   Offers advice for using RDA Toolkit, with tips for efficient navigation in RDA Toolkit using workflows and searching techniques
  •  Digs deeply into a variety of technical issues, including RDA s effect on OPAC displays, implementation of the new RDA fields that represent adding new elements, adjusting systems to accommodate the new MARC21 fields, integrating new records using RDA with older records, when to re-catalog a set of manifestations, exporting an RDA-based bibliographic record from OCLC into the OPAC, choosing RDA elements to describe your library materials (core vs. full elements), upgrading OCLC records to RDA, and many more.
Every cataloger will want this volume close at hand as a comprehensive roadmap to the changes already underway.

Developing and Managing Electronic Collections: The Essentials


Johnson, Peggy.  Developing and Managing Electronic Collections: The Essentials.  Chicago: ALA, 2013  025.284 Johns  ISBN 9780838911907



The complex issues associated with developing and managing electronic collections deserve special treatment, and library collection authority Peggy Johnson rises to the challenge with a book sure to become a benchmark for excellence. Providing comprehensive coverage of key issues and decision points, she offers advice on best practices for developing and managing these important resources for libraries of all types and sizes. With an emphasis on practical solutions that will provide effective and timely access to online resources for library users, she presents an in-depth look at:

  •     The fundamentals of electronic resource planning, selection, and evaluation
  •   The evolving world of acquisition options, licenses, and contracts
  •   Fostering and maintaining positive relationships with vendors and publishers
  •  Budgeting and financial considerations, with guidance on how to collaborate across library organizational lines to acquire and manage e-content more efficiently

Tips, informational sidebars, and suggested reading lists accompany each chapter, and an extensive glossary defines essential terms and concepts.