Current Practices and Future Plans of Public Library Webmasters

Current Practices and Future Plans of Public Library Webmasters PDF Author: Primary Research Group
Publisher: Primary Research Group Inc
ISBN: 1574400045
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 69

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Book Description
The new report from Primary Research Group is based on interviews with webmasters from the San Jose Public Library, the Salt Lake City Public Library, the Alexandria Library, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Public Library, the Houston Public Library, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Colorado Virtual Library and the Boston Public Library. A free sample chapter is available for download. A few of the report?s conclusions are summarized below:CONTENT MANAGEMENTLibraries take widely varying approaches to the issue of how should control the website and who should be empowered to add content to the site. Some libraries prefer to centralize access in the hands of just a few librarians who act as gatekeepers to the website. Others prefer to empower as many librarians as possible to contribute to the site, and to oversee their own contributions to the site. To achieve this, some libraries have purchased off the shelf content management systems, while others have developed in-house content management systems that allow non-technical librarians to function independent of the need for technical help. THE IMPACT OF CASCADING STYLE SHEETS (CSS)Cascading style sheet, that allow librarians to edit entire sites, or subsets of site, with one click of the mouse, have become popular ways to introduce some uniformity and lower the labor demand of editing public library websites. Cascading style sheets are important because librarians are finding more and more reasons to add more and more content to their sites. Public library websites have often quickly become unwieldy monsters that voraciously eat up librarian time. Correcting and editing these beasts by hand is dangerous and cascading style sheets allow proper measured feeding without loss of limb. MOST POPULAR PAGESSome of the most popular pages on the public library websites surveyed were the events calendar, basic library info page, database gateways and children?s and teen pages.STAFFINGRelative to the importance of the library website to the overall success of the library, the size of most library web staffs, when such staffs exist, is quite small. Usually one to three individuals run the website, and they often have other responsibilities. The strategy that most have pursued to overcome their small staffs is to devolve responsibility for content to subject specialist librarians, and to empower them to be able to edit the portions of the website for which they are responsible. UNIQUE CONTENTMost librarians interviewed stressed the need to develop unique content that would draw traffic to the website. Among the type of content mentioned were: interactive storytelling and educational games, reading lists and contests, book reviews by librarians posted online, subject guides, and events calendars. CHILDREN?S & TEEN SERVICESOne of the most vibrant areas for website development has been services for children and teens. This age group grew up with access to the world wide web and it is truly the only generation for which web use and communication is as natural as turning on the television for most Americans. Libraries have responded with books clubs, personalized spaces, interactive stories and games, and other features aimed at this audience. Nonetheless, many libraries have just scraped the surface of their potential in this area. We like what the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Public Library has done in this area, developing unique content, focused marketing and web teams to create a unique site for Charlotte area children. SPECIAL COLLECTIONSMany libraries have plans to digitize their special collections, or at the very least, to digitize finding aids for those collections and increase access to them through the library website. We expect that this will soon become a major area of public library investment and a challenge for website administrators who must devise access schemes to digitized resources.

Current Practices and Future Plans of Public Library Webmasters

Current Practices and Future Plans of Public Library Webmasters PDF Author: Primary Research Group
Publisher: Primary Research Group Inc
ISBN: 1574400045
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 69

Get Book

Book Description
The new report from Primary Research Group is based on interviews with webmasters from the San Jose Public Library, the Salt Lake City Public Library, the Alexandria Library, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Public Library, the Houston Public Library, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Colorado Virtual Library and the Boston Public Library. A free sample chapter is available for download. A few of the report?s conclusions are summarized below:CONTENT MANAGEMENTLibraries take widely varying approaches to the issue of how should control the website and who should be empowered to add content to the site. Some libraries prefer to centralize access in the hands of just a few librarians who act as gatekeepers to the website. Others prefer to empower as many librarians as possible to contribute to the site, and to oversee their own contributions to the site. To achieve this, some libraries have purchased off the shelf content management systems, while others have developed in-house content management systems that allow non-technical librarians to function independent of the need for technical help. THE IMPACT OF CASCADING STYLE SHEETS (CSS)Cascading style sheet, that allow librarians to edit entire sites, or subsets of site, with one click of the mouse, have become popular ways to introduce some uniformity and lower the labor demand of editing public library websites. Cascading style sheets are important because librarians are finding more and more reasons to add more and more content to their sites. Public library websites have often quickly become unwieldy monsters that voraciously eat up librarian time. Correcting and editing these beasts by hand is dangerous and cascading style sheets allow proper measured feeding without loss of limb. MOST POPULAR PAGESSome of the most popular pages on the public library websites surveyed were the events calendar, basic library info page, database gateways and children?s and teen pages.STAFFINGRelative to the importance of the library website to the overall success of the library, the size of most library web staffs, when such staffs exist, is quite small. Usually one to three individuals run the website, and they often have other responsibilities. The strategy that most have pursued to overcome their small staffs is to devolve responsibility for content to subject specialist librarians, and to empower them to be able to edit the portions of the website for which they are responsible. UNIQUE CONTENTMost librarians interviewed stressed the need to develop unique content that would draw traffic to the website. Among the type of content mentioned were: interactive storytelling and educational games, reading lists and contests, book reviews by librarians posted online, subject guides, and events calendars. CHILDREN?S & TEEN SERVICESOne of the most vibrant areas for website development has been services for children and teens. This age group grew up with access to the world wide web and it is truly the only generation for which web use and communication is as natural as turning on the television for most Americans. Libraries have responded with books clubs, personalized spaces, interactive stories and games, and other features aimed at this audience. Nonetheless, many libraries have just scraped the surface of their potential in this area. We like what the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Public Library has done in this area, developing unique content, focused marketing and web teams to create a unique site for Charlotte area children. SPECIAL COLLECTIONSMany libraries have plans to digitize their special collections, or at the very least, to digitize finding aids for those collections and increase access to them through the library website. We expect that this will soon become a major area of public library investment and a challenge for website administrators who must devise access schemes to digitized resources.

School Library Journal

School Library Journal PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Children's libraries
Languages : en
Pages : 620

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Public Library Collection Development in the Information Age

Public Library Collection Development in the Information Age PDF Author: Annabel Stephens
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9780789005281
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
Public Library Collection Development in the Information Age discusses the increasing amounts of information that are used in collection development. Case studies, interviews, and research are the basis for this book's suggestions to improve your collection methods without straining your library's budget. It will help you acquire the most useful materials while sharing information with collaborating libraries to offer patrons the latest and largest variety of resources. Discussing a topic that is scarcely addressed in collection literature, this book explores ways in which one informational medium—the Internet—impacts materials budgets, selection tools, and alternative sources of information during the selection process. Offering methods that apply to libraries of different sizes and financial capability, Public Library Collection Development in the Information Age provides you with ideas and suggestions for the improvement of collection development methods, including: examining how libraries use information to plan and budget for collection development developing a budget method that takes several factors into consideration, such as population impact, property tax revenues, circulation, reference needs, and client needs centralizing selections in order to allocate additional staff time and to choose resources patrons want without sacrificing the utility of local collections building public library collections with the assistance of vendors and the five levels of vendor participation using the conspectus method to assess and organize the collections of small libraries for easier access researching three public libraries in the United Kingdom to determine how varying levels of automation affect patron resources and services To help you integrate the appropriate electronic resources into collection development policies and procedures, Public Library Collection Development in the Information Age discusses which formats, access methods, pricing schemes, and differences in scope will best meet your selection needs. Containing proven strategies that will target your collection priorities and criteria to evaluate the use and effectiveness of electronic resources, this book will help revise your collection development methods to satisfy the informational needs of patrons.

Current Practices in Public Libraries

Current Practices in Public Libraries PDF Author: William Miller
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 9781138990562
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Current Practices in Public Libraries combines research, surveys, and practical experience to examine a variety of trends, issues, and practices in public library administration. The leading researchers in the field explore vital contemporary topics ranging from literacy instruction and advocacy to ethical concerns in the acquisition of foreign language materials. This practical professional guide presents examples of successful programs at individual libraries as well as results of comprehensive national surveys about funding, computers and Internet access, and branch closures.

Resources in Education

Resources in Education PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Succession Planning and Implementation in Libraries: Practices and Resources

Succession Planning and Implementation in Libraries: Practices and Resources PDF Author: Deards, Kiyomi D.
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 1466658134
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
As the baby boomer generation begins to retire, the focus shifts to the next generation of global leaders in diverse industries. Within the field of library science, succession planning has become a topic of interest to ensure the success of future libraries as the workforce shifts and enable up-and-coming leaders. Succession Planning and Implementation in Libraries: Practices and Resources provides valuable insight into the process of implementing succession planning in libraries. This book delves into the challenges and possibilities of a succession plan’s effect on the success of library organizations. Human resources officers, library administrators, academicians, and students will find this book beneficial to furthering their understanding of current practice in succession planning.

Digital Libraries

Digital Libraries PDF Author: Judith Andrews
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351944053
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 437

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Book Description
Digital Libraries: Policy, Planning and Practice brings together a wealth of international experience in the planning and implementation of digital and hybrid library projects, providing a stimulating and informative handbook and reference for library staff and information managers. It consists of chapters contributed by leading specialists from Europe, North America, South Africa and the Middle East, who offer their insight into the decision-making processes that have shaped a variety of different digitization programmes. Beginning with introductory overviews of the digital library context, the US Digital Library Program and the UK e-lib and hybrid library programmes, Digital Libraries then divides into two main sections on policy and planning, and implementation and practice. The first explores concerns such as financial and resource planning, digitized compared to born-digital content and related service issues, open access to scholarly research archives, policies for and against preservation and their justification, and evaluating electronic information services. The second section is based on case studies on major European and North American digital library projects, including the Glasgow Digital Library, UCEEL (University of Central England Electronic Library), the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (discussed in the context of five international projects), the Indiana University music Variations and Variations2 Project, and the beginnings of the Library of Congress digital program and its integration into core library services. The concluding chapter discusses the way forward for digital libraries in the context of experiences at Tilburg University library, and possible enabling or limiting factors in the future. The result of drawing together these varied and illuminating experiences is a book that offers useful information and comparisons for all digital library project staff, institutional administrators, educators and developers of learning technology. It also provides useful pointers for researchers and project staff involved in archive and museum projects, as well as introducing students to the key ingredients of successful digital libraries.

Documentation Abstracts

Documentation Abstracts PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Documentation
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description


World Libraries on the Information Superhighway: Preparing for the Challenges of the New Millennium

World Libraries on the Information Superhighway: Preparing for the Challenges of the New Millennium PDF Author: Bertot, John Carlo
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 1930708793
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
Currently, little is known about library experience and success in providing Internet-based services to library patrons. Some studies conducted in the United States indicate that this is an area of great uncertainty, into which libraries are hesitant to venture. Issues such as planning, budgeting and costs, and types of services are some of the areas of concern. World Libraries on the Information Superhighway: Preparing for the Challenges of the New Millennium explores issues of Internet-based services in libraries and provides practitioners and educators with examples of libraries that have achieved success in this important emerging information area.

Content and Workflow Management for Library Web Sites

Content and Workflow Management for Library Web Sites PDF Author: Holly Yu
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 9781591405344
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
Using database-driven web pages or web content management (WCM) systems to manage increasingly diverse web content and to streamline workflows is a commonly practiced solution recognized in libraries to-day. However, limited library web content management models and funding constraints prevent many libraries from purchasing commercially available WCM systems. And, the lack of much needed technical expertise in building in-house WCM systems presents a great challenge for libraries of all types. Content and Workflow Management for Library Websites: Case Studies provides practical and applicable web content management solutions through case studies. It contains successful database-to-web applications as employed in a variety of academic libraries. The applications vary in scope and cover a range of practical how-to-do-it examples from database-driven web development, locally created web content management systems, systems for distributing content management responsibilities, dynamic content delivery, to open source tools, such as MySQL and PHP to manage the content. Issues and challenges associated with the development process are discussed. Authors will also discuss detours, sand traps, and missteps necessary to a real learning process.