Foreword by Maurice Coleman
Technology infuses every aspect of every day in every library, and thus basic technology skills are a prerequisite for everyone who works in a library. Providing a one-stop overview of all technologies used in libraries today, this comprehensive primer belongs at the top of the reading list for any current or future library professional looking to stay at the forefront of technological advancement. Representing a complete update of the book under a new author, this seventh edition of the guide is bolstered with fresh insights gleaned from librarians and library staff members sharing how they work with a given technology in their library settings. Readers will learn about
- how technologies have historically impacted libraries;
- electronic resources including e-books, full-text articles, and streaming media;
- the crucial role of free web information in supporting library research;
- discovery layers and other systems for organizing information to make it easier to find;
- desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices;
- library websites, web services, screencasts, distance learning, and learning management systems;
- social networking and patron participation, with newly crafted guidelines;
- makerspaces and other possibilities for adding creative activities and technologies to libraries such as virtual reality and augmented reality;
- a comprehensive examination of how to build and maintain the library technology environment, with advice on crafting an effective plan, purchasing equipment, putting systems into operation, and preservation issues stemming from dead and dying technologies;
- Universal Design (UX) and adaptive/assistive technologies;
- protecting technology and technology users by securing collections, enhancing computer security, and safeguarding privacy; and
- possible future developments in library technology, with suggested resources for staying informed.
This best-selling guide, newly refreshed and updated, will give readers at every stage of their career a sound and sensible way to consider, access, and use library technologies to better meet the needs of their patrons and communities.
List of Illustrations
Foreword by Maurice Coleman
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I: Library Technology in Context
Chapter 1 The Universe of Library Technology
PART II: Mission Critical Technologies
Chapter 2 Free Information Resources: Part of the Library Arsenal
Chapter 3 Library Electronic Resources: E-books, Full-Text Articles, and
Streaming Media
Chapter 4 Organizing Information to Make It Easier to Find: Library Systems,
Discovery Layers, and More
Chapter 5 Computing Devices in Libraries: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, and
Mobile Devices
PART III: Technology That Makes Library Services Run
Chapter 6 Library Websites and Web Services
Chapter 7 Social Networking and Patron Participation: Marketing and More
Chapter 8 How Library Staff Learn and Teach: Screencasts, Distance Learning,
and Learning Management Systems
Chapter 9 Makerspaces and Libraries
PART IV: Building and Maintaining the Technology Environment in Libraries
Chapter 10 The Right Technology at the Right Time: Planning, Evaluating,
Buying, and Implementing Technology
Chapter 11 Meeting and Supporting Patron Technology Needs: Universal Design
and Adaptive/Assistive Technologies
Chapter 12 Building the Technology Environment: Infrastructure, Ergonomics,
and Sustainability
Chapter 13 Protecting Technology and Technology Users: Securing Collections,
Enhancing Computer Security, and Protecting Privacy
Chapter 14 The Death of Technologies: Preservation Issues and Saying
Goodbye
PART V: Where Library Technology Is Going and How to Stay Informed
Chapter 15 Our Technological Futures: Maintaining Library Services in
Infinite Possibilities
Chapter 16 Keeping Track of Technology Changes
Glossary
About the Author
Index
Robin Hastings is the Library Services Consultant for the Northeast Kansas Library System in the lovely town of Lawrence, KS. She has a Bachelors Degree in IT with a Masters Degree in Library Science. Shes been working in libraries with technology since the last millennium and has written four books, a Library Technology Report, several articles and a couple of contributed chapters on library technology. Shes also presented around the world on a variety of library technology and general library management topics. She served as the Mountain Plains Library Association president for 2024-2025 and as the Koha Users Group President in 2015-2016.
