No Shelf Required

Sue Polanka brings together a variety of professionals to share their expertise about e-books with librarians and publishers. Providing forward-thinking ideas while remaining grounded in practical information that can be implemented in all kinds of libraries, the topics explored include an introduction to e-books and their different types, an overview of their history and development, e-book technology, why e-books are good for learning, and how librarians can market them to a wide range of users.--[back cover]

Library Technology Reports vol. 47 no.8 According to recent studies, e-book penetration in libraries of all types is rising rapidly. Creating or expanding an e-book collection is a complicated challenge. In addition to facing the same challenges a librarian would face in developing a print collection, librarians developing an e-book collection also face a host of unprecendented legal, technological, and vendor challenges. This issue of Library Technology Reports will examine these challenges, focusing on strategies for purchasing e-books in a consortium, working with vendors, implementing e-reader programs in an academic environment, and purchasing electronic textbooks. Although the challenges are significant, this issue will show how they can be overcome and how the effort it takes to develop an e-book collection is well worth the effort.

E-book content, devices, and services have created challenges for libraries as well as opportunities. Because the e-book playing field is constantly changing, any predictions are, at best, tenuous. Librarians must be resilient in order to manage, and not be managed by, e-books and their progenies. With their explosive sales and widespread availability over the past few years, e-books have definitively proven that they are here to stay. In this sequel to her first book of the same title, the author dives even deeper into the world of digital distribution. Contributors from across the e-book world offer their perspectives on what is happening now and what to expect in the coming months and years. Included in this resource are: Guidelines for performing traditional library processes such as cataloging, weeding, archiving, and managing e-book accessibility for patrons with special needs; Explorations of topics such as the e-book digital divide and open-access publishing; Case studies from an array of academic, public, and school libraries, offering firsthand accounts of what works, what doesn't, and why; Discussions of the emerging model of the electronic-only library and the rich possibilities of enhanced e-books.

Public libraries looking into expanding their programming; academic libraries interested in library publishing, digital scholarship, and scholarly communication; and technical services staff will all find creative new ideas inside for promoting literacy and spreading knowledge.

By learning how to rightsize, you will ensure that both the collection and your institution's available physical spaces meet the needs of your library's users.

Covering every essential topic ranging from circulation and literacy instruction to reference and security, this benchmark text provides an up-to-date, broadly based view of library public service and its functions. Supplying essential, foundational reading for students of library public services as well as an up-to-date overview for practitioners who wish to refresh their knowledge or acquaint themselves with a new area of responsibility, this book's broad and solid coverage will benefit anyone concerned with developing or maintaining the public face of the library. A revision and expansion of Libraries Unlimited's Introduction to Library Public Services: Seventh Edition, this edition has new chapters covering such topics as e-resources, collections, print and other media, and facilities and funding. Additionally, every chapter has been substantially updated and reorganized to better reflect the role of technology in library services today. The book begins with background information on public services in libraries and an analysis of the library's public service philosophy. Then, the authors delve into staffing and assessment of services, moving logically to major functional areas of public services—reference, instruction, document delivery, circulation and reserves, collections, programming, safety and security issues, and facilities and funding. Real-life anecdotes from public, academic, and school libraries illustrate principles and concepts throughout the book. For each topic, the authors detail its role and philosophy, and offer key points to remember, references, and lists for further reading.