Metadata, or ""data about data"", is used to organize and access information in an effective way. From cataloguing to organizing archives, metadata helps front-line librarians provide customers with a direct path to information. In this text, Priscilla Caplan presents a comprehensive description of the various forms of metadata, its applications, and how librarians can put it to work. Both descriptive and nondescriptive forms of metadata are defined (including the TEI Header, the Dublin Core, EAD, GILS, ONIX and the Data Documentation Initiative) and applied to actual library functions. Illustrations show how different forms of metadata look, the advantages and disadvantages, and where they're best applied in the library. Caplan seeks to provide an unbiased analysis of metadata forms, emerging forms, and current and future applications. She answers questions such as: how does using metadata enhance access?; how can metadata be used to organize and describe a variety of information formats, especially digital resources?; what are the different ways you can use metadata in your library?; and which form of metadata will be most appropriate for your collection?

This much needed work addresses a topic of increasing importance and urgency: the shortage of individuals attracted to professional careers in librarianship, and the subsequent consequences for leadership positions, particularly library directorship. Through extensive interviews and a thorough review of the existing literature, the authors-all highly respected for their exceptional leadership and contributions to library science-assess what constitutes effective leadership and identify the traits needed by the next generation of academic and public library directors. The authors argue that library directors must be both managers and leaders, and that LIS students and graduates need appropriate support in seeking out upper level positions and exercising leadership. They present tools for assessing leadership and suggest strategies that individuals can use to prepare themselves for leadership positions and the challenges that lie ahead. A detailed bibliography completes the work. Chapters include: A Shortage of Librarians Qualities Expected of Library Directors: A Review of the Literature Qualities for ARL Directors Qualities for ACRL Directors Qualities for Public Library Directors Analysis and Comparison of Qualities Leadership Assessment Acquiring the Qualities Hunting Heads and Final Reflections An important contribution to the field of library and information science, this eye-opening study is essential reading for anyone in the profession.

Every librarian who wants to make wise policy decisions and protect the organization from legal challenges can now consult the library legal team of Minow and Lipinskil Libraries are in the thick of legal issues as new technologies add layers of complexity to everyday work in the library. How do you know what's legal? What can you do to identify and address issues before they turn into bona fide legal matters? Where do you turn for help? In this comprehensive and authoritative, yet easy-to-understand Q & A customized for librarians, you'll find expert guidance on complex issues. With coverage of all the issues of the day - filters, fair use, copyright, Web publishing and Internet use, software sharing, ADA compliance, free speech, privacy, access, and employment and liability issues - you will have a ""librarian's J.D."" in short order! This timely and practical desktop tool: Focuses on quick and reader-friendly answers to common legal questions; Provides examples of legal challenges faced in libraries; Includes precedents and case citations to conduct additional research; Supports libraries in their commitment to access without liability; With detailed and ready-to-apply answers to more than 600 legal questions; this trouble-shooting guide will become your favorite quick-reference.

Recent law, corporate, and even public library closings are the sad confirmation that libraries are no longer a given. Despite the fact that librarians bring unique value to their communities and organizations, too often their work goes on under the radar. The benefits provided by information professionals are invisible and taken for granted as Internet search engines replace real experts. It's time to assert your value and the value of the resources you marshal. Step from behind the desk or computer to make your community aware of just how indispensable your services are. Here are all the tools you need to become the ""squeaky wheel"" and attract the attention your work deserves. Use these practical strategies to connect with customers, make services both visible and valuable to the community, and get the word out using proven marketing, customer service and public relations tactics specifically tailored to the library environment. Learn to: Provide the answers your users/customers need; Gather internal and external champions to grow a funding base; Access the resources that keep your enterprise viable; Keep information resources available in spite of budget constraints; Be recognized as a value-provider within your organization or community; Library directors, department heads, solo librarians: Learn how NOT to be invisible! Packed with all the best practices in marketing library services, this hands-on guide provides inspiring stories and case studies of library colleagues around the nation who are successfully advocating and marketing themselves and their services.

Picking up where the best-selling Bare Bones Young Adult Services left off, this exciting new book has an ambitious intent - to help libraries, with their communities, develop their teens into healthy, competent, and caring adults. Applying the tools in New Planning for Results to the goals outlined in Information Power, YALSA has teamed up with writer Patrick Jones to provide direction on how to deliver YA service that is proactive and holistic. Approaching the service mission holistically means linking the developmental needs and assets of these young adults with the overarching goals of the library. With passionate, authority, this book presents a checklist for strengthening community-wide bonds to young adults through policies, collections, programs, services, technology, facilities, hours, and, most importantly, human resources. This book changes the context for thinking about services to young adults in school and public libraries from a reactive series of programs aimed at increasing use of the library, to a well-planned initiative that focuses on outcomes. Laying down twelve goals and ten core values of YA service, New Directions inspires you to renew your commitment and: - Start from scratch or revitalize your existing program - Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate top-flight services to young adults - Create a partnership with the young adult population in your neighborhood - Boost the achievement and esteem of these young students - Allocate and cultivate resources to meet real needs Eighteen real-life success stories show programs from around the country that have engaged their kids - in drama groups, in homework programs, in college planning programs - all with tangible outcomes. Packed with useful resources, the appendix includes YALSA's key action areas and guidelines, adolescent developmental assets from the Search Institute, and standards for information literacy. All of these resources come together to help you foster a thriving young adult constituency and a new direction for your services.

Supporting Today’s Students in the Library collects current strategies from all types of academic libraries for retaining and graduating nontraditional students, with many of them based on learning theories and teaching methodologies. The book explores methods for overcoming language barriers, discusses best practices, and presents case studies that support the changing student population. Additionally, Supporting Today’s Students in the Library provides a variety of ideas for new services, spaces, and outreach opportunities that support nontraditional students on campus and beyond.

The dissemination of information is conceivable only through a network of a stable public library system which in turn acts as the tributary of knowledge. This book discusses all the important aspects of a public library system including the historical factors responsible for the growth of libraries and also the specific problems related to the systematic working of libraries.

This latest collaboration in the Library Programs that Inspire series explores library media center events that target the high school age audience. Detailing particular methods to inspire high school students to appreciate and use the library media center, this guide provides compelling evidence of the potential for young adult programming as an effective teaching tool. This practical guide provides everything you need to plan, execute, and evaluate events that will get the attention of even your least motivated high school students. Emphasizing the benefits of effective programs, the authors offer creative techniques to enhance the curriculum, improve school library media center use, broaden student interest, and inspire lifelong learning. Programming foundations and examples from across the nation, as well as practical advice and helpful resources, provide the necessary inspiration to help you team up with educators, parents, and student volunteers to create unique, effective, and memorable events that will motivate your teenagers to fully take advantage of all that the school library offers.

Focusing on promoting Spanish-language and Latino-oriented services and resources in libraries, this selection of 20 papers was compiled at the Second REFORMA National Conference by experts in the field. The work covers a wide range of thought-provoking ideas, issues in Latino library services, leadership, practical applications, programs, and bibliographical resources. Great for librarians, library staff, and managers who have an obligation to provide quality library services to the U.S. Latino community.

For the first time, an authoritative compendium of collective thought and experience has been created to form a powerful standard for Spanish-language-oriented library services. This selection of 20 papers is the one resource to turn to when it comes to establishing or revising your current library policies and collection development guidelines as well as creating an empowering vision for the future. An indispensable tool for librarians, library staff, faculty and students of library science, and everyone who has an obligation to provide quality library services to speakers of Spanish

This book will help you to not only answer this question, but also prove your findings. Walking you through the process of assessing if and how well students and library users are learning from educational resources, two expert academic library experts team up to provide An Action Plan for Outcomes Assessment in Your Library. This comprehensive plan, the first of its kind and specifically for librarians, provides data collection tools for measuring both learning and research outcomes that link outcomes to user satisfaction. After all, it is the users who will benefit from learning, and so their experiences are integral to the way libraries measure their services and performance. This practical, how-to manual, with detailed case studies from actual outcomes assessment programs, will prepare you to: Plan an outcomes assessment strategy for your library that is in line with accrediting guidelines; Execute your plan by identifying user needs, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting your findings; Measure the value of the services you are providing and identify areas for improvement; Armed with hands-on tools and real-life examples, you will be inspired to get a handle on how successful your services are in the context of what your students and users need and want. Included are policies of major accrediting bodies for higher education, guidelines developed by the Association for Research and College Libraries, and a chapter that applies academic library outcomes assessment to public libraries. Libraries can maintain accreditation and funding, assess student and user learning, and determine the library's role in graduate and faculty research as they demonstrate their effectiveness using outcomes assessment. This innovative action plan provides tools and data collection instruments that is based on the latest research and adaptable to any type of library.

How can public libraries successfully meet the needs of their patrons and their communities, and build support for their endeavors? Focusing on the heart and soul of the library-its collection-the authors show how proven marketing techniques can be applied to library collection development in today's high-tech environment. With examples and statistics from more than 200 libraries of all sizes, the book gathers decades of pertinent research and a wealth of creative ideas and winning tactics for public libraries. After a brief discussion of the rationale for a marketing approach, the book takes you through each step of an effective marketing initiative: from market research and creating a master plan through collection evaluation, selection, costs, access, and promotional policies and practices. A great idea-generator and how-to guide for any library staff member, especially those in management positions, this is also essential reading for LIS students preparing for careers in public libraries.

Flexible scheduling and flexible access have been around for years, but students in many school systems have yet to reap their benefits. Full of fresh perspectives, this easy-to-follow guide gives you an overview of the concepts and then takes you step-by-step through the process of implementing them in your school to create lifelong learners, readers, and library users of your students. An excellent tool for clarifying to a school community the win-win situation created by these changes.

As libraries strive to maintain collections with limited space, many have turned to high-efficiency, off-site shelving facilities. This work addresses virtually all major issues in planning, building, and operating high-density storage. Using the Harvard Depository model, but applying the issues and activities to other models as well, a host of contributors cover such issues as governance and cost, design and construction, preservation, selection, pre-shelving preparation, systems, access and management, services, and transportation. An essential guide to anyone considering or involved in high efficiency shelving, this book is also a valuable reference.

Whodunit? Taking the ""mystery"" out of serving mystery fans in the library, authors and avid mystery fans John Charles, Joanna Morrison, and Candace Clark uncover the evidence in this comprehensive and fun readers' advisory. Covering the popular mystery genre from collection development to programming and marketing tips, this is the one-stop source for librarians and mystery readers alike. In this handy reference, you'll find an introduction to the world of mystery, a step-by-step guide on how to interview readers in order to match their tastes with stories (""Do you like noir or cozy?""), programming ideas, marketing strategies, and collection development tips on the sticky issues of weeding, paperbacks, and obtaining out-of-print titles. The second half of the book presents two winning booklists organized by themes (e.g., Classic, Ecclesiastical, Cozy) and subgenres (e.g., Private Investigator, Legal Thrillers, True Crime). And a where-to-go guide for more specifics includes reference information, review literature, specialty publishers, and Websites. Packed with information, this user-friendly book will help you to: Develop your understanding of the mystery world - its awards (Edgar and Dagger), popular publications (The Drood Review and Mystery Review), hot authors, and more; Build an enticing mystery collection; Make insightful mystery recommendations to curious readers; Organize discussion groups and author programs; Market the library and its mystery center; This latest installment in the popular ALA Readers' Advisory series offers a crash course in the world of mystery. If you'd like to create a dynamic mystery center in your library but don't know where to start, solve the puzzle using the clues in The Mystery Readers' Advisory.

The rise of digitisation and social media over the past decade has fostered the rise of participatory and DIY digital culture. Likewise, the archival community leveraged these new technologies, aiming to engage users and expand access to collections. This book examines the creation and development of participatory archives, its impact on archival theory, and present case studies of its real world application. Participatory Archives: Theory and practice is divided into four sections with each focused on a particular aspect of participatory archives: social tagging and commenting; transcription; crowdfunding; and outreach & activist communities. Each section includes chapters summarizing the existing literature, a discussion of theoretical challenges and benefits, and a series of case studies. The case studies are written by a range of international practitioners and provide a wide range of examples in practice, whilst the remaining chapters are supplied by leading scholars from Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This book will be useful for students on archival studies programs, scholarly researchers in archival studies who could use the book to frame their own research projects, and practitioners who might be most interested in the case studies to see how participatory archives function in practice. The book may also be of interest to other library and information science students, and similar audiences within the broader cultural heritage institution fields of museums, libraries, and galleries.

If your library serves a Latino population, you'll want this book. It will help you better serve the needs of Spanish-speaking patrons of all ages. The author gives background information on various Hispanic groups, explaining some of the cultural differences that can lead to misunderstanding. She then offers a variety of program and collection building ideas. A list of distributors of Spanish-language materials-books, periodicals, AV materials, computer and other educational resources-is provided, as well as Web site addresses of Spanish-language sites. Vocabulary lists for library and computer-related words and phrases and guidelines for correctly writing Spanish words are also included.

If your library is serving its YA patrons with a generalist, this book will serve as a dynamic starting point for learning how to provide quality library service to teens and to:

-- Provide reference and homework support

-- Organize a "Junior Friends of the Library" group

-- Create user-friendly young adult library spaces and compelling collections

These rules apply to the arrangement of bibliographic records of library materials whether displayed in card, book, or online format.

Here is everything you need to plan, execute, and assess school library events. Aside from emphasizing the benefits of effective programs, the authors offer details on providing support services to enrich programming. Several examples of successful programs from across the nation provide the necessary inspiration to create your own imaginative and memorable events-events that motivate young students to fully take advantage of media center resources.

This volume challenges librarians to demand a place at the community planning and development table. Describing the experiences and insights of librarians who have blazed trails of community involvement, it outlines practical ways to become involved in policy-making.

Bringing together library and information science faculty and practicing library managers, this work combines some of the most exciting concepts and methodologies of library evaluation with the practical experiences of those working in the field. A variety of approaches (e.g., focus groups, TQM) are thoroughly described, then illustrated with actual case studies. These cases can serve as inspiration and models to library managers and other individuals responsible for evaluation, as well as to those who aspire to library management positions.

Many reference librarians have been highly critical about unobtrusive evaluation studies. But can their opposition be justified? Or is it just a way to detract attention from serious shortcomings in reference service? How can government documents reference service, and reference service in general, be improved? Do librarians have enough general and subject-specific knowledge to provide informed and intelligent answers to reference questions? Would any business or non-profit organization be satisfied with the traditional 55 percent efficacy rate in reference service revealed by unobtrusive evaluation studies?

Long a controversial topic in the specialized world of reference librarianship, unobtrusive evaluation is nevertheless a useful tool in gauging the degree to which reference librarians are effectively performing their jobs. Based on a nationwide study of government documents reference service in Canada, this book examines the broad philosophical implications of negative attitudes to unobtrusive evaluation studies within libraries. It also discusses what really happens when librarians make referrals to external sources. Drawing on the insights of such library educators as Margaret Hutchins, S. R. Ranganathan, and James Wyer, it also suggests overlooked ways that may help reference librarians deliver better reference service. Finally, it argues that such proposals as certification and recertification of reference librarians need to be seriously considered if librarians do not willingly take personal responsibility for improving their own knowledge levels.

Changing technologies and diversifying populations have meant a higher demand for library instruction at most academic libraries. This book demonstrates how you can meet that demand by using peer tutors to support and enhance your library services. Peer tutors can teach library patrons online search concepts and skills and how to use other specific research tools. This practical, step-by-step plan for developing and implementing a peer tutoring program can improve library services and make your job easier.