Reference service remains a core function of modern libraries. However, how and where we provide assistance has evolved with changing technologies and the shifting habits and preferences of our users. One way libraries can provide the on-demand, in-person assistance while managing and developing new services and resources that will benefit current and future users is to reconsider how their reference points and services are staffed and adopt a staff-based reference model. The authors, staff members at Eastern Michigan University, chose to address this by implementing an inclusive reference...

Here, acclaimed technology author and speaker Robin Hastings brings both her own experience as a library s IT manager with outsourcing technical functions including email and network backups as well as basic hardware maintenance and that of others in her network of library techies to round out the book to help libraries of all types and sizes save money and expand services. Outsourced functions covered here range from using an outside firm to assist in creating a new library website to outsourcing basic computer maintenance and network administration. Outsourcing Technology: A Practical Guide...

Historical geographic material, like maps, plans, and air photos, although collected and persevered by libraries, archives, and other heritage organizations, are often hidden from the general public. They can be difficult to find, access, and use. Fortunately, these caches of cartographic gems have been recognized and valued for their significant contribution to research. As a result, many of these collections have been recently digitized and made available to the public, directly and freely, online. Acting as a comprehensive guide to online historical, cartographic and other visual...

Web scale discovery tools index a vast number of resources in a wide variety formats and allow users to search for content in a physical collection, print and electronic journal collections, and other resources from a single search box. Search results are displayed in a manner similar to internet searches, in a relevance-ranked list with links to online content. Implementing Web-Scale Discovery Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians is a one-stop source for librarians seeking to evaluate, purchase, and implement a web-scale discovery service. The book breaks down each phase of the project...

Apple Inc. has sold more than 500 million iPhones, iPads, and iPodTouches. Library patrons are increasingly coming to libraries with the expectation that their Apple devices will work flawlessly with library services or that they can find an iPad to use at the library if they don t have one of their own. Libraries and librarians today are expected to be adept with the latest technology and to be able to apply it to popular use as well as scholarly research. Using iPhones and iPads: A Practical Guide for Librarians offers library professionals a clear path to Apple readiness. The authors, a...

As more users expect to use their mobile devices, librarians will want and need to develop the necessary skills to reach this growing user base. Mobile Devices: A Practical Guide for Librarians will aid libraries and librarians as they go through the process of planning, developing, implementing, marketing, and evaluating mobile services. Based on research and experience using and developing for mobile devices, this guides includes information and ideas regarding: .Why mobile technologies are important for libraries .Developing mobile websites and applications for specific mobile platforms...

Commercials for the largest subscription database indicate that the process of genealogy is simple you just plug in what you know, and the database does the rest Those ads might sell subscriptions, but they are misleading. Getting beyond that low-hanging fruit is not so easy; collecting the records and data needed to delineate a family tree accurately requires time, organization, and informed searching. Records are available from many places, and finding them is never a one-stop shopping experience. So how does the new researcher identify which resources meet his or her specific research...

Providing library users with actual pieces of technological equipment that they can borrow is a continuously expanding service at many libraries, especially as faculty and teachers require multimodal projects. For some libraries, loanable technology may include calculators, gaming devices, headphones, e-readers, laptops, and tablets. Increasingly though, there is also demand for all types of cameras, lighting, voice recorders, microphones, external storage devices, projectors, peripherals and converters, among hundreds of possibilities. Based on their successful program at a large research...

Here, one of America's foremost experts in public library services to children cover the basics of library services for children. Jeanette Larson highlights best practices and "toolkits" that provide tools and resources to quickly implement programs and services. She includes model programs, checklists and forms, and ready-to-use examples of programs, with an emphasis on programs that are inexpensive to implement and simple to replicate. From start to finish, learn how to plan, implement, and manage public library programs and services for children, ages birth to twelve years old. Children's...

Here, one of America's foremost experts in public library services to children cover the basics of library services for children. Jeanette Larson highlights best practices and ""toolkits"" that provide tools and resources to quickly implement programs and services. Children's Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians offers basic background, practical experience, and best practices necessary for the successful provision of children's services in today's public library. Whether you are a part-time children's librarian in a small, rural library, a generalist assigned to provide...