Every individual book has a history which can help us to understand what difference it may have made in the world. Within these pages you will find books damaged by bullets or graffiti, recovered from fire or water, or even disguised as completely different texts for protection in dangerous times. Marks of ownership - be it a rich treasure binding or a humble family inscription - shine a light on social history and literacy, while student doodles from the sixteenth century and a variety of pithy annotations give us a sense of readers through the ages. We increasingly recognise that the cultural and research value of books lies not just in their printed contents, but in the many other things they can tell us about the ways they have been used, read and regarded. Generously illustrated with examples from the early Middle Ages to the present day, Speaking Volumes presents a fascinating selection of books in both public and private collections whose individual histories tell surprising and illuminating stories, encouraging us to look at and appreciate books in new and non-traditional ways.

Since this handbook was first published in 1994, interest in the book as a material object, and in the ways in which books have been owned, read and used, has burgeoned. Now established as a standard reference work, this book has been revised and expanded with a new set of over 200 colour illustrations, updated bibliographies and extended international coverage of libraries and online resources. It covers the history and understanding of inscriptions, bookplates, ink and binding stamps, mottoes and heraldry, and describes how to identify owners and track down books from particular collections via library and sale catalogues. Each section features an evaluated bibliography listing further sources, both online and in print. Illustrated examples of the many kinds of ownership evidence which can be found in books are also shown throughout. Relevant to anyone seeking to identify previous owners of books, or trace private libraries, this title will also support the work of all book historians interested in the history of reading or the use of books and in the book as a material object. An essential handbook for anyone working in provenance research.

England is remarkable for the wealth and variety of its archival heritage - the records created and preserved by institutions, organisations and individuals. This is the first book to treat the history of English records creation and record-keeping from the perspective of the archives themselves. Beginning in the early Middle Ages and ending in modern times, it draws on the author's extensive knowledge and experience as both archivist and historian, and presents the subject in a very readable and lively way. Some archives, notably those of government and the Established Church, have remarkably continuous histories. But all have suffered over time from periods of neglect and decay, and some have come to sudden and violent ends. Among the destructive episodes discussed in the book are the Viking raids of the Anglo-Saxon period, the Norman Conquest, the Peasants' Revolt, the dissolution of the monasteries and the bombing raids of the Second World War. Archivists and historians have a shared interest in the protection and study of the country's surviving records. This book has been written for members of both professions, but also for every reader who cares about the preservation of England's past.

For the past ten years, Nancy MacKay's Curating Oral Histories (2006) has been the one-stop shop for librarians, curators, program administrators, and project managers who are involved in turning an oral history interview into a primary research document, available for use in a repository. In this new and greatly expanded edition, MacKay uses the life cycle model to map out an expanded concept of curation, beginning with planning an oral history project and ending with access and use. The book:-guides readers, step by step, on how to make the oral history "archive ready";-offers strategies for archiving, preserving, and presenting interviews in a digital environment;-includes comprehensive updates on technology, legal and ethical issues, oral history on the Internet, cataloging, copyright, and backlogs.

Urgent Archives argues that archivists can and should do more to disrupt white supremacy and hetero-patriarchy beyond the standard liberal archival solutions of more diverse collecting and more inclusive description. Grounded in the emerging field of critical archival studies, this book uncovers how dominant western archival theories and practices are oppressive by design, while looking toward the the radical politics of community archives to envision new liberatory theories and practices. Based on more than a decade of ethnography at community archives sites including the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), the book explores how members of minoritized communities activate records to build solidarities across and within communities, trouble linear progress narratives, and disrupt cycles of oppression. Caswell explores the temporal, representational, and material aspects of liberatory memory work, arguing that archival disruptions in time and space should be neither about the past nor the future, but about the liberatory affects and effects of memory work in the present. Urgent Archives extends the theoretical range of critical archival studies and provides a new framework for archivists looking to transform their practices. The book should also be of interest to scholars of archival studies, museum studies, public history, memory studies, gender and ethnic studies and digital humanities.

The changing landscape of business information has created opportunities for business librarians to move beyond being reactive to business information needs to become proactive participants in business development and entrepreneurship instruction. Libraries are no longer only repositories of books but information rich sources of business and economic data. The case studies presented within this book highlight a variety of examples on entrepreneurship education and local economic development. The examples presented serve as a catalyst for further entrepreneurial endeavours and highlight the growing need for effective value-added support in finding business information. Business librarians play a critical role in promoting the effective use of business information and in providing significant value-added services within university and community settings.

This book was published as a special double issue of the Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship.

Containing essays from leading and recent scholars in Peninsular and colonial studies, this volume offers entirely new research on women's acquisition and practice of literacy, on conventual literacy, and on the cultural representations of women's literacy. Together the essays reveal the surprisingly broad range of pedagogical methods and learning experiences undergone by early modern women in Spain and the New World. Focusing on the pedagogical experiences in Spain, New Spain (present-day Mexico), and New Granada (Colombia) of such well-known writers as Saint Teresa of A vila, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, and MarA a de Zayas, as well as of lesser-known noble women and writers, and of nuns in the Spanish peninsula and the New World, the essays contribute significantly to the study of gendered literacy by investigating the ways in which women"religious and secular, aristocratic and plebeian"became familiarized with the written word, not only by means of the education received but through visual art, drama, and literary culture. Contributors to this collection explore the abundant writings by early modern women to disclose the extent of their participation in the culture of Spain and the New World. They investigate how women"playwrights, poets, novelists, and nuns" applied their education both to promote literature and to challenge the male-dominated hierarchy of church and state. Moreover, they shed light on how women whose writings were not considered literary also took part in the gendering of Hispanic culture through letters and autobiographies, among other means, and on how that same culture depicted women's education in the visual arts and the literature of the period.

This is the first book focusing on the ROI for technology investments written by a technology executive for technology decision makers with the support and guidance of the foremost authority in the discipline of Return on Investment. This book leverages the talents of both authors to provide a framework and methodology that can ensure greater success in mobilizing technology initiatives. There is no other book on the market that specifically addresses the critical need to prove ROI on resource intensive technology projects with a time-tested and industry leading methodology. To date, most ROI books have focused in the areas of human performance, training, marketing, and other human capital related disciplines.
With increased scrutiny of technology spending by the most complex organizations in the world, technology leaders need a 'tool kit' to help them prepare for hard-hitting discussions with their organization's CFO, president, CEO, or chairman about the return they should expect from critical technology projects. Rather than focusing top managers' attention on cutting, challenging, and controlling expenditures (as many C-level accountants prefer to do), this approach guides technology managers in providing executives with more comprehensive, balanced information that helps all involved make better business decisions. Along the way, it helps technology managers communicate more effectively with the financial decision makers in their organizations. The book also shows executives how partnering with IT leaders can help top management understand the return these technology projects can provide to the organization in increased human efficiency, automation of manual processes, unifiedorganizational data, and other high-return results from complex and critical technology initiatives.
At the same time, executives and IT professionals need to have their projects measured with a balanced perspective. While the ROI itself is very important, it's also important to capture intangibles related to the project, as well as information about application and implementation of the project. Even earlier in the cycle, it's important to capture reaction to the technology and the extent to which individuals have learned the technology. Together, these data sets represent a balanced profile of success, with ROI at the pinnacle.
* Globally renowned ROI institute methodology applied to technology
* Unique author combination of a technology executive for technology decision makers and the foremost authority on ROI
* Source of basic research techniques, applications, experiences and resources available to expose the value of key technology initiatives

Archival Silences demonstrates emphatically that archival absences exist all over the globe. The book questions whether benign 'silence' is an appropriate label for the variety of destructions, concealment and absences that can be identified within archival collections. Including contributions from archivists and scholars working around the world, this truly international collection examines archives in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, England, India, Iceland, Jamaica, Malawi, The Philippines, Scotland, Turkey and the United States. Making a clear link between autocratic regimes and the failure to record often horrendous crimes against humanity, the volume demonstrates that the failure of governments to create records, or to allow access to records, appears to be universal. Arguing that this helps to establish a hegemonic narrative that excludes the 'other', this book showcases the actions historians and archivists have taken to ensure that gaps in archives are filled. Yet the book also claims that silences in archives are inevitable and argues not only that recordkeeping should be mandated by international courts and bodies, but that we need to develop other ways of reading archives broadly conceived to compensate for absences. Archival Silences addresses fundamental issues of access to the written record around the world. It is directed at those with a concern for social justice, particularly scholars and students of archival studies, history, sociology, international relations, international law, business administration and information science.

Learn how other libraries are using LibQUAL+ data to improve their services and programs This book focuses on the value of the 2002 LibQUAL+ survey data to help librarians provide better services for users. This unique work highlights the continued efforts of participating libraries that used this Web-based marketing instrument to assess and evaluate their service quality, resource allocations, staffing, technology, and policies. Library professionals dealing with or interested in library service quality assessment will benefit from the practical examples and graphical representations found in this vital book. With Libraries Act on Their LibQUAL+ Findings, you will gain a better understanding of how to use your LibQUAL+ data to identify opportunities to improve your services and programs, initiate further data exploration, and identify those areas of your library which need change. In times of budget reductions, the information in this book will show you how to better demonstrate to your patrons, community, and government agencies the value of the investment in library staff and resources.Enhanced with charts, graphs, tables, and figures, this text will help your library smoothly evolve with your patrons' expectations and needs. Libraries Act on Their LibQUAL+ Findings: From Data to Action covers several important topics, including: the LibQUAL+ survey instrument what it is and how it works library service quality and user perceptions of library service quality peer comparisons and benchmarking qualitative and quantitative data analysis how to read your findings strategic planning how to use your findings This resource is of national importance, presenting varying perspectives from different library contexts, such as library consortia, library types, and individual library case studies. The book also provides ideas for using LibQUAL+ to develop better library services for diverse users faculty as opposed to students or the general public rather than specialists. From identifying and reaching patrons for conducting the LibQUAL+ survey to identifying gaps between desired, perceived, and minimum expectations of services, this book will guide you in continuously meeting the needs of your community.

Exhibiting the Archive examines the role that exhibition plays in archives and analyses the impact they are understood to have on how users and visitors experience the archive. Drawing on research conducted in Europe, North America and Australia, the book analyses the key theoretical and social influences on exhibition-making in archives today and discusses the role of exhibitions in the archives of tomorrow. This is the first in-depth study to consider exhibition as more than outreach or advocacy: it frames exhibition as an encounter with archives and with people, and interprets it as a mechanism for change within the archive. Against a backdrop of increasing digital activity, Lester asks what experience within the physical space of the archive could be. Drawing on ideas of spatiality and embodiment, as well as social justice and activism, Lester considers the role of exhibitions within the physical archive and the part they can play in reshaping how experience is understood to happen within it. Exhibiting the Archive offers a new perspective on the archive that will be of interest to academics and students engaged in the study of archives and records. The discussions of cutting-edge practice offer new insights into how exhibitions are conceived and made, and will therefore be of interest to practitioners around the world.

Meet the challenge of operating a successful art library! The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian examines the unique challenges and vital administrative issues that are at the forefront of current art librarianship. Librarians working in a variety of settings (art, academics, architecture, visual resources, and museums) address professional change and technological challenges, including inadequate staffing and the need to wear multiple hats to cope with day-to-day responsibilities. The book focuses on common practices in the field as well as the individuals who work in art libraries and the collections they maintain. Instead of the standard primer on art librarianship, this book is an insightful look at how art librarians are unique in terms of the clientele they serve, their subject knowledge, and the variety of environments in which they work. The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian examines pressing everyday issues, including operational management, staff recruitment and training, managing collections, public service and patrons, and developing a personal care plan. The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian also addresses setting-specific topics, such as: developing staffing standards at all levels working solo in small art museum libraries integrating digitization into visual resource libraries handling special collections in architecture libraries how culture and mission distinguish academic art libraries from their museum counterparts and much more! The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian provides library professionals and academics with a unique look at current trends in art, architecture, and visual resources librarianship.

Examine the nuts and bolts of successful management in today's rapidly evolving libraries This book is an essential primer for new library managers and directors. In addition to providing an overview of the practical aspects of management, it is a vital reference tool for managing your library and its staff. The Practical Library Manager's informative text and comprehensive bibliographies of print and electronic resources can guide you to solutions to the issues that every fledgling library manager must deal with upon appointment.While there are many publications on library management, The Practical Library Manager is one of very few to focus on the practical issues of staffing and the importance of continuous staff training. Also, unlike other books on the subject, this book features a chapter that points you to relevant management texts originally written for the corporate world rather than the library profession.The Practical Library Manager is the perfect single source to help you: understand the challenges of staffing your library and training your staff explore new technology's impact on library workers and evaluate training programs to help them keep up ensure that your staff has the core competencies they'll need in the current climate build a "virtual library" decide whether your library should join a consortium and much more In the words of the author: "Today, the most successful libraries in the country are those addressing the needs of both external and internal customers. However, it takes more than technology to change the working relationship between the institution and its customer. The guiding force for change must include a strong and respectful relationship between the library manager and staff. Much of what is written in this book can assist the fledgling manager in creating an environment of trust, teamwork, and respect."

Examine the nuts and bolts of successful management in today's rapidly evolving libraries!This book is an essential primer for new library managers and directors. In addition to providing an overview of the practical aspects of management, it is a vital reference tool for managing your library and its staff. The Practical Library Manager's informative text and comprehensive bibliographies of print and electronic resources can guide you to solutions to the issues that every fledgling library manager must deal with upon appointment.While there are many publications on library management, The Practical Library Manager is one of very few to focus on the practical issues of staffing and the importance of continuous staff training. Also, unlike other books on the subject, this book features a chapter that points you to relevant management texts originally written for the corporate world rather than the library profession.The Practical Library Manager is the perfect single source to help you: understand the challenges of staffing your library and training your staff explore new technology's impact on library workers and evaluate training programs to help them keep up ensure that your staff has the core competencies they'll need in the current climate build a "virtual library" decide whether your library should join a consortium and much more!In the words of the author: "Today, the most successful libraries in the country are those addressing the needs of both external and internal customers. However, it takes more than technology to change the working relationship between the institution and its customer. The guiding force for change must include a strong and respectful relationship betweenthe library manager and staff. Much of what is written in this book can assist the fledgling manager in creating an environment of trust, teamwork, and respect."

Data and its technologies now play a large and growing role in humanities research and teaching. This book addresses the needs of humanities scholars who seek deeper expertise in the area of data modeling and representation. The authors, all experts in digital humanities, offer a clear explanation of key technical principles, a grounded discussion of case studies, and an exploration of important theoretical concerns. The book opens with an orientation, giving the reader a history of data modeling in the humanities and a grounding in the technical concepts necessary to understand and engage with the second part of the book. The second part of the book is a wide-ranging exploration of topics central for a deeper understanding of data modeling in digital humanities. Chapters cover data modeling standards and the role they play in shaping digital humanities practice, traditional forms of modeling in the humanities and how they have been transformed by digital approaches, ontologies which seek to anchor meaning in digital humanities resources, and how data models inhabit the other analytical tools used in digital humanities research. It concludes with a glossary chapter that explains specific terms and concepts for data modeling in the digital humanities context. This book is a unique and invaluable resource for teaching and practising data modeling in a digital humanities context.

Here is unique volume offering practical advice on weeding and maintaining reference collections. It covers different types of libraries--academic, corporate, public--and problems, and librarians describe in detail methods and criteria used by their libraries in weeding their reference collections. Dr. Pierce has organized the topics of her book into relevant chapters. These chapters, bound to appeal to a variety of needs, address and discuss the problems and management of growing reference collections. As many librarians find weeding reference books a difficult task, most reference departments suffer from a lack of space as a result. Collection growth reduces shelf and seating space, and both books and people are lost in the clutter. In reading this essential book, reference supervisors will come to understand the importance of allowing reference area growth combined with effective weeding to promote an attractive and well-stocked reference area. Heads of reference will find Weeding and Maintenance of Reference Collections full of useful information, from the specific criteria and detailed methods contributed by several librarians who have found success in weeding their reference collections, to the practical hints on planning and evaluating collection contents and organization. Students and faculty of library schools and information studies will gain insight into successful management of increasing amounts of reference material as the Information Age gathers momentum into the 1990s.

England is remarkable for the wealth and variety of its archival heritage - the records created and preserved by institutions, organisations and individuals. This is the first book to treat the history of English records creation and record-keeping from the perspective of the archives themselves. Beginning in the early Middle Ages and ending in modern times, it draws on the author's extensive knowledge and experience as both archivist and historian, and presents the subject in a very readable and lively way. Some archives, notably those of government and the Established Church, have remarkably continuous histories. But all have suffered over time from periods of neglect and decay, and some have come to sudden and violent ends. Among the destructive episodes discussed in the book are the Viking raids of the Anglo-Saxon period, the Norman Conquest, the Peasants' Revolt, the dissolution of the monasteries and the bombing raids of the Second World War. Archivists and historians have a shared interest in the protection and study of the country's surviving records. This book has been written for members of both professions, but also for every reader who cares about the preservation of England's past.

Improve the delivery of library services by implementing total quality management (TQM), a system of continuous improvement employing participative management and centered on the needs of customers. Although TQM was originally designed for and successfully applied in business and manufacturing settings, this groundbreaking volume introduces strategies for translating TQM principles from the profit-based manufacturing sector to the library setting. Integrating Total Quality Management in a Library Setting shows librarians how to improve library services by implementing strategies such as employee involvement and training, problem-solving teams, statistical methods, long-term goals and thinking, and an overall recognition that the system (not the staff) is responsible for most inefficiencies.Total Quality Management in a Library Setting describes the principles of TQM, its origins, and the potential benefits and barriers to be expected when adopting quality management approaches in libraries. Chapters provide guidelines for planning and implementation to help libraries use total quality management to break down interdepartmental barriers and work on continuously improving library services. The contributors, who have begun to think about using or who are already using TQM in a library setting, present specific planning and implementation issues that can be put to immediate use in libraries. With this innovative book, library managers will learn that by working together on problem solving teams to address specific operational questions, and by developing a shared knowledge of problem-solving tools and techniques, staff members grow personally and gain a larger sense of organizational purpose. Other TQM methods introduced in this book include the concept of the internal customer, which teaches staff to recognize how other staff members use the results of their work, and the principle of continuous improvement, which enables libraries to set measurable goals based on quantitative performance indicators, and to monitor progress toward those goals.

Here is an in-depth book on the process of evaluating your acquisitions and collection management programs. No project, no matter how ingenious or innovative, will be granted support by a funding agency without a solid evaluation plan. Evaluating Acquisitions and Collection Management discusses the reasons evaluation is held in such high regard by administrators. The authors describe a variety of evaluation activities that cover both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The first section of the book covers current trends and the impact on collection development and acquisitions, and how the evaluation of collections can reveal patterns of program support that can then be compared between peer institutions. Other topics include the process of assigning relative value to acquisitions activities, performance appraisal, and methods for improving procedures of acquiring materials. Acquisitions librarians and administrators will find this book extremely helpful in streamlining their acquisitions and collection management programs.

Here is unique volume offering practical advice on weeding and maintaining reference collections. It covers different types of libraries--academic, corporate, public--and problems, and librarians describe in detail methods and criteria used by their libraries in weeding their reference collections. Dr. Pierce has organized the topics of her book into relevant chapters. These chapters, bound to appeal to a variety of needs, address and discuss the problems and management of growing reference collections. As many librarians find weeding reference books a difficult task, most reference departments suffer from a lack of space as a result. Collection growth reduces shelf and seating space, and both books and people are lost in the clutter. In reading this essential book, reference supervisors will come to understand the importance of allowing reference area growth combined with effective weeding to promote an attractive and well-stocked reference area. Heads of reference will find Weeding and Maintenance of Reference Collections full of useful information, from the specific criteria and detailed methods contributed by several librarians who have found success in weeding their reference collections, to the practical hints on planning and evaluating collection contents and organization. Students and faculty of library schools and information studies will gain insight into successful management of increasing amounts of reference material as the Information Age gathers momentum into the 1990s.

Do librarians rock the boat ? Do they challenge those around them to win influence and advantage? Why is it that librarians are little found on the influence grid of personality assessment tests? The Machiavellian Librarian offers real life examples of librarians who use their knowledge and skill to project influence, and turn the tide in their, and their library s, favor. Authors offer first hand and clear examples to help librarians learn to use their influence effectively, for the betterment of their library and their career. Opening chapters cover visualizing data, as well as networking and strategic alignment. Following chapters discuss influence without authority-making fierce allies, communicating results in accessible language and user-centered planning. Closing chapters address using accreditation and regulation reporting to better position the library, as well as political positioning and outcome assessment.
Throws the spotlight on librarian s professional and personality traits, many of which are deleterious to the long-term viability of library fundingShows how best to boost the value proposition of libraries, through enhanced influenceIncludes how-to chapters on influencing others in the organization"

How can knowledge be reconfigured so as to enhance experience, enable participation, and augment environments? "Shaping Knowledge" argues that knowledge is a product of human activity in a social space, and as a result is a formative resource. The book takes a step beyond information visualisation and imagines a learning environment in which knowledge can be manipulated as an object. Practical examples from the domains of health, education, travel, museums and libraries are offered, and chapters cover knowledge and space, unpredictability and authorship, as well as agility, ubiquity and mobility.
Applies high-level theory work to an engineering domainProposes a novel approach to spatial, urban and interaction designBrings a rare inter-disciplinary perspective to a convergent technology"

Academic libraries have continually looked for technological solutions to low circulation statistics, under-usage by students and faculty, and what is perceived as a crisis in relevance, seeing themselves in competition with Google and Wikipedia. Academic libraries, however, are as relevant as they have been historically, as their primary functions within their university missions have not changed, but merely evolved. Going beyond the Gate Count argues that the problem is not relevance, but marketing and articulation. This book offers theoretical reasoning and practical advice to directors on how to better market the function of the library within and beyond the home institution. The aim of this text is to help directors, and ultimately, their librarians and staff get students and faculty back into the library, as a result of better articulation of the library s importance. The first chapter explores the promotion of academic libraries and their function as educational systems. The next two chapters focus on the importance of the role social media and virtual presence in the academic library, and engaging and encouraging students to use the library through a variety of methods, such as visually oriented special collections. Remaining chapters discuss collaboration and collegiality, formalized reporting and marketing.
Offers clear, concise writing, with thoughtful discussions of the problems facing academic libraries Demonstrates comprehensive and thoughtful research that informs theoretical approaches to realistic outcomes that address these problemsProvides helpful tables, illustrations, and photographs that evidence the collaborative nature of contemporary academic librariesProvides practical examples from actual experiences that can be adapted by readers"

The increasing volume of information in the contemporary world entails demand for efficient knowledge management (KM) systems; a logical method of information organization that will allow proper semantic querying to identify things that match meaning in natural language. On this concept, the role of an information manager goes beyond implementing a search and clustering system, to the ability to map and logically present the subject domain and related cross domains. From Knowledge Abstraction to Management answers this need by analysing ontology tools and techniques, helping the reader develop a conceptual framework from the digital library perspective. Beginning with the concept of knowledge abstraction, before discussing the Solecistic versus the Semantic Web, the book goes on to consider knowledge organisation, the development of conceptual frameworks, untying conceptual tangles, and the concept of faceted knowledge representation.
Offers a semantic solution to knowledge and information managersDemonstrates the development of a system for semantic knowledge organization and retrievalRelevant to those without much coding experience