Jump Start Your Career As A Digital Librarian

Familiarity with digital practices is increasingly important for all information professionals, and this book offers a solid foundation in the discipline.

The skills of digital librarianship are more crucial than ever, and these same skills are in high demand outside the field, from tech startups undertaking digitization projects to digital humanities centers bringing together professors, computer scientists, and information technologists. Map out your career in this fast-growing field with the full range of perspectives gathered in this clear, concise overview of the core concepts and competencies of digital librarianship. Twenty-one experienced practitioners from a variety of settings offer realistic views of today's job market, typical project dynamics, and employer expectations. Whether you're a new graduate just starting out or a seasoned professional transitioning from a more traditional area such as cataloging or archives, you'll benefit from this book's valuable coverage of topics such as *Activities and roles of the digital librarian, including management of digital projects and collaboration *Developing and using transferable skills *Becoming familiar with metadata *How digital librarians are re-shaping scholarly publishing *The concept and framework of digital preservation best practices *Technical competencies such as XML and content management systems Familiarity with digital practices is increasingly important for all information professionals, and this book offers a solid foundation in the discipline.

"Priscilla Shontz presents advice and anecdotes gathered from research and interviews with more than seventy information professionals in a variety of library-related careers. The modular format allows a reader to peruse any chapter on its own and to read the chapters in his or her preferred order. Seven broad topics are covered: career planning, job searching, gaining experience and education, developing interpersonal and leadership skills, networking, mentoring, and writing for publication. Related readings, as well as helpful Web sites, are included."--BOOK JACKET.

A state-of-the-art guide to the world of library and information science that gives readers valuable insights into the field and practical tools to succeed in it. As the field of information science continues to evolve, professional-level opportunities in traditional librarianship—especially in school and public libraries—have stalled and contracted, while at the same time information-related opportunities in non-library settings continue to expand. These two coinciding trends are opening up many new job opportunities for LIS professionals, but the challenge lies in helping them (and LIS students) understand how to align their skills and mindsets with these new opportunities.The new edition of G. Kim Dority's Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians and Other Information Professionals gives readers helpful information on self-development, including learning to thrive on change, using key career skills like professional networking and brand-building, and how to make wise professional choices. Taking readers through a planning process that starts with self-examination and ends in creating an actionable career path, the book presents an expansive approach that considers all LIS career possibilities and introduces readers to new opportunities. This guide is appropriate for those embarking on careers in library and information science as well as those looking to make a change, providing career design strategies that can be used to build a lifetime of career opportunity.

Within most libraries in the United States today there is an information professional who has become the ‘go-to’ person for grasping and grappling with copyright questions. While not an attorney, this librarian has developed an awareness and understanding of copyright law, legislation and practice as they relate to a wide variety of library activities. This practical handbook provides a broad overview of copyright librarianship. It is written for information professionals whose area of expertise, specialization or job it is to inform and educate others about the ethical use and best practices surrounding copyrighted materials It is written about the person with solid analytical skills and the ability to adapt and adjust in a rapidly changing environment; someone who can serve as an intermediary between information producers and consumers; someone who is knowledgeable about the law and providing access to information; someone who is well positioned within an organization to answer questions about copyright and provide reliable, accurate, and relevant answers, information, assistance, and guidance when needed. In short: a copyright librarian. Thorough and up-to-date look at an emerging field of specialization within libraries Provides an overview of job opportunities available and how to prepare for these jobs Presents a range of useful current awareness and professional development resources and tools for the new, prospective, and working professional Addresses common misperceptions about copyright librarians

Digital collections have already changed the ways users access and interact with an institution’s materials. And small or medium-sized libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies face a unique set of challenges in regards to digital collections. They may have been unable to jump on the digitization bandwagon at its beginning due to competing priorities or lack of resources, and may now be struggling to get a digitization program in place to meet the evolving needs and expectations of their own users. The good news is that digital projects can scale down to fit the size of any organization. Providing an entry point for librarians, archivists, and curators who are new to digitization, Monson’s well-researched guide shows how even smaller institutions can successfully endeavor to make their content digitally accessible. Clearing aside the jargon and acronyms to hone in on the practicals, this book will help readers get a digitization program off the ground, offering guidance on how to efficiently harness existing workflows, especially in departments seeing a decline in workload;the pros and cons of the two common service models for state and regional digital repositories;how to evaluate and choose among the digital asset management systems, comparing four proprietary and six open source systems;hardware options for image capture;choices in metadata models MODS, VRA Core, Dublin Core Element Set, and EAD;understanding the characteristics of various file formats and using them effectively to create master and derivative files;bitstream copying, data redundancy and other strategies to safeguard digital files against media degradation and technological obsolescence; andSection 108 copyright exemptions for cultural heritage institutions.This easy-to-follow guide to digitization fundamentals will ensure that readers gain a solid grasp of the knowledge and resources available for getting started on their own digital collection projects.

This introductory textbook aims to provide undergraduate students in information science and related disciplines with an applied grounding in information behavior. The book’s primary focus is to provide explicit links between information behavior and the careers that students will pursue within the information professions. With a deeper understanding of information behavior, students will be better equipped to address the many types of barriers that frequently prevent people from effectively and efficiently accessing, understanding, managing, and/or using the information they need in the “real world.” The first six chapters of the book provide students with the fundamental building blocks of information behavior, introduce them to important related concepts, and provide a deep dive into information literacy, digital literacy, the digital divide and digital inclusion. Chapters 7 through 12 introduce students to the scholarly communication system, providing guidance on how to find, read, and critically evaluate information behavior studies. Also explored in these chapters are the various methods used to investigate and understand people’s information behaviors. Topics covered include research design, research methods, research ethics, user needs assessment, and human-computer interaction and associated design methods. This part of the book also covers some of the major information behavior models and theories that have been developed to describe, predict, and/or explain people’s information behaviors. In chapters 13 through 16, the authors provide an in-depth look into their own information behavior research areas, including consumer health information behavior and health justice; youth information behavior; legal information behavior and access to justice; and information behavior in libraries. In the final chapter, students are first introduced to a wide range of careers within the information professions and then taken along on a deep dive into 10 specific jobs, with a special focus on the thread of information behavior that pervades the roles and responsibilities commonly associated with these positions. Each chapter begins with one or more scenarios illustrating concepts covered in the chapter and ends with discussion questions.

The book Library Media Connection cited as something "all librarians need to have on their shelves" is now thoroughly revised for today's 21st-century library environment. Covering both technology and library practices, the title has been a go-to text for librarians and library school students since 2002. Since the second edition of this must-have book was published in late 2009, libraries have undergone profound changes, primarily linked to advances in technology. We've seen the debut of RDA, the release of new Pew Research library and Internet use data, and the establishment of digital repositories, community MakerSpaces, and "community reads" programs. Of course, libraries have also been affected by the expanding use of social media. This thoroughly updated title addresses all these changes and more, bringing you up to date on the monumental shifts impacting librarianship. The book is designed to introduce LIS students to the profession, preparing them to enter an exciting and evolving world. It clarifies the changing roles and responsibilities of library professionals, new paradigms for evaluating information, and characteristics and functions of today's library personnel. Among other subjects, chapters cover preparing materials for use, circulation, reference services, ethics in the information age, Internet trends, and job search basics. References, websites, and publications at the end of every chapter point to further resources, and appendices supply information such as policies, the library bill of rights, and the Freedom to Read statement.