It has been expanded and improved with: - Easy ways to create "read alike" lists, identifying what else is "like" a favorite book- Practical guidelines for conducting the advisory interview so it's a comfortable exchange- Confidence-boosting tactics for drawing on reviews to make recommendations- Methods for incorporating nonfiction into the discussion- More resources and online tools

    The only reference text to identify the top resources in major subject areas and genres, it shows students how to approach the reference query by matching specific types of questions to the most appropriate format (when answering questions that require handy facts, for example, go first to ready reference sources; for questions about current events and issues, start with indexes). The book begins with the essentials -- interviewing patrons, determining the information need, and developing a basic search strategy. It then gives a thorough overview of the materials, print and electronic, most frequently used to answer questions -- from government information to bibliographic resources, dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographical information sources, atlases, and more. A section on special topics in reference includes chapters on when and how to use the Internet as a reference tool, suggestions on user instruction at the reference desk, and reader's advisory work, as well as a chapter on service to children and youth authored by acclaimed expert Mary K. Chelton. Finally, the book addresses reference management basics: selection and evaluation of material, management of the reference department, assessing and improving reference services, and future trends. Guided by an advisory board and a focus group, the authors have achieved an ideal balance between practical elements and guiding principles. This landmark text is sure to be of interest to LIS educators, students, and both novice and experienced reference professionals.

    Solomon, a librarian with extensive experience in web development, design, and technology, cuts to the chase with this invaluable guide to using social media in any kind of library. With a straightforward and pragmatic approach, she enlarges her best-selling ALA Editions Special Report on the topic and:- Presents an overview of the social media world, providing context for services like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and analyzes how adults’ and teens’ use of social media impacts the library- Offers advice on easy ways to use these tools on a daily basis, with planning strategies for posting and scheduling- Addresses the fine points of Facebook, comparing the various types of profiles and accounts- Guides readers in the basics of crafting eye-catching status updates, and other social media best practices- Shows how to manage and monitor accounts, including pointers on dealing with negative feedbackIncluding a bibliography of additional resources, Solomon’s guide will empower libraries to use social media as a powerful tool for marketing, outreach, and advocacy.

    Because MLIS education tends to offer less-than-comprehensive preparation in pedagogy and instructional design, this much-needed book tackles the challenge of effective teaching and training head-on. Char Booth, an avid library education and technology advocate, introduces a series of concepts that will empower readers at any level of experience to become better designers and presenters, as well as building their confidence and satisfaction as library educators.

    In defiance of doomsayers, Johnson finds librarians more vital and necessary than ever, as they fuse the tools of the digital age with love for the written word and the enduring values of truth, service to all, and free speech. This Book Is Overdue! is a romp through the ranks of information professionals who organize our messy world and offer old-fashioned human help through the maze.

    Now they are in crisis. Former rare books librarian and Harvard metaLAB visionary Matthew Battles takes us from Boston to Baghdad, from classical scriptoria to medieval monasteries and on to the Information Age, to explore how libraries are built and how they are destroyed: from the scroll burnings in ancient China to the burning of libraries in Europe and Bosnia to the latest revolutionary upheavals of the digital age. A new afterword elucidates how knowledge is preserved amid the creative destruction of twenty-first-century technology.

    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.

    Nancy Pearl comes to the rescue with this wide-ranging and fun guide to the best reading new and old. Pearl, who inspired legions of litterateurs with What If All (name the city) Read the Same Book, has devised reading lists that cater to every mood, occasion, and personality. These annotated lists cover such topics as mother-daughter relationships, science for nonscientists, mysteries of all stripes, African-American fiction from a female point of view, must-reads for kids, books on bicycling, chick-lit, and many more. Pearl's enthusiasm and taste shine throughout.

    Eberhart (Senior Editor of "American Libraries" magazine for the American Library Association) provides a complete understanding of library functions, orders, procedures, and perspectives focused on people, materials, guidelines, technology, operations, funding, staff development, issues, diversity, the internet, and librarians.

    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.

    With the printed book, information and ideas could disseminate more widely and effectively than ever before—and in some cases, affect and redirect the sway of history. Today, nearly one million books are published each year. But is the era of the book as we know it—a codex of bound pages—coming to an end? And if it is, should we celebrate its demise and the creation of a democratic digital future, or mourn an irreplaceable loss? The digital age is revolutionizing the information landscape. Already, more books have been scanned and digitized than were housed in the great library in Alexandria, making available millions of texts for a curious reader at the click of a button, and electronic book sales are growing exponentially. Will this revolution in the delivery of information and entertainment make for more transparent and far-reaching dissemination or create a monopolistic stranglehold? In The Case for Books, Robert Darnton, an intellectual pioneer in the field of the history of the book and director of Harvard University's Library, offers an in-depth examination of the book from its earliest beginnings to its shifting role today in popular culture, commerce, and the academy. As an author, editorial advisor, and publishing entrepreneur, Darnton is a unique authority on the life and role of the book in society. This book is a wise work of scholarship—one that requires readers to carefully consider how the digital revolution will broadly affect the marketplace of ideas.

    Featuring more than 200 full-color images of original catalog cards, first edition book covers, and photographs from the library's magnificent archives, this collection is a visual celebration of the rarely seen treasures in one of the world's most famous libraries and the brilliant catalog system that has kept it organized for hundreds of years. Packed with engaging facts on literary classics—from Ulysses to The Cat in the Hat to Shakespeare's First Folio to The Catcher in the Rye—this package is an ode to the enduring magic and importance of books.

    (No doubt seminars were organized by the Alexandria Librarians Association on the future of the scroll and what to do about the rising barbarian tide.) At no time in our memory, though, have these discussions and conversations been so profound and critical. Here one of today's leading thinkers and speakers about the future of libraries brings together 30 leaders from all types of libraries and from outside librarianship to describe their vision of what the library will be in 2020. Contributors including Stephen Abram, Susan Hildreth, Marie Radford, Clifford Lynch, and Library Journal's The Annoyed Librarian were asked to describe the "library of 2020," in whatever terms they wanted, either a specific library or situation or libraries in general. They were told: "be bold, be inspirational, be hopeful, be true, be provocative, be realistic, be depressing, be light-hearted, be thoughtful, be fun...be yourself, and for heaven's sake, don't be boring." Not that they could be. Broadly representative of important perspectives and aspects within the profession as well as featuring important voices beyond the professional realm, Library 2020 presents thought-provoking and illuminating visions from many points of view. It is both required reading for library leaders and trustees as well as an ideal supplemental text for LIS classes looking at the future of the profession.

    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.

    This book is by a talented librarian who wants to introduce people, especially people searching for the right career, to the profession. It answers such questions as: What do librarians do? What are the different types of libraries and professional jobs in libraries? What are librarians all about and what hot issues do they discuss in their professional lives? What do I do to become a librarian? What are some important things to know once I'm in a masters program in library science? This book is an essential introduction to the profession for someone who is at the point of choosing a career.