American Libraries 1730 – 1950

Breisch, Kenneth. American Libraries 1730 – 1950. New York : W.W. Norton & Company ; Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 2017. ISBN 9780393731606.

An expansive overview of our storehouses of knowledge, from the earliest library building (Philadelphia, 1745) to midcentury modern and beyond. Although new technologies appear poised to alter it, the library remains a powerful site for discovery, and its form is still determined by the geometry of the book and the architectural spaces devised to store and display it. American Libraries provides a history and panorama of these much-loved structures, inside and out, encompassing the small personal collection, the vast university library, and everything in between.

Through 500 photographs and plans selected from the encyclopedic collections of the Library of Congress, Kenneth Breisch traces the development of libraries in the United States, from roots in such iconic examples as the British Library and Paris’s Bibliotheque-Ste.-Genevieve to institutions imbued with their own American mythology. Starting with the private collections of wealthy merchants and landowners during the eighteenth century, the book looks at the Library of Congress, large and small public libraries, and the Carnegie libraries, and it ends with a glimpse of modern masterworks. [Includes] 850 illustrations.

Using Digital Analytics for Smart Assessment

Farney, Tabatha. Using Digital Analytics for Smart Assessment. Chicago : ALA Editions, 2018. ISBN 9780838915981. 

From the publisher:

Tracking the library user's journey is no simple task in the digital world; users can often navigate

through a series of different websites, including library websites, discovery tools, link resolvers, and more just to view a single journal article. Your library collects massive amounts of data related to this journey—probably more than you realize, and almost certainly more than you analyze. Too often library analytic programs simplify data into basic units of measurements that miss useful insights. Here, data expert Farney shows you how to maximize your efforts: you’ll learn how to improve your data collection, clean your data, and combine different data sources.

Teaching you how to identify and analyze areas that fit your library’s priorities, this book covers:

• case studies of library projects with digital analytics;
• ways to use email campaign data from MailChimp or ConstantContact;
• how to measure click-through rates from unavailable items in the catalog to the ILL module;
• getting data from search tools such as library catalogs, journal search portals, link resolvers, and digital repositories;
• using COUNTER compliant data from your electronic resources;
• techniques for using Google Tag Manager for custom metrics and dimensions;
• descriptions of analytics tools ranging from library analytics tools like Springshare’s LibInsights and Orangeboy’s Savannah to more focused web analytics tools like Google Analytics, Piwik, and Woopra; and
• data visualization tools like Tableau or Google Data Studio.

Focusing on digital analytics principles and concepts, this book walks you through the many tools available, including step-by-step examples for typical library needs.

Supporting Local Businesses and Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age

DiVincenzo, Salvatore and Elizabeth Malafi. Supporting Local Businesses and Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age. Santa Barbara, California : Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2017. ISBN 9781440851520.

From the publisher:

Serving communities today entails serving businesses—in particular, local businesses, entrepreneurs, and those looking to become entrepreneurs. Understandably, many librarians are not prepared for this role, and as a result feel uncomfortable in it. Supporting Local Businesses and Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age: The Public Librarian's Toolkit explains how librarians and libraries can better serve the business community, offering specific guidance on everything from information resources—including books, databases, and free online sites—to programming, special events, marketing, and outreach.

Readers will gain insight into key topics ranging from embedded business librarianship, virtual business librarianship, and government documents to seminars, one-on-one appointments, and trade shows. Providing invaluable guidance based on the authors' real-world experience and research as well as interviews with librarians in all sizes of libraries around the country, this book offers practical, actionable advice and proven best practices for serving local business owners and entrepreneurs.

Features:

• Gives librarians tools and practical advice for better serving small businesses and entrepreneurs 
• Provides librarians with the "big picture" of serving small businesses, from collections and services to programs 
• Speaks to librarians at all sizes of libraries, offering concrete guidance and tips that they can immediately put to use in their community
• Offers real-life examples from librarians throughout the United States

Connected Librarians Tap Social Media

Robertson, Nikki D. Connected Librarians: Tap Social Media to Enhance Professional Development and Student Learning. International Society for Technology in Education, 2017.
ISBN: 978-1-56484-392-0

Publisher's Description
Once taboo in schools, the use of social media has become essential, providing schools with opportunities for outreach, advocacy and more. Today, it’s often the responsibility of librarians to model the proper use of social media for students.

Connected Librarians: Tap Social Media to Enhance Professional Development and Student Learning offers insights into the opportunities and obstacles of this exciting but sometimes challenging topic, including practical ideas for making the most of social media in your school library.

This informative guide is the professional development librarians need to understand how to effectively use social media to improve student learning.

This book will:

• Demonstrate how to model responsible social media use to manage issues of privacy and anonymity within social media sites and apps.
• Provide tips on teaching digital citizenship, such as using a learning management system to create a safe environment for students to hone digital communication skills.
• Show how to leverage social media tools to encourage reading and writing through rating and reviewing books, creating fan fiction and more.
• Demonstrate how to use social media as a powerful tool to build your own professional learning network.

Table of contents and excerpt

Reimagining Library Spaces

Rendina, Diana. Reimagining Library Spaces: Transform Your Space on Any Budget. International Society for Technology in Education, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-56484-391-3

Publisher's Description

With the advent of modern technologies and the rise of participatory and active learning pedagogy, the traditional school library model is no longer as effective as it once was.

Reimagining Library Spaces helps librarians rethink the library space, including the changing role of technology, showing ways to transform how students learn in and use these spaces.

Find the guidance you need to make smart and efficient updates to your library space that encourage the use of technology to improve student learning.

This book includes:

• Tips and strategies for transforming your outdated library space on a small budget. 
• How-to’s for addressing the challenges and opportunities brought about by the changing role of technology, including collaborative learning labs, makerspaces and ways to support BYOD.
• Practical suggestions for finding ideas to improve your space, inventory your library and survey your community.

Table of contents and excerpt