Thursday, August 31, 2017

Zotero: A guide for librarians, researchers, and educators (2nd edition)

Zotero: A Guide for Librarians, Researchers, and Educators (2nd edition), Jason Puckett. ACRL, 2017. 978-0-8389-8931-9.

Publisher's Description
2011’s Zotero: a guide for librarians, researchers, and educators was the first book-length treatment of this powerful research tool, and this completely revised and updated second edition is still the perfect guidebook to this robust, open access research tool that allows the user to manage all aspects of bibliographic data.

Functioning as a thorough introduction to Zotero—from setting up to saving, organizing, and citing items, and ending with more advanced topics—as well as a guide to teaching Zotero, including case studies of researchers throughout the book, this is both a guide to the tool and a handbook for understanding how different groups use it. Zotero also looks at strategies for developing effective support structures and channels within an institution and building the right linkages between relevant players, in particular library support staff and IT.

This second edition includes many more full-color figures, screenshots, and illustrations, revised bibliographies, substantial changes to the chapter on online tools, and the addition of a completely new chapter on add-ons and mobile applications. Zotero is a comprehensive guide for researchers who just need a how-to to help them make bibliographies; instruction librarians and teachers using Zotero in conjunction with classes doing research assignments; and reference librarians and tech support staff who are helping users with Zotero questions and problems.

More Information
See the publisher's website for Table of Contents and author information.

Self as Subject: Autoethnographic Research into Identity, Culture, and Academic Librarianship

Deitering, Anne-Marie, Robert Schroeder, Richard Stoddart (eds.) The Self as Subject: Autoethnographic Research into Identity, Culture, and Academic Librarianship. Association of College and Research Libraries, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-8389-8892-3

Description
Autoethnography is a type of research that uses writing and self-examination to explore far-ranging cultural, political, and social issues through personal experience. In this collection, 21 academic librarians investigate aspects of what it means to be a librarian. Starting with a reflective examination of themselves, they each investigate questions of culture, values, and identity.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD
Barbara Fister

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Anne-Marie Deitering, Robert Schroeder, and Rick Stoddart

INTRODUCTION. Why Autoethnography?
Anne-Marie Deitering


CHAPTER 1. Admitting What I Don’t Know: An Autoethnographic Study of Teaching, Fear, and Uncertainty
Anna Esty

CHAPTER 2. Avoiding Autoethnography: Writing toward Burnout
Benjamin R. Harris

CHAPTER 3. Version Control
Sarah Hartman-Caverly

CHAPTER 4. Finding Boomer Harding: An Autoethnography about History, Librarianship, and
Reconnecting
Heidi LM Jacobs

CHAPTER 5. When Worlds Collide
Derrick Jefferson

CHAPTER 6. Looking through a Colored Lens: A Black Librarian’s Narrative
La Loria Konata

CHAPTER 7. Cataloger’s Judgment and Cataloger’s Bias: On Lived Experience and Metadata Creation
Erin Leach

CHAPTER 8. Carving Out a Space: Ambiguity and Librarian Teacher Identity in the Academy
Janna Mattson, Maoria J. Kirker, Mary K. Oberlies, and Jason Byrd

CHAPTER 9. Away from the Library
David H. Michels

CHAPTER 10. Academic Rejection and Libraries
Emily Rogers

CHAPTER 11. You, She, I
An Autoethnographic Exploration through Noise
Michele R. SantamarĂ­a

CHAPTER 12. Many Hats, One Head: Considering Professional Identity in Academic Library Directorship
Maura A. Smale

CHAPTER 13. The Intersections of Art and Librarianship: “Filling in the Gaps”
Jolanda-Pieta (Joey) van Arnhem

CHAPTER 14. Librarian Origin Story
Mita Williams

CHAPTER 15. Evaluative Criteria for Autoethnographic Research: Who’s to Judge?
Robert Schroeder

CHAPTER 16. Shuffle the Cards, Save the Cat, and Eat the Cake
Rick Stoddart

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Affordable Course Materials: Electronic Textbooks and Open Educational Resources

Diaz, Chris (ed.) Affordable Course Materials: Electronic Textbooks and Open Educational Resources. An ALCTS Monograph. ALA Editions, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1580-6 

Description
The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) has gathered its members’ expertise to describe affordable text initiatives that promise to improve student learning and student retention. This  book demonstrates how librarians can use their collection, licensing, and faculty outreach know-how to help students and their instructors address skyrocketing textbook prices.

Table of Contents
Introduction    Collecting the Curriculum

Chapter One    One Size Fits None: The UCLA Library’s Customized Approach to Course Materials
by Sharon E. Farb and Dawn Setzler

Chapter Two    Curriculum-Driven Acquisitions: The University of Arizona Libraries’ Evolving Role in Campus Materials Support
by Jim Martin and Niamh Wallace

Chapter Three    Thinking Outside the Pages: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Atkins Library E-Textbook Program
by Elizabeth Siler

Chapter Four    The Bottom Line: DDA, E-Textbooks, and Student Savings at Louisiana State University Libraries
by Alice Daugherty and Emily Frank

Chapter Five    Textbooks and Course Adoption Materials at New York University Shanghai
by Michael Hughes

Chapter Six    The North Carolina State University Libraries’ Alt-Textbook Project: Open Education That Opens a Door to the Library
by Kristine Alpi, William Cross, Greg Raschke, and Madison Sullivan

Chapter Seven    Connecting Library Textbook Programs to Campus Initiatives
by Josh Cromwell

Chapter Eight    Disrupting the Model: Fostering Cultural Change through Academic Partnerships
by Aimee deNoyelles, John Raible, Penny Beile, and Sarah Norris

Chapter Nine    Textbook and OER Practices in the Humanities and Social Sciences: A Case Study at the University of Florida
by April Hines, Stacey Ewing, Colleen Seale, and Melissa Clapp

Friday, August 25, 2017

Protecting Patron Privacy: A LITA Guide

Newman, Bobbi and Bonnie Tijerina. Protecting Patron Privacy: A LITA Guide. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-4422-6970-5.

Although privacy is one of the core tenets of librarianship, technology changes have made it increasingly difficult for libraries to ensure the privacy of their patrons in the 21st century library.

This authoritative LITA Guide offers readers guidance on a wide range of topics, including:
  • Foundations of privacy in libraries
  • Data collection, retention, use, and protection
  • Laws and regulations
  • Privacy instruction for patrons and staff
  • Contracts with third parties
  • Use of in-house and internet tools including social network sites, surveillance video, and RFID

Monday, August 21, 2017

MOOCs Now

Alman, Susan W. and Jennifer Jumba (eds). MOOCs Now: Everything You Need to Know to Design, Set Up, and Run a Massive Open Online Course. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-4408-4457-7.

Use this practical and realistic guide to make the right decisions about whether and how to offer MOOCs.

Learn from experts who have created and presented Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that can reach a vast audience, and discover how to develop and present this new online form of continuing education.

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have become popular with eager learners as well as some educators wanting to test the boundaries of learning. Understandably, many educators approach MOOCs with trepidation and a number of questions. Are MOOCs simply a fad? Does this new venue threaten traditional higher education models? How are teachers to be remunerated for their efforts? And what can be done about student retention in an anonymous venue of a MOOC?

This book answers these questions and many more, offering a practical and realistic guide to MOOCs—one that will help anyone involved in higher education to better understand MOOCs and enable them to make decisions about whether and how to offer MOOCs. The authors address topics such as the various costs of offering a MOOC (teachers, developers, licensing, and software), explain accessibility options, examine the challenges of copyright and the administration required, and explore what the librarian's role should be. This insightful guide also explains your options for the presentation of text, video, and audio content; whether to give assignments or tests; and how to decide whether you should offer your MOOC for free or require a fee and offer a certificate upon course completion.
  • Covers the phenomenon of MOOCs from the perspective of veteran librarians—the first book to do so
  • Offers in-depth understanding and practical guidance to those considering offering MOOCs
  • Identifies the pitfalls to avoid and outcomes to pursue with this fast-growing trend in educational technology and online learning
  • Presents balanced coverage of the subject that provides readers with the pros as well as the cons in considering a MOOC

Leading in the New Academic Library

Albitz, Becky, Christine Avery, and Diane Zabel (eds). Leading in the New Academic Library. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, 2017. ISBN-978-1-4408-5113-1.

"Leadership" isn't just a buzzword; it's a critical competency for anyone looking to achieve success in
the academic library's evolving culture and environment.

Providing perspectives of practitioners who are early- and mid-career librarians as well as highly seasoned professionals, this book offers invaluable advice regarding leadership that will help academic librarians of all experience levels to surmount the confounding issues they face and to overcome new challenges.

Academic libraries and librarianship have dramatically evolved in recent years—in everything from their collections and facilities to their relationships with faculty and internal and external partners. These changes demand different mindsets and new skills on the part of librarians. This book explains how the quality of leadership is the key component of successfully implementing innovative service and practices—and as a result, of the success of the library itself. To that end, it offers practical guidelines for implementing leadership principles and achieving success in this evolving culture.

Co-edited by a team of three highly experienced academic librarians, Leading in the New Academic Library gives actionable advice regarding subjects like helping staff gain new competencies, leading from the middle, and succession planning. The content also addresses hot topics such as the academic library's new role, the integration of IT into library organization and infrastructure, making data-driven decisions, renovating a library space to meet changing user needs, and collaborating with internal as well as external partners.
  • Introduces academic librarians and students to key management issues and provides effective ways to address them
  • Demonstrates how qualities of leadership can be cultivated for career success
  • Provides up-to-date guidance on leadership skills as they apply in the academic library setting, skills which may not be covered in traditional textbooks for courses in library management and academic librarianship

The LITA Leadership Guide: The Librarian as Entrepreneur, Leader, and Technologist

Antonucci, Carl and Sharon Clapp (eds). The LITA Leadership Guide: The Librarian as Entrepreneur, Leader, and Technologist. Roman & Littlefield, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-4422-7902-5.

The LITA Leadership Guide from the American Library Association division charged with information technology brings together three important professional development topics -- leadership, entrepreneurship, and technology -- in one volume, uniting theory, practice, and case studies from experienced colleagues in the field.

Topics include: cultivating creativity, career pivots, forecasting and planning for change, keeping tech and leadership skills ahead of the curve, and incorporating lessons and knowledge from across sectors. Additional concepts include: professional development, evaluating risk, overcoming barriers to innovation, and seeding success in your career and organization.

The book will help librarians at every level of the career ladder and will supplement leadership and skill-based training workshops. Library leadership teams interested in the development of their staff as a means of improving their organizational performance will find this book to provide context for growth, training, and collaboration.

This book provides big-picture concepts that affect the many stages of a librarian’s career:
  • “Librarian as Leader”,
  • “Librarian as Entrepreneur”, and
  • “Librarian as Technologist”
and thus is suitable for staff development, discussion groups, or courses. This LITA Guide will help librarians understand how to chart their career development across these three foundational platforms, and become familiar with how peers have successfully created positive change for themselves, and their libraries, as leaders, entrepreneurs, and technologists.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Raising the Tech Bar at Your Library: Improving Services to Meet User Needs



Taylor, Nick D. Raisingthe Tech Bar at Your Library: Improving Services to Meet User Needs. Libraries Unlimited, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-4408-4496-6. 

From establishing tech centers to conducting tech training and providing one-on-one technology assistance, coding classes, and after-school programs, this guide shows you how to make your library the go-to place for technology learning.This book explains how librarians can capitalize on the growing interest and need of patrons for help with technology by expanding their library's tech services to build community engagement and support.

Keeping up with technology is more critical and difficult than ever. This challenge exists not only for library staff but for their patrons as well. Today's librarians are often barraged with increasingly complex questions from their patrons about technology—from loading eBooks onto their readers to helping resurrect dead laptops. Why not capitalize on this opportunity and transform your library into a first-stop, go-to resource for your community's tech needs?

Raising the Tech Bar at Your Library: Improving Services to Meet User Needs demonstrates a variety of ways to expand library services to better serve your community, including how to establish tech bars and tech centers, provide tech training and one-on-one tech help, host drop-in demos, and create a coding "dojo." The book covers after-school programs, makerspaces, and embedded librarianship as well. The authors draw on their personal experience to offer a practical blueprint for launching your tech initiative, starting with the preliminary steps of evaluating community needs and getting administrative and public buy-in to obtaining funding, training non-tech staff, setting up and launching your program, and evaluating the services you've established. The book ends with a look to the future that supplies provocative and exciting ideas of how libraries with innovative, tech-focused leadership can push the edge even further. This book serves a wide audience—all public librarians as well as library administrators, those who work in IT departments as well as adult or youth services, and reference librarians who are interested in expanding into this important and exciting area.

Features:

  • Offers librarians a new way to meet diverse users' needs and build community support
  • Provides librarians with a variety of ways—suited to different sizes and types of libraries—to expand their tech services
  • Presents practical guidelines that lead readers through a step-by-step process to reach their goals
  • Supplies guidance derived from the authors' personal experiences and those of their colleagues that illustrate the directives and clearly identify both what to do and mistakes to avoid

Managing the Digital You: Where and How to Keep and Organize Your Digital Life



Condron, Melody. Managing the Digital You: Where and How to Keep and Organize Your Digital Life. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-4422-7887-5.


Managing the Digital You: Where and How to Keep and Organize Your Digital Life is a much-needed guide for those struggling with how to manage and preserve their digital items. Starting with a values assessment, this book helps readers identify what items are important to them personally so that they can effectively prioritize their time and effort. Covering multimedia, correspondence, legacy planning, password protection, photos, non-digital documents, financial and legal documents, and even social media archiving, this comprehensive text addresses how to get started and how to develop a plan for managing existing and future items.


Features include: 
  • Value assessment exercises to help readers identify what is a preservation priority to them personally
  • Best practices for managing digital financial and legal documents
  • How to save things from multiple devices, as well as social media sites
  • Recommendations for scheduling maintenance activities and automating backup
  • Guidelines for creating a personal management plan so that users are prepared to handle new and existing documents, photos, and other digital material for ongoing access
After reading this short primer, readers will be ready to:
  1. better organize and identify what they already have in a digital form,
  2. have a personal plan for knowing what to discard and what to retain,
  3. know how to digitize papers, photographs, voicemail,
  4. preserve email and social media postings, and
  5. set up a workable long-term file naming and organizational structure.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Putting Teens First in Library Services



Braun, L. W., & Peterson, S. (2017). Putting Teens First in Library Services: A Road Map. Chicago, IL: Young Adult Library Services Association.

Implementing innovative teen services in libraries requires that library staff learn and adapt with their communities. Using core concepts outlined in YALSA’s The Future of Library Services for and With Teens: A Call to Action report as a spring-board, this publication takes a deep dive into the theory and practice behind meaningful, cutting-edge teen programs and services with contributions from diverse leaders in the field including front-line practitioners, managers, and researchers. From novice to expert, readers will explore the knowledge and information that they need in order to design a relevant and sustainable strategy, which will improve the lives of the teens that they serve.(book description)

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians


Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians, edited by Brandon K. West, Kimberly D. Hoffman, and Michelle Costello. ACRL, 2017. 978-0-8389-8929-6.

Publisher's Description
With an explosion of accessible information online and students feeling more and more independent in their searching skills and information needs, libraries are shifting to user-centered models. With this shift comes a need for librarians to transform the focus of the library from a great repository of material into a service-centric, one-stop research and learning shop for patrons. These changes are requiring librarians to define the library by the services it can provide, especially innovative ones, such as publishing services, scholarly communications, and project management. Instructional design can help librarians craft and assess these new and innovative services, including teaching information literacy, developing online content, and designing programs and outreach initiatives in a targeted and mindful way.

Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians explores the major overarching themes that show why instructional design is so impactful for academic librarians—intentionality, collaboration, and engagement—and provides you with extensive examples of how librarians are applying the theoretical perspectives of instructional design in practical ways. The book examines ways in which librarians are using instructional design principles to inform, construct, or evaluate information literacy initiatives; online library instruction and services; and programming and outreach efforts. Instructional design provides a way for instructors, trainers, and educators to both approach instruction creation systematically, and evaluate how it has been effective and how it can be improved.

Regardless of the instructional format, from classes to workshops to videos to worksheets, instructional design strives to ensure that potential learning gains by students are maximized and that the instruction is evaluated for improvement in future iterations.

More Information
See the publisher's website for Table of Contents and information about the editors.

So You Want to Be an Academic Library Director


Harris, Colleen S. So You Want to Be an Academic Library Director. ALA Editions, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1496-0

Description
This collection of essays offers a starting point from which academic library directors and aspirants can learn about various leadership skills and then plan their own professional development accordingly.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1   
Navigating Institutional Culture: Building Bridges and Not Burning Them
by Peg Seiden and Eleanor Mitchell
Chapter 2   
The Art of Asking: Communicating Expectations within Your Library
by Samantha Schmehl Hines
Chapter 3   
Collaboration in Connecticut Public Higher Education Libraries
by Patricia S. Banach
Chapter 4   
The Sum of Its Parts: Building Teamwork in the Modern Academic Library Environment
by Emy Nelson Decker
Chapter 5   
Iterative Strategic Planning: Lessons Learned in the Trenches
Bradford Lee Eden
Chapter 6   
So, You Find Yourself Supervising Faculty Librarians: What Now?
by Jonathan Miller
Chapter 7   
It’s Always Personal: Developing an Awareness of Employment Law
by Kim Clarke
Chapter 8   
Facilities for the Director: Communication and Process
Theresa Liedtka and Virginia Cairns
Chapter 9   
Library Safety and Security
by Lisa Beinhoff
Chapter 10   
Why Shared Governance Is Both the Worst and Best Model for Decision-Making in Libraries
by Gary Fitsimmons
Chapter 11   
Relationships with Stakeholders
by Patricia Tully
Chapter 12   
Reframing Community Relations: Four Perspectives on a Children’s Book Event
by Adam Murray
Chapter 13   
Cultural Diversity Programming at Academic Libraries: Skills for Success
by Christopher Shaffer