A host of specialists have contributed to the collection. This new edition includes more detailed discussion of a wider range of reference-related services including interlibrary loan, document delivery, and readers' advisory services. There is also increased attention to ethical issues and a stronger focus on user-centered services, both face-to-face and mediated by technology. In addition, the authors discuss Web sites of significant value to reference services and the impact of the Internet and World Wide Web on reference services. This carefully designed and readable text explains the essential theory and provides the practical knowledge necessary for an initial reference course. Its broad scope and organizational clarity will benefit students and practitioners.

    Divided into four easy-to-follow parts, this authoritative handbook from experienced archivist Laura A. Millar addresses the contextual, strategic, operational, and practical issues associated with creating an archival program.Millar covers the critical topics you need to know to improve your professional skills, including:• establishing principles, policies, and procedures• managing day-to-day operations• caring for different types of archival materials• enhancing outreach and public access• ensuring the growth and sustainability of the institution and its servicesThis new title is essential for anyone involved in collecting, curating, and managing archives because the accessible, jargon-free language provides both novice and experienced professionals with a clear outline of all the fundamental principles and practices in the field.

    This second edition is a refreshment of a standard title in the field"--

    But as any working librarian will tell you, that's not the half of it. A long-time library administrator, Doucett gives new librarians a full dose of practical advice and wisdom that remains between the lines of most library curricula, while also teaching seasoned professionals a thing or two. With advice gleaned from years of hard-won experience, this book: *Covers a variety of library topics that are truly relevant to the day-to-day job, such as management, administration, and marketing *Shows how librarians can use practical business and organizational skills to do a better job and further their careers *Presents information in a grab-and-go format that's ready to apply in the real worldFor MLS graduates just entering the job market, as well as individuals interested in switching gears through promotion or advancement, Doucett offers the inside scoop on what a librarian really wants to know.

    With such essentials well in hand, the searcher can plunge into almost any database that comes along and master its intricacies (and idiosyncrasies) in relatively short order. Bell's conversational style, coupled with her Searcher's Toolbox, promises increased flexibility and adaptability. This book will prove a handy guide for librarians in every conceivable information environment and across all levels of experience.

    Students of library and information studies, as well as all working public librarians, will find this the essential source for learning about the successful management and functioning of public libraries throughout the U.S. today. Kathleen McCook, one of the country's leading library educators, compares our library system to those of other nations, details the history of public libraries and information movements, and explains both differing state funding models and state library standards. Dr. McCook discusses the practical functioning of various library programs - information and referral services, discussion groups, genealogy services, and children's, youth, and seniors' programming. Issues of library administration and operation, especially in light of new technology, are explored. State and federal laws, political and educational outreach, and relations with associations and foundations are all discussed in detail.

    In straightforward language, the author Shows how to easily set clear expectations for visitors' behavior Presents guidelines for when and how to intervene when someone violates the code of conduct, including tips for approaching an unruly patron Offers instruction on keeping persistent troublemakers under control or permanently barred from the library Gives library staff tools for communicating effectively with its security professionals, including examples of basic documentation The Black Belt Librarian arms librarians with the confidence and know-how they need to maintain a comfortable, productive, and safe environment for everyone in the library.

    In this revised edition that includes coverage of new Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 tools, tablets, and omnipresent wireless devices, Burke demonstrates how to successfully conceptualize, purchase, implement and maintain a library's invaluable tech assets. Highlights in this eagerly anticipated edition include enhanced coverage of e-books and cloud computing. This comprehensive resource should be at the top of the list for any current or future library professional looking to stay at the forefront of technological advancement.

    Written and designed to reflect the way people read today, this book is structured to quickly impart simple and cost-effective ideas on marketing your library.

    A library is an ever-changing organism; when done the right way, weeding helps a library thrive by focusing its resources on those parts of the collection that are the most useful to its users. Her handbook takes the guesswork out of this delicate but necessary process, giving public and school library staff the knowledge and the confidence to effectively weed any collection, of any size. Going through the proverbial stacks shelf by shelf, VnukExplains why weeding is important for a healthy library, demonstrating that a vibrant collection leads to robust circulation, which in turn affects library budgetsWalks readers through a library’s shelves by Dewey area, with recommended weeding criteria and call-outs in each area for the different considerations of large collections and smaller collectionsFeatures a chapter addressing reference, media, magazines and newspapers, e-books, and other special materialsShows how a solid collection development plan uses weeding as an ongoing process, making it less stressful and more productiveOffers guidance for determining how to delegate responsibility for weeding, plus pointers for getting experienced staff on boardGives advice for educating the community about the process, how to head off PR disasters, and what to do with weeded materialsIncludes a dozen sample collection development plans, easily adaptable to suit a library’s individual needsFilled with field-tested, no nonsense strategies, this handbook will enable libraries to bloom by maintaining a collection that users actually use.

    Since then, Cassidy has made it his mission to remind us of how essential librarians and libraries are to our communities. His subjects are men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and personal style-from pink hair and leather jackets to button-downs and blazers. In short, not necessarily what one thinks a librarian looks like. The nearly 220 librarians photographed also share their personal thoughts on what it means to be a librarian. This is What A Librarian Looks Like also includes original essay by some of our most beloved writers, journalists, and commentators including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Nancy Pearl, Cory Doctorow, Paula Poundstone, Amanda Palmer, Peter Sagal, Jeff VanderMeer, John Scalzi, Sara Farizan, Amy Dickinson, and others. Cassidy also profiles a handful of especially influential librarians and libraries.

    Every decision you make affects how people experience your library. In this useful primer, user experience (UX) librarians Schmidt and Etches identify 19 crucial touchpoints such as the library website, email, furniture, parking lot, events, and newsletters. They explain why each is important to your library's members and offer guidance on how to make improvements. From library administrators to public relations and marketing staff, anyone concerned with how members experience your library will benefit from this book's * Coverage of the eight principles of library UX design, explaining how they can guide you to better serve your library's members * Advice on simple, structured ways to evaluate and improve aspects such as physical space, service points, policies and customer service, signage and wayfinding, online presence, and using the library * Scorecard system for self evaluation, which includes methods for determining how much time, effort, and skill will be involved in getting optimum performance

    At the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library in Arkansas, Bizzle and his colleagues defied common practices by using creative risk-taking in marketing and outreach to transform their library into a dynamic institution that continues to grow and thrive. Here they recount their story, sharing techniques for success alongside a provocative marketing philosophy that will spur libraries to move beyond their comfort zone. Focusing on creative ways to pull patrons in rather than just push the library out, this book-Steers libraries towards defining their brand, explaining why it is crucial to meeting the needs of their users and potential users-Offers strategies for getting stakeholders on board and engaged, including how to address budgeting concerns-Demonstrates the importance of the library’s website as the digital “main branch” of the library, with guidance for creating and promoting it-Details the systematic marketing campaign undertaken at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, encompassing both traditional and new media channels such as billboards, posters, newspapers, TV and radio, and mobile technology-Takes the mystery out of how to use social media platforms as public awareness tools, complete with detailed strategies and step-by-step instructions-Shows how to pull it all together into a manageable campaign through strong leadership and teamworkBy the time readers have finished this book, they’ll have a roadmap for revolution at their own institution.

    Bowker and Susan Leigh Star explore the role of categories and standards in shaping the modern world. In a clear and lively style, they investigate a variety of classification systems, including the International Classification of Diseases, the Nursing Interventions Classification, race classification under apartheid in South Africa, and the classification of viruses and of tuberculosis.The authors emphasize the role of invisibility in the process by which classification orders human interaction. They examine how categories are made and kept invisible, and how people can change this invisibility when necessary. They also explore systems of classification as part of the built information environment. Much as an urban historian would review highway permits and zoning decisions to tell a city's story, the authors review archives of classification design to understand how decisions have been made. Sorting Things Out has a moral agenda, for each standard and category valorizes some point of view and silences another. Standards and classifications produce advantage or suffering. Jobs are made and lost; some regions benefit at the expense of others. How these choices are made and how we think about that process are at the moral and political core of this work. The book is an important empirical source for understanding the building of information infrastructures.

    In The Accidental Library Manager, author Rachel Singer Gordon provides support and background for new managers, aspiring managers, and those who find themselves in unexpected management roles. Gordon fills in the gaps left by brief and overly theoretical library school coursework, showing library managers how to be more effective in their positions and how to think about their work in terms of the goals of their larger institutions. Included are insights from working library managers at different levels and in various types of libraries, addressing a wide range of management issues and situations. Not to be missed: comments from library staff about the qualities they appreciate-- and the styles and attitudes they find counterproductive-- in their own bosses.