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Elsevier

Books in Library and information systems

  • Refocusing Academic Libraries through Learning and Discourse

    The Idea of a Library
    • 1st Edition
    • Mary K. Bolin
    • English
    Organizational Transformation in Academic Libraries: Discourse, Process, Product helps inform discussions in academic libraries on organizational patterns and divisions of labor. The book gives librarians leverage to think outside traditional bureaucratic structures and re-think how libraries serve their patrons. It examines existing structures and proposes new organizational models and lays out a process for planning organizational transformation and implementing a new organization. Seven chapters offer a radical vision of library transformation, proposing a collaborative process for changing academic libraries into organizations fit for the second quarter of the twenty-first century and beyond. Academic libraries are changing in the face of information technologies, economic pressures and globally disruptive events such as the current pandemic. As a result, practical solutions for transforming organizational and workflow structures for the future are desperately needed. The title analyzes existing organizational structures and proposes new ones that can be adapted to individual libraries. It discusses the challenges posed by virtual learning environments, digital initiatives and resources, changes to cataloging standards and succession planning, as well as changes brought about by the current pandemic.

  • China's Publishing Industry

    From Mao to the Market
    • 1st Edition
    • Qidong Yun
    • English
    China's Publishing Industry presents a portrait of the contemporary Chinese publishing industry in its political and commercial contexts, and analyses how its structures are influenced by the state and by market forces. Starting with an overview of the publishing business in China, this book takes a long view of the profound changes in China's publishing industry, covering a period from the 'socialist transformation' under Mao to the more recent reforms, such as the conglomeration and corporatisation, of the industry. The book investigates the impact of the changing social, economic and ideological environment on the structure and operation of the publishing industry, and explores how the burgeoning digital publishing business is shaped by the broader social context. It reveals that the process of commercialisation in China's publishing industry has been marked by persistent tensions and contradictions, and demonstrates, through case studies, how these tensions have impacted everyday practices.

  • Archives in the Digital Age

    Standards, Policies and Tools
    • 1st Edition
    • Lina Bountouri
    • English
    Archives in the Digital Age: Standards, Policies and Tools discusses semantic web technologies and their increased usage in distributing archival material. The book is a useful manual for archivists and information specialists working in cultural heritage institutions, including archives, libraries, and museums, providing detailed analyses of how metadata and standards are used to manage archival material, and how this material is disseminated through the web using the Internet, the semantic web, and social media technologies. Following an introduction from the author, the book is divided into five sections that explore archival description, digitization, the preservation of archives, the promotion of archival material through social media, and current trends in archival science.

  • Collective Action 2.0

    The Impact of Social Media on Collective Action
    • 1st Edition
    • Shaked Spier
    • English
    Collective Action 2.0 explores the issues related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in detail, providing a balanced insight into how ICTs leverage and interact with collective action, which will have an impact on the current discourse. Recent events in different authoritarian regimes, such as Iran and Egypt, have drawn global attention to a developing phenomenon in collective action: People tend to organize through different social media platforms for political protest and resistance. This phenomenon describes a change in social structure and behavior tied to ICT. Social media platforms have been used to leverage collective action, which has in some cases arguably lead, to political revolution. The phenomenon also indicates that the way information is organized affects the organization of social structures with which it interoperates. The phenomenon also has another side, which is the use of social media for activist suppression, state and corporate surveillance, commodifi cation of social processes, demobilization, or for the mobilization of collective action toward undesirable ends.

  • Staff-Less Libraries

    Innovative Staff Design
    • 1st Edition
    • Carl Gustav Johannsen
    • English
    Staff-Less Libraries: Innovative Staff Design considers the challenges of this approach, its pros and cons, identifies international experiences, and discusses best practices. It presents a step-by-step approach to implementing a staffless library and/or services, and seeks to inspire professionals to share experiences and optimize their library. Staff-less public libraries, enabled by technological developments, represent a significant and innovative aspect of the development of public libraries. The concept radically enlarges the availability of user access to public libraries. Some Danish public library branches have, for example, increased their weekly opening hours from 20 to 80 hours per week. In Denmark, the concept has been quite successful, increasing the number of staff-less libraries from 81 public library units in 2011 to 260 in 2014. From a longer view, however, the staff-less library concept contributes to the modernization of public libraries by further opening the library. Many library professionals have been surprised by the near absence of vandalism through the staffl-ess opening hours. According to the latest trend, the staffless library model is gradually moving from thinly populated rural areas and suburban neighborhoods to urban contexts. This book explores the concept, hence furthering the debate.

  • Navigation Design and SEO for Content-Intensive Websites

    A Guide for an Efficient Digital Communication
    • 1st Edition
    • Mario Pérez-Montoro + 1 more
    • English
    Navigation Design and SEO for Content-Intensive Websites: A Guide for an Efficient Digital Communication presents the characteristics and principal guidelines for the analysis and design of efficient navigation and information access systems on content-intensive websites, such as magazines and other media publications. Furthermore, the book aims to present the tools of information processing, including information architecture (IA) and content categorization systems, so that such designs can ensure a good navigation experience based on the semantic relations between content items. The book also presents best practices in the design of information access systems with regard to their main structures, including search query forms and search result pages. Finally, the book describes the foundations of search engine optimization (SEO), emphasizing SEO oriented to publications focused on communication and the coverage of current affairs, including images and videos.

  • Citation Tracking in Academic Libraries

    An Overview
    • 1st Edition
    • Judith Mavodza
    • English
    Citation Tracking in Academic Libraries: An Overview presents results from the overarching need for researchers to get relevant advice for their scholarly pursuits. This is even more critical in the fast changing environment, where even those who are established scholars find the new scholarly publishing paradigm hectic, and amateurs get easily intimidated. In the wake of the competitive ranking of universities, there is an added requirement for faculty to be involved with research activities so they can enhance the standing of their parent institutions. That means there is a need to use valid and authentic platforms for publishing. Making reference to already existing texts and answering questions that have been encountered by the author, the book is compiled to make easy, short, and concise reading that is an overview on the tracking of citations. Besides giving suggestions on how academic librarians can provide support to scholars, it includes the benefit of having librarians who are also scholars.

  • Emerging Technologies for Librarians

    A Practical Approach to Innovation
    • 1st Edition
    • Sharon Q Yang + 1 more
    • English
    Emerging Technologies for Librarians: A Practical Approach to Innovation focuses on the practical applications of emerging technologies in libraries, defining the technologies in the context of their use in real situations. Each chapter includes an overview of the use of emerging technologies in a particular work area that is followed by a list of relevant applications. Chapters cover work areas such as advertising, distance learning, metadata. and digital libraries, and also focus on applications, including mobile computing and web conferencing, followed by a conclusion. This book serves as a guide for those interested in learning about, and implementing, the available technologies that enhance library services, and also lists and discusses the types of emerging technologies that are available for a specific area of work.

  • Maximizing Electronic Resources Management in Libraries

    Applying Business Process Management
    • 1st Edition
    • Lenore England + 1 more
    • English
    Maximizing Electronic Resources Management in Libraries: Applying Business Process Management examines the use of Business Process Management (BPM) and the ways it can be beneficially applied to electronic resources management (ERM) to help organize processes in libraries. The book offers librarians a skillset that will make them ready for a variety of library environments. It focuses on the organizational tools offered by BPM, including key elements of ERM functions that lay the groundwork for the present and future use of ERM, and how they will drive methods by which libraries provide access to resources. BPM theories are then reviewed, along with a discussion of present applications of BPM to ERM and a final look at possibilities for future applications.

  • Selecting and Implementing an Integrated Library System

    The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make
    • 1st Edition
    • Richard M Jost
    • English
    Selecting and Implementing an Integrated Library System: The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make focuses on the intersection of technology and management in the library information world. As information professionals, many librarians will be involved in automation projects and the management of technological changes that are necessary to best meet patron and organizational needs. As professionals, they will need to develop numerous skills, both technological and managerial, to successfully meet these challenges. This book provides a foundation for this skillset that will develop and acquaint the reader with a broad understanding of the issues involved in library technology systems. Although a major topic of the book is integrated library systems (a fundamental cornerstone of most library technology), the book also explores new library technologies (such as open source systems) that are an increasingly important component in the library technology world. Users will find a resource that is geared to the thinking and planning processes for library technology that emphasizes the development of good project management skills.

  • The Myth and Magic of Library Systems

    • 1st Edition
    • Keith J. Kelley
    • English
    The Myth and Magic of Library Systems not only defines what library systems are, but also provides guidance on how to run a library systems department. It is aimed at librarians or library administrations tasked with managing, or using, a library systems department. This book focuses on different scenarios regarding career changes for librarians and the ways they may have to interact with library systems, including examples that speak to IT decision-making responsibilities, work as a library administrator, or managerial duties in systems departments.

  • How Libraries Should Manage Data

    Practical Guidance On How With Minimum Resources to Get the Best From Your Data
    • 1st Edition
    • Brian Cox
    • English
    Have you ever looked at your Library’s key performance indicators and said to yourself "so what!"? Have you found yourself making decisions in a void due to the lack of useful and easily accessible operational data? Have you ever worried that you are being left behind with the emergence of data analytics? Do you feel there are important stories in your operational data that need to be told, but you have no idea how to find these stories? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this book is for you. How Libraries Should Manage Data provides detailed instructions on how to transform your operational data from a fog of disconnected, unreliable, and inaccessible information - into an exemplar of best practice data management. Like the human brain, most people are only using a very small fraction of the true potential of Excel. Learn how to tap into a greater proportion of Excel’s hidden power, and in the process transform your operational data into actionable business intelligence.

  • Information Professionals' Career Confidential

    Straight Talk and Savvy Tips
    • 1st Edition
    • Ulla de Stricker
    • English
    Based in part on a selection of the author's past blog postings, Information Professionals' Career Confidential is a convenient, browsable, and illuminating pocket compendium of insights on topics relevant for information and knowledge professionals at any stage of their careers. This book collects comments on matters of interest to new and experienced information professionals alike in 1-2 minute “quick takes,” inviting further thought. Topics range from the value of knowledge management and effective communication in organizations to assessing employers’ perception of information professionals and how best to increase one’s value through professional organizations and volunteering. This unique resource will be illuminating for anyone in library and information science, career development, or knowledge and information management.

  • Informed Systems

    Organizational Design for Learning in Action
    • 1st Edition
    • Mary M. Somerville
    • English
    By fostering principles of systems thinking and informed learning though an inclusive, participatory design process that advances information exchange, reflective dialogue, and knowledge creation, the Informed Systems Approach promotes conceptual change in workplace organizations. Informed Systems explores theory-based participatory action research and provides examples of agile process models for activating sustainable design, dialogue, and reflection processes in today’s organizations. This book also examines forward thinking frameworks for academic libraries, and how they can be used in the context of dynamically changing scholarly communications. Chapters further the expression of collaborative information practices that enrich information experiences by simultaneously advancing both situated domain knowledge and transferable learning capacity. Design (and redesign) activities well integrated into the workplace culture are expressed through sustainable processes and practices that produce rich information experiences. Informed learning both promotes and sustains continuous learning, including collective reflection on information sources, collaborative practices, and systems functionalities. In these ways, transferable topical understandings and information resiliency manifest action oriented intention to ensure improvements of real world situations.

  • Strategic Human Resource Planning for Academic Libraries

    Information, Technology and Organization
    • 1st Edition
    • Michael A. Crumpton
    • English
    Strategic Human Resources Planning for Academic Libraries: Information, Technology and Organization provides an in-depth discussion of human resources as a strategic element of a library organization, especially as staffing needs and competencies change. The book focuses on the impact of human resource practices in a library setting, discussing several aspects, including the role of human resources when the library is part of a larger organization, along with information on how to identify strategic objectives that are expected and related to workforce issues. In addition, the book reviews hiring practices, reorganizations of staff, use of temps or time-limited positions, and how students, volunteers, and internships can make a strategic difference overall.

  • Domain Analysis for Knowledge Organization

    Tools for Ontology Extraction
    • 1st Edition
    • Richard Smiraglia
    • English
    Domain analysis is the process of studying the actions, knowledge production, knowledge dissemination, and knowledge-base of a community of commonality, such as an academic discipline or a professional community. The products of domain analysis range from controlled vocabularies and other knowledge organization systems, to scientific evidence about the growth and sharing of knowledge and the evolution of communities of discourse and practice.In the field of knowledge organization- both the science and the practice­ domain analysis is the basic research method for identifying the concepts that will be critical building blocks for knowledge organization systems. This book will survey the theoretical rationale for domain analysis, present tutorials in the specific methods of domain analysis, especially with regard to tools for visualizing knowledge domains.

  • Law Librarianship in Academic Libraries

    Best Practices
    • 1st Edition
    • Yemisi Dina
    • English
    In the last two decades, advancement in technology has transformed every aspect of librarianship. Law Librarianship in Academic Law Libraries discusses issues and model practices in academic law libraries. This text will help librarians and library school students understand the operation, resources and facilities that are available in the academic law library. It explains the practices and trends that are widely practiced in different parts of the world. This book describes the expectations of an aspiring professional with an interest in specializing in law librarianship; revealing facts pertaining to management and administration which are not necessarily taught in library schools. The first chapter introduces the history of academic law libraries, and defines law librarianship. The remaining chapters are dedicated to different aspects of law librarianship including the importance of emerging technologies and how they are implemented in the academic law libraries setting, finishing with a concluding chapter on global opportunities available for law librarians.

  • Shaping Knowledge

    Complex Socio-Spatial Modelling for Adaptive Organizations
    • 1st Edition
    • Jamie O’Brien
    • English
    Organizations in ever-changing environments depend upon their knowledge, as their survival depends upon effective thinking and agile actions. Any organization’s knowledge is its prime asset yet its true value requires the activations of structure, query, search and decision. Shaping Knowledge provides an introduction to the key tools for thinking required by decision-making professionals in today’s knowledge-intensive landscapes, and equips them with key skills to capitalize on knowledge resources. This book provides practical methods and critical insights for modelling knowledge-driven domains, providing a rich resource for exploration in professional development and practice.

  • International and National Library and Information Services

    A Review of Some Recent Developments 1970-80
    • 1st Edition
    • George Chandler
    • G. Chandler
    • English
    International and National Library and Information Services: A Review of Some Recent Developments 1970-80 is the second in a series that surveys developments in specific types of library and information services and subject fields over a period of 5 to 15 years, according to the nature of the topic. The survey is from the point of view of the role of national libraries in national and international library and information systems. Organized into 10 chapters, this book begins with a description of intergovernmental organizations; international library and information associations; and conference of directors of national libraries. Subsequent chapters discuss developments in this field of interest in the Americas, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North Africa, Asia, and Oceania. This book will be useful to public, school, and university libraries, and to schools of librarianship and information science.

  • Bibliographic Information Organization in the Semantic Web

    • 1st Edition
    • Mirna Willer + 1 more
    • English
    New technologies will underpin the future generation of library catalogues. To facilitate their role providing information, serving users, and fulfilling their mission as cultural heritage and memory institutions, libraries must take a technological leap; their standards and services must be transformed to those of the Semantic Web. Bibliographic Information Organization in the Semantic Web explores the technologies that may power future library catalogues, and argues the necessity of such a leap. The text introduces international bibliographic standards and models, and fundamental concepts in their representation in the context of the Semantic Web. Subsequent chapters cover bibliographic information organization, linked open data, methodologies for publishing library metadata, discussion of the wider environment (museum, archival and publishing communities) and users, followed by a conclusion.

  • Multimedia Information Retrieval

    Theory and Techniques
    • 1st Edition
    • Roberto Raieli
    • English
    Novel processing and searching tools for the management of new multimedia documents have developed. Multimedia Information Retrieval (MIR) is an organic system made up of Text Retrieval (TR); Visual Retrieval (VR); Video Retrieval (VDR); and Audio Retrieval (AR) systems. So that each type of digital document may be analysed and searched by the elements of language appropriate to its nature, search criteria must be extended. Such an approach is known as the Content Based Information Retrieval (CBIR), and is the core of MIR. This novel content-based concept of information handling needs to be integrated with more traditional semantics. Multimedia Information Retrieval focuses on the tools of processing and searching applicable to the content-based management of new multimedia documents. Translated from Italian by Giles Smith, the book is divided into two parts. Part one discusses MIR and related theories, and puts forward new methodologies; part two reviews various experimental and operating MIR systems, and presents technical and practical conclusions.

  • Academic Libraries in the US and China

    Comparative Studies of Instruction, Government Documents, and Outreach
    • 1st Edition
    • Hanrong Wang + 1 more
    • English
    Academic libraries have a long history both in the USA and China, with institutions developing along different trajectories, and responding to the rapidly changing library environment globally. Academic Libraries in the US and China compares current practices within Library and Information Science (LIS) in the USA and China, giving an historical overview of instruction, government documents, and outreach in academic libraries, as well as discussion and comparative analysis.An introduction leads to chapters on instruction, government publications, and outreach. Each topic is covered both for American and Chinese academic libraries. A conclusion then gives comparative analysis of US and Chinese academic libraries.

  • How Libraries Make Tough Choices in Difficult Times

    Purposeful Abandonment
    • 1st Edition
    • David Stern
    • English
    Contemporary library managers face the need to make difficult choices regarding resource allocation in the modern business environment. How Libraries Make Tough Choices in Difficult Times is a practical guide for library managers, offering techniques to analyze existing and potential services, implement best practices for maximizing existing resources, and utilize pressing financial scenarios in order to justify making difficult reallocation decisions. The book begins by asking the fundamental questions of why, what, and how, moving on to look at how to manage expectations and report to both administration and faculty. The book then considers the four ‘D’s of Do, Delegate, Delay and Drop, before covering project management, and how to understand the mission and objectives of your organisation. The book then focuses on: service quality improvement analyses; identifying underlying issues; reviewing resources; identifying best practice; managing feedback and expectations; and looking at decision making skills and implications.

  • Designing Effective Library Tutorials

    A Guide for Accommodating Multiple Learning Styles
    • 1st Edition
    • Lori Mestre
    • English
    Learning styles are highly relevant for students in the online environment. Designing Effective Library Tutorials provides examples of, and steps for, how to create tutorials that match learning styles, based on usability studies of students from various cultural groups and styles of learning. The book presents studies, practical suggestions, and examples to assist librarians and faculty as they develop online programs for students from diverse learning styles. Research on learning style preferences in the online environment emphasizes the need to provide a variety of methods that include text, aural, visual, and kinesthetic examples. Geared for the practitioner working in online learning, the book summarizes current literature, and presents best practices for designing effective online tools for diverse learners, including suggestions for assessment of learning objects.This title is structured into twelve chapters, covering: The learning style debate: do we need to match up learning styles with presentation styles? Overview of learning style theories and learning style results from various studies; The intersection of culture and learning styles; The need for learning object development; Current practice: categories and features of library tutorials; Effective design of learning objects; Pedagogical considerations for tutorials; Interactivity options for tutorials; Assessment of learning objects; The value and process of usability studies; Marketing learning objects for broad visibility; and a section on resources.

  • Data Clean-Up and Management

    A Practical Guide for Librarians
    • 1st Edition
    • Margaret Hogarth + 1 more
    • English
    Data use in the library has specific characteristics and common problems. Data Clean-up and Management addresses these, and provides methods to clean up frequently-occurring data problems using readily-available applications. The authors highlight the importance and methods of data analysis and presentation, and offer guidelines and recommendations for a data quality policy. The book gives step-by-step how-to directions for common dirty data issues.

  • Managing Social Media in Libraries

    Finding Collaboration, Coordination, and Focus
    • 1st Edition
    • Troy Swanson
    • English
    Web 2.0 first created a scramble among librarians to participate in Facebook, YouTube, blogs, and other social media applications, and the turn is now towards management and consolidation. Managing Social Media in Libraries explores the developing information environment, the collaboration among library organizations, and the ways social media may convert the loose connections between library staff members. The book takes librarians beyond the mechanics of using social media, and establishes a framework to move library managers and leaders toward making social media effective. Managing Social Media in Libraries is structured around key topics in this area, including: refocusing after the first use of Web 2.0; library organisations as loosely coupled systems; social media within such systems; defining a purpose for the use of social media; connecting messages and tools; and integrating social media into standard websites.

  • Not Your Ordinary Librarian

    Debunking the Popular Perceptions of Librarians
    • 1st Edition
    • Ashanti White
    • English
    When you picture a librarian, what do you imagine? An old white woman with glasses and a prudish disposition? That is the image that many people conjure up when asked to picture a librarian; with 82 per cent of the professional force being female and the average age of a librarian at 45, coupled with popular stereotypical images, it is difficult to dispute the perceptions. But there is more to librarians than meets the eye. This book will explore the origin of the image and popular media images of the librarian, in addition to the effects of the stereotype, and the challenges to the perception of librarians today.

  • Teaching Research Processes

    The Faculty Role in the Development of Skilled Student Researchers
    • 1st Edition
    • William Badke
    • English
    Information literacy may be defined as the ability to identify a research problem, decide the kinds of information needed to tackle it, find the information efficiently, evaluate the information, and apply it to the problem at hand. Teaching Research Processes suggests a novel way in which information literacy can come within the remit of teaching faculty, supported by librarians, and reconceived as ‘research processes’. The aim is to transform education from what some see as a primarily one-way knowledge communication practice, to an interactive practice involving the core research tasks of subject disciplines.This title is structured into nine chapters, covering: Defining research processes; Research ability inadequacies in higher education; Research processes and faculty understanding; Current initiatives in research processes; The role of disciplinary thinking in research processes; Research processes in the classroom; Tentative case studies in disciplinary research process instruction; Research processes transforming education; and Resourcing the enterprise. The book concludes by encouraging the reader to implement the teaching of research processes.

  • Building Your Library Career with Web 2.0

    • 1st Edition
    • Julia Gross
    • English
    Many professionals in the Library and Information Services (LIS) area are using Web 2.0 to deliver content and reaching out to connect with library users. This book applies these technologies to help shape your own career development plan. Increased online connectivity has opened up new opportunities for professionals to network, learn and grow in their careers; in an online world, where many of us have a digital footprint already, new rules apply. This readable guide builds on the solid foundation of previous library career books. The social networking tools described will supplement the traditional methods of career development. Chapters provide advice and practical examples, showing how to use Web 2.0 technologies in our careers including: ways to enhance your skills; building professional networks; developing a positive online presence.

  • Qualitative Research and the Modern Library

    • 1st Edition
    • Valeda Dent Goodman
    • English
    Qualitative Research and the Modern Library examines the present-day role and provides suggestions for areas that might be suited to this type of research for the purposes of evaluation. The author discusses how the results from such research might be applied, and the overall impact of using this type of research to inform development of a more user-centred organisation. The book provides a thoughtful look at the implications of using qualitative research to inform decision-making processes within libraries and is written by an author and library researcher with international experience in various types of libraries, implementing/improvi... programs and services, and supporting user needs.

  • Convergence of Libraries and Technology Organizations

    New Information Support Models
    • 1st Edition
    • Christopher Barth
    • English
    This book describes and discusses the convergence of library and technology support in higher education. Over the past 15 years, a number of institutions have pursued merging library and technology services into a single information support organization. These mergers have taken different forms, but all seek to redefine information support in a 21st century model that promotes the interdisciplinary use of information. The coming years will see significant change affect libraries with the continuing disruption of the Internet and digitally-based services. Coupled with economic pressures, libraries and technology organizations will increasingly be forced to look closely at long-held assumptions of how their teams are organized and how work is divided and shared. Convergence of Libraries and Technology Organizations provides useful and practical guidance on converged information organizations as an effective response to change in the information profession.

  • Engaging Students with Archival and Digital Resources

    • 1st Edition
    • Justine Cotton + 1 more
    • English
    Aimed at professional librarians and archivists, this book explores connecting students and faculty with the archival and digital collections of the university’s library and archives. Academic research has been forever changed by the digitization of books, journals, and archival collections. As university libraries and archives move forward in the digital era, it is essential to assess the research needs of users and develop innovative methods to demonstrate the value of collections and services. This book provides librarians and archivists with the tools to develop a robust workshop program aimed at connecting students with archival and digital collections.

  • Ontologies, Taxonomies and Thesauri in Systems Science and Systematics

    • 1st Edition
    • Emilia Currás
    • English
    The originality of this book, which deals with such a new subject matter, lies in the application of methods and concepts never used before – such as ontologies and taxonomies, as well as thesauri - to the ordering of knowledge based on primary information. Chapters in the book also examine the study of ontologies, taxonomies and thesauri from the perspective of systematics and general systems theory. Ontologies, Taxonomies and Thesauri in Systems Science and Systematics will be extremely useful to those operating within the network of related fields, which includes documentation and information science.

  • Transforming Research Libraries for the Global Knowledge Society

    • 1st Edition
    • Barbara Dewey
    • English
    Transforming Research Libraries for the Global Knowledge Society explores critical aspects of research library transformation needed for successful transition into the 21st century multicultural environment. The book is written by leaders in the field who have real world experience with transformational change and thought-provoking ideas for the future of research libraries, academic librarianship, research collections, and the changing nature of global scholarship within a higher education context.

  • Digital Library Economics

    An Academic Perspective
    • 1st Edition
    • Wendy Evans + 1 more
    • English
    Digital Library Economics covers key aspects of the management and development of the digital library from an economic viewpoint. The work is a collection of essays by leading international authorities and provides an overview of current and future positions with regard to the economics of digital library management and development. Key contextual aspects are described, providing a history of the growth of digital libraries, with special reference to financial issues, current and possible future economic models and costing methodologies and challenges, themes and issues in the field.

  • Surviving the Future

    Academic Libraries, Quality and Assessment
    • 1st Edition
    • Gail Munde + 1 more
    • English
    Every academic library strives to make improvements - in its services, its effectiveness, and its contributions to overall university success. Every librarian wants to improve library quality, but few are knowledgeable or enthusiastic about the means and mechanisms of quality improvement. This book assists librarians to make sense of data collection, assessment, and comparative evaluation as stepping stones to transformative quality improvement. Creating value lies in a library’s ability to understand, communicate and measure what matters to users, and what can be measured can be managed to successful outcomes.

  • Never Mind the Web

    Here Comes the Book
    • 1st Edition
    • Miha Kovac
    • English
    This key book examines the role of the printed book in contemporary societies, its demographics and its relation to the other media. It analyzes the differences among various national book industries throughout Europe and the USA, and the reasons and impact of the differences. Both the effect of digital technologies and the reasons why e-books did not substitute the printed book, as predicted in mid-nineties, are explored.

  • Organising Knowledge in a Global Society

    Principles and Practice in Libraries and Information Centres
    • 1st Edition
    • Philip Hider + 1 more
    • English
    Organising Knowledge in a Global Society updates the successful first edition, which has been widely used as an introduction to the field of information organisation, both in Australia and overseas. The work reflects current practice and trends, paying particular attention to how libraries and other information services provide intellectual access to digital information resources through metadata. In this revision, the various information organisation components of the Web 2.0 phenomenon are discussed, including social tagging and folksonomies. The new edition also covers the latest developments in metadata standards, such as Resource Description and Access, and information retrieval systems such as the increasing support for faceted navigation. Examples and case studies have been updated throughout.

  • Joint-Use Libraries

    Libraries for the Future
    • 1st Edition
    • Sarah McNicol
    • English
    This book examines all aspects of joint-use libraries, from the implications of government policy, to design and operational issues and evaluation. It considers all forms of joint-use library (e.g. school-public, college-public, university-public, health-university), reflecting on different models adopted around the world. Some of the main issues discussed include: partnership working, staffing and management, stock, digital resources, learning and literacy and community involvement.

  • Information History - An Introduction

    Exploring an Emergent Field
    • 1st Edition
    • Toni Weller
    • English
    This is a pioneering introduction to the emergent field of information history. It explores how the contemporary values and concerns of our own information society have helped lead to a reconsideration of our history, and of what constitutes our historical understanding of information in the twenty-first century. In Information History, Toni Weller examines the historiography of information and asks how the key schools of thought have explored the concept in terms of its social, technological, economic and cultural understandings. Based on personal experiences, the author also proposes some practical applications of information history in research and university teaching, offering some suggestions as to how the field may develop based on its growth during the last decade.

  • Digital Information Culture

    The Individual and Society in the Digital Age
    • 1st Edition
    • Luke Tredinnick
    • English
    Digital Information Culture is an introduction to the cultural, social and political impact of digital information and digital resources. The book is organised around themes, rather than theories and is arranged into three sections: culture, society and the individual. Each explores key elements of the social, cultural and political impact of digital information. The culture section outlines the origins of cyber culture in fifties pulp-fiction through to the modern day. It explores the issues of information overload, the threat of a digital dark age, and the criminal underbelly of digital culture. Section two, society, explores the economic and social impact of digital information, outlining key theories of the Information Age. Section three explores the impact of digital information and digital resources on the individual, exploring the changing nature of identity in a digital world.

  • Scientific Libraries

    Past Developments and Future Changes
    • 1st Edition
    • Tomas Lidman
    • English
    Scientific libraries have undergone dramatic changes since the end of the 1960s. This book explains and characterises these changes and main trends, and describes their consequences for libraries. The book presents an overview and an analysis of long-term developments in the field. Professionals within library and information sciences, together with students, will find the book of interest, enabling them to understand the situation of the libraries today and also prepare them for decisions about the future.

  • Libraries in the Twenty-First Century

    Charting Directions in Information Services
    • 1st Edition
    • Stuart J. Ferguson
    • English
    Libraries in the Twenty-First Century brings together library educators and practitioners to provide a scholarly yet accessible overview of library and information management and the challenges that the twenty-first century offers the information profession. The papers in this collection illustrate the changing nature of the library as it evolves into its twenty-first century manifestation. The national libraries of Australia and New Zealand, for instance, have harnessed information and communication technologies to create institutions that are far more national, even democratic, in terms of delivery of service and sheer presence than their print-based predecessors.Aimed at practitioners and students alike, this publication covers specific types of library and information agencies, discusses specific aspects of library and information management and places developments in library and information services in a number of broad contexts: socio-economic, ethico-legal, historical and educational.

  • The Human Side of Reference and Information Services in Academic Libraries

    Adding Value in the Digital World
    • 1st Edition
    • Lesley Farmer
    • English
    This book examines the questions: how academic libraries provide value-added reference and information services in the digital age. It provides best practices from a global perspective. The book starts by looking at the information needs and info-seeking behaviours of university students and faculty. Then it examines the use cycle: consumer, instruction, and producer. It examines the resource cycle: collection development, instructor, maintenance. What are the essential elements of reference: orientation, instruction, collaborative planning, products?

  • Digital Information Contexts

    Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Digital Information
    • 1st Edition
    • Luke Tredinnick
    • English
    This book is an introduction to critical and theoretical perspectives on digital information. It outlines the origins of information management in nineteenth-century humanism, the adoption of scientific perspectives in the documentation and information science movements, and modern theoretical frameworks for understanding the social, cultural and political place of digital information. Digital Information Contexts is the first book aimed at information professionals to give a detailed outline of important perspectives on information and meaning, including post-structuralism and post-modernism. It explores parallels between information management and media, communication and cultural studies. Each chapter includes recommended further reading to guide the reader to further information. It is a comprehensive introduction to theoretical frameworks for understanding and studying digital information.

  • Characteristics of the Successful 21St Century Information Professional

    • 1st Edition
    • Dennie Heye
    • English
    This book is intended for professional Library and Information Services (LIS) staff and LIS students who want to be more successful as information professionals. The LIS profession is one of the most challenging in the 21st century, combining expertise in information management with information technology skills and knowledge of marketing. The author has written a practical and concise book on key characteristics, with practical tips and techniques. Characteristics of the Successful 21st Century Information Professional is a guide to the diverse characteristics of the information professional, helping readers to achieve greater success in their jobs and careers.

  • The Information Literate School Community 2

    Issues of Leadership
    • 1st Edition
    • James Henri + 1 more
    • English
    This book is both an update and an extension of The Information Literate School Community: Best practice which has been used as a student textbook and practitioners guide in a number of countries. In this new book, the editors have sought to bring together an eclectic but focused group of researchers and practitioners to explore the key aspects of leadership in the information literate school community. The book provides both students and practitioners (principals, teachers, teacher librarians and researchers) with a critical analysis and evaluation of topics such as the concept of an information literate school community; the development of new literacies; research on information literacy; the implementation of an information literacy programme; the importance of reading development; leadership in information literate schools; policy formulation; knowledge management; ICT and student learning; the role of the teacher librarian; and professional development. There is an even balance of research and practice in the book that will appeal to a wide audience because of its currency and topicality.

  • Globalisation, Information and Libraries

    The Implications of the World Trade Organisation’s GATS and TRIPS Agreements
    • 1st Edition
    • Ruth Rikowski
    • English
    This book provides an overview of the World Trade Organisation; in particular, it focuses on two of the agreements being developed at the WTO, which are due to be strengthened in 2005, and are likely to have significant implications for libraries and information: the General Agreement on Trade in Services (the GATS) and the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The book argues that the library and information profession needs to be more aware of these agreements and the way in which they threaten some of the professional ethics and principles (such as the balance in copyright).

  • Weblogs and Libraries

    • 1st Edition
    • Laurel Clyde
    • English
    This book discusses the topic of ‘weblogs and libraries’ from two main perspectives: weblogs as sources of information for libraries and librarians; and weblogs as tools that libraries can use to promote their services and to provide a means of communication with their clients. It begins with an overview of the whole weblog and blogging phenomenon. The many different kinds of weblogs are outlined (including personal weblogs, community weblogs, multimedia weblogs). The problem of locating weblogs is addressed through a discussion of weblog directories, search engines and other finding tools. Chapters include using weblogs as sources of information in the library or information service, the options for creating a weblog, and managing the library’s own weblog.

  • Setting Up a New Library and Information Service

    • 1st Edition
    • Kirby Porter
    • English
    This book is intended as a guide for those people who have been charged with establishing a library or information service in their organisation. It is a practical guide to the steps that need to be taken, the people that will need to be dealt with and the procedures that will have to be adopted in order to bring the venture to a successful conclusion. The book contains many practical tips and hints from the author, based upon his ‘hands-on’, practical experience of setting up many new information services.