Academic and public libraries are continuing to transform as the information landscape changes, expanding their missions into new service roles that call for improved organizational performance and accountability. Since Assessing Service Quality premiered in 1998, receiving the prestigious Highsmith Library Literature Award, scores of library managers and administrators have trusted its guidance for applying a customer-centered approach to service quality and performance evaluation. This extensively revised and updated edition explores even further the ways technology influences both the experiences of library customers and the ways libraries themselves can assess those experiences. With a clear focus on real-world application, the authors: Challenge conventional thinking about the utility of input, output, and performance metrics by suggesting new ways to think about the evaluation and assessment of library services; Explain service quality and customer satisfaction, and demonstrate how they are separate but intertwined; Identify procedures for qualitatively and quantitatively measuring both service quality and satisfaction; Encourage libraries to take action by presenting concrete steps they can take to become more customer-centric; Offer a range of customer-related metrics that provide insights useful for library planning and decision making, such as surveys and focus groups. This book shows how to nurture an environment of continuous improvement through effective service quality assessment.

The emergence of open access, web technology, and e-publishing has slowly transformed modern libraries into digital libraries. With this variety of technologies utilized, cloud computing and virtual technology has become an advantage for libraries to provide a single efficient system that saves money and time. Cloud Computing and Virtualization Technologies in Libraries highlights the concerns and limitations that need addressed in order to optimize the benefits of cloud computing to the virtualization of libraries. Focusing on the latest innovations and technological advancements, this book is essential for professionals, students, and researchers interested in cloud library management and development in different types of information environments.

Some have viewed sthe ascendance of the digital library as some kind of existential apocalypse, nothing less than the beginning of the end for the traditional library. But Weiss, recognizing the concept of the library as a "big idea" that has been implemented in many ways over thousands of years, is no so gloomy. In this thought-provoking and unabashedly optimistic book, he explores how massive digital libraries are already adapting to society's needs, and looks ahead to the massive digital libraries of tomorrow, covering * The ahthor's criteria for defining massive digital libraries * A history of Google books and the Very Large Digital Library, with a refresher on the initial protests of the scholarly communication community * Practices of massive digital libraries, and how traditional libraries are evolving to integrate their presence * A comparison of the collection development approaches of Google Books and Hathi Trust * Library applications, such as MDL for research in digital humanities, catalog integration through the Google Book API, Culturenomics, and the Google Ngram viewer * Case studies of library projects with Google Books, with analysis of aspects such as legibility of scans, metadata accuracy, culture, and diversity

Library Technology Reports February/March 2013 vol.49 / no.2 Two decades after the advent of electronic journals and databases, librarians are still grappling with ways to best manage these resources in conjunction with their print resources. In addition, economic pressures at many institutions of higher education are resulting in librarians having to justify their spending on collections and resource management. Furthermore, e-books are becoming yet another stream of purchasing and management, with the added complexity of patron-driven acquisitions. All of these issues result in the need to codify the management of electronic resources more than ever. Techniques in Electronic Resource Management (TERMS) is a project to encourage open peer commentary and crowdsourcing of areas of best practice for each of the six stages of the e-resources life cycle: 1. investigation of new content for purchase or addition 2. acquisition of new content 3. implementation 4. ongoing evaluation and access 5. annual review 6. cancellation and replacement review This issue of Library Technology Reports aims to become a reference point for those who are new to e-resource management and for those who may want to implement its recommendations of best practice.

In recent years, automation has played a vital role in library systems that handle tasks of acquisition, cataloging, serials, and circulation. The automation of these operations has, in turn, minimised the demand for human interaction. Robots in Academic Libraries: Advancements in Library Automation provides an overview on the current state of library automation, addresses the need for changing personnel to accommodate these changes, and assesses the future for academic libraries as a whole. This book is essential for library leaders, technology experts, and library vendors interested in the future of library automation and its impact on the decline of human interaction in libraries.

The library profession has changed rapidly in the wake of advanced technologies. Once regarded as the gatekeepers of information found in books, today s library professionals are shifting from a traditional center of attention to a new focus on all areas of information studies. Technology and Professional Identify of Librarians: The Making of the Cybrarian brings into focus both the positive and negative aspects that technology places on the professional identity of librarians. Highlighting the new methods involved in data management, communication, and Library Information education and research; this book is a necessary means for librarians, students, and researchers to obtain an up to date understanding of what it means to maintain relevancy in the information age."

As physical collections go digital, the organizational procedures, budgets, and usage patterns of libraries must evolve to meet this change by identifying the various issues that are essential in understanding the management of e-resources. Progressive Trends in Electronic Resource Management in Libraries provides relevant theoretical and practical details from an international perspective on the current e-resources landscape. Through a detailed discussion of the specific aspects of e-resources management, this book is a useful source for library science faculty and students, academic librarians, research scholars, and IT professionals aiming to improve their understanding of the theoretical details, history, selection, acquisition, fair use and management of e-resources.

Most commentaries to date on library use of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have focused on a handful of well-funded public libraries with high-profile employees. Now Crawford's Successful Social Networking in Public Libraries fills in the rest of the picture, offering for the first time an in-depth look at how a large variety of public libraries are using social networks. Examining more than 6,000 libraries across the US, Crawford Analyses social network usage by libraries of many different sizes and funding levels, showing how many of them are active and effective in quite different ways Offers many examples that will help other libraries establish or refine their own social networking activities Presents several key questions that libraries should ask themselves, such as "Who do we want to reach?" and "What's the best way to interact with communities?" Gives libraries guidelines to set social networking goals and conduct ongoing evaluation Includes illuminating comments from numerous librarians on the front lines of communication Based on broad research, Crawford draws a vivid portrait that shows how a wide range of public libraries is conducting digital outreach and marketing through social networking.

Times have changed and library institutions struggle to maintain relevancy in the Information Age. With the inescapable presence of harnessing technologies for information management and access, the role of the library has increased in importance within academic institutions and public communities. Information Technology and Collection Management for Library User Environments brings into focus the new responsibility libraries have in meeting patron needs, specifically with the use of emerging technologies. Highlighting the concepts of collection management, library space planning, and information technologies; this book is a critical guide for library professionals, para-professionals, as well as researchers who wish to meet the diverse needs of patrons in ever-changing societies.

This book introduces a new approach to designing E-Librarian Services. With the help of this system, users will be able to retrieve multimedia resources from digital libraries more efficiently than they would by browsing through an index or by using a simple keyword search. E-Librarian Services combine recent advances in multimedia information retrieval with aspects of human-machine interfaces, such as the ability to ask questions in natural language; they simulate a human librarian by finding and delivering the most relevant documents that offer users potential answers to their queries. The premise is that more pertinent results can be retrieved if the search engine understands the meaning of the query; the returned results are therefore logical consequences of an inference rather than of keyword matches. Moreover, E-Librarian Services always provide users with a solution, even in situations where they are unable to offer a comprehensive answer.

Tablet computer ownership on university campuses has tripled in the past year, according to a Pearson Foundation survey in March 2012. At the threshold of the Post-PC era, as students' expectations change, reference and instruction librarians are responding with new services. In this issue of Library Technology Reports Virginia Tech librarians Miller, Meir, and Moorfield-Lang offer a collection of first-hand accounts of academic library projects using tablets. Among the projects detailed: Subject matter librarians roving campus to increase access and usage of online resourcesLibrarians partnering with faculty of eight academic departments to use tablets in instruction Industrial design students using library tablets in competitions and design lab work Workshops that put mobile learning into information literacy instruction Tablets as a curriculum component in a first-year undergraduate learning community Cross-departmental library collaboration in planning new services

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Asia-Pacific Digital Libraries, ICADL 2012, held in Taipei, China, in November 2012. The 27 revised full papers, 17 revised short papers, and 13 poster papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 93 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on cultural heritage preservation, retrieval and browsing in digital libraries, biliometrics, metadata and cataloguing, mobile and cloud computing, human factors in digital library, presevation systems and algorithms, social media, digital library algorithms and systems, recommendation applications and social networks.

Maintaining a library website is as important as its initial development. In this issue of Library Technology Reports King draws from his team's four-year experience running the acclaimed digital branch of the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library (TSCPL). From website tweaks to staffing issues, King outlines recommended strategies and workflow plans for continually meeting library users' needs and effectively highlighting library programs and services, including Ways to engage library users in conversations about books, movies, and other materials A detailed listing of what data TSCPL tracks and the tools they use for the website, blogs, and social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and FourSquare Their team's approach to efficiently maintaining 24 blogs and six social media accounts Tips for using rotating banner ads to draw attention to website content, a technique which brought in 3,000+ page views for a post about the new library catalog Reasons behind the decision to migrate to the WordPress content management system (CMS) How gathering customer feedback led to more effective location for their My Account link The lessons learned by King and his team at TSCPL can help any library sharpen their presence on the Web while efficiently maintaining library website operations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the Author David Lee King is the digital branch and services manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, where he plans for, implements, and experiments with emerging technology trends. He speaks internationally about emerging trends, website usability and management, digital experience planning, and managing tech staff. A Library Journal ""Mover and Shaker"" for 2008, David writes the American Libraries column "Outside/In" with Michael Porter and maintains a blog at www.davidleeking.com.

Libraries are committed to equal access for all patrons, but providing cost-effective technology services for people with disabilities, elders, beginning readers, or non-native English speakers can be complicated. This comprehensive guide shows you how to select and implement appropriate computer accommodations, communicate effectively with potential users, and develop strategies for future planning. Included are helpful checklists to ensure that your library is integrating assistive technology into its existing operations, best practices by librarians that have been proven to deliver real results, and basic models for your library to follow. Find no-nonsense answers to tough questions about technical compatibility with operating systems and popular applications, and training staff to provide superior customer service. A companion wiki provides updated information to additional helpful resources. ADA compliance is a serious matter, and this how-to will enable you to fulfill your commitment to equal access for all.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Asia-Pacific Digital Libraries, ICADL 2011, held in Beijing, China, in October 2011. The 33 revised full papers, 8 short papers and 9 poster papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 136 submissions. The topics covered are digital archives and preservation; information mining and extraction; medata, catalogue; distributed repositories and cloud computing; social network and personalized service; mobile services and electronic publishing; multimedia digital libraries; information retrieval; and tools and systems for digital library.

As libraries deliver an increasing proportion of their services through the web, the need to accurately and comprehensively track the use of library websites, online resources, and services is more important than ever. This issue of Library Technology Reports offers an explanation of web analytics and how these tools can be applied in a library setting. The author provides a comprehensive overview of web analytics that defines the different types of data that can be tracked and their application.The report presents a detailed guide to implementing Google Analytics, one of the most popular web analytics tools, and offers case studies detailing how web analytics have been applied in a variety of library settings.

Library Technology Reports May/June 2011 v.47 no.4 This report elaborates on the results of Marshall Breeding's 2010 survey of libraries' satisfaction with their sutomation products, and examines trends that have emerged over the four years the survey has been conducted. Chapter 1 details the survey methodology and limits, and outlines its findings. Chapter 2 delves into respondents' comments to explore the themes that may be motivating libraries' ratings of their systems. These include concerns about cost, relationships with consortia, and varying expectations for functionality. Libraries' mixed feelings on open source options are also discussed. Chapter 3 then examines the numerical data, looking at satisfaction for major ILS products and vendors. Different library types (public and academic) and sizes are compared. Respondents' comments provide some context for these ratings. Chapter 3 also examines trends in satisfaction and interest in open source over time; satisfaction is flat or slightly increasing, whereas the picture for open source is complicated. Finally, by comparing 2007 and 2010 data, Chapter 3 finds that libraries' vendor loyalty ratings do indiate the future likelihood of migration. Chapter 4 examines in depth a few major ILS vendors, which span a range of library types and satisfaction ratings, and speculatse on the reasons for these ratings.

This book introduces a new approach to designing E-Librarian Services. With the help of this system, users will be able to retrieve multimedia resources from digital libraries more efficiently than they would by browsing through an index or by using a simple keyword search. E-Librarian Services combine recent advances in multimedia information retrieval with aspects of human-machine interfaces, such as the ability to ask questions in natural language; they simulate a human librarian by finding and delivering the most relevant documents that offer users potential answers to their queries. The premise is that more pertinent results can be retrieved if the search engine understands the meaning of the query; the returned results are therefore logical consequences of an inference rather than of keyword matches. Moreover, E-Librarian Services always provide users with a solution, even in situations where they are unable to offer a comprehensive answer.

Library Technology Reports v.47 no.1 January 2011

Digital Libraries and Multimedia brings together in one place important contributions and up-to-date research results in this fast moving area. Digital Libraries and Multimedia serves as an excellent reference, providing insight into some of the most challenging research issues in the field.

Here is a book that will help public, school, and academic librarians take advantage of Web 2.0 technologies. Using an easy-to-understand writing style, author Ellyssa Kroski provides librarians and information professionals with a detailed look at the latest and hottest technologies. She provides innovative, real-world examples of libraries which are using these technologies to enhance their online presence, showcase services and increase patronage - as well as helpful, illustrative screenshots. Whether to create a book review blog, social bookmark collection, subject specific RSS feed, or a specialized search engine, librarians will find this guide invaluable for promoting their services in a digital age and attracting even the most tech-savvy of patrons.

E-books have been around for more than 10 years but are still a relatively new phenomenon to many librarians and publishers. With the introduction of e-book readers, the e-book has become mainstream, with recent triple-digit annual increases in sales. But what place do they have in the library? In this volume, Sue Polanka brings together a variety of professionals to share their expertise about e-books with librarians and publishers. Providing forward-thinking ideas while remaining grounded in practical information that can be implemented in all kinds of libraries, the topics explored include .An introduction to e-books, the different types, and an overview of their history and development.E-book technology: general features of interfaces and e-book readers, best practices for acquisition, data standards, and how to track usage.Why e-books are good for learning, and how librarians can market them to a wide range of users, as illustrated by case studies and examples.This crucial collection is a must-read for librarians who wish to understand how e-books fit into today's library.

Just like the industrial society of the last century depended on natural resources, today's society depends on information and its exchange.

Staab and Stuckenschmidt structured the selected contributions into four parts: Part I, "Data Storage and Access," prepares the semantic foundation, i.e. data modelling and querying in a flexible and yet scalable manner. These foundations allow for dealing with the organization of information at the individual peers. Part II, "Querying the Network," considers the routing of queries, as well as continuous queries and personalized queries under the conditions of the permanently changing topological structure of a peer-to-peer network. Part III, "Semantic Integration," deals with the mapping of heterogeneous data representations. Finally Part IV, "Methodology and Systems," reports experiences from case studies and sample applications.

The overall result is a state-of-the-art description of the potential of Semantic Web and peer-to-peer technologies for information sharing and knowledge management when applied jointly.

Complete with insightful evaluations of software and products that help librarians do their jobs better, easier and faster, this practical guide supports reference librarians, as well as subject specialists in public, special, school, and academic libraries. Administrators and circulation and technical services librarians will welcome the useful professional development resources.