As 21st century librarians, we have made apt adjustments for reaching out into the digital world, but we need to consider the students who still use library services within our walls. We can use available handheld, mobile technologies to help patrons too shy to approach the desk and free library staff to bring reference service directly to patrons.

The digital era has revolutionized society's perception of space. Even so, against this backdrop, the struggle to preserve and enhance library space is a battle for the hearts and minds of the communities. It is ongoing, and it will never end. In this article, the author explores two characteristics of successful drives to revitalize physical…

With information technologies' pervasive use within all departments and by all staff, libraries and library staff get their fair share of mandated projects. Knowing how to successfully operate in this kind of environment is important to the overall success of the library as a whole. What is meant by mandated project? A mandated project is a…

Today's academic libraries must demonstrate their value to cost-conscious university administrators. Budget trade-off decisions that involve the library can be difficult for any university administrator to make, and such decisions are complicated by the recent appearance of massive global digital libraries that seem poised to replace the…

The Contra Costa County Library is located within the greater San Francisco Bay Area. With 26 physical locations and a virtual branch, it has more than 400,000 cardholders and serves a population of almost 1 million. As part of developing a strategic plan to meet the needs of the public in the 21st century, the library hired a consultant to gather…

Addresses some problems associated with technological change and examines the nature of data and technology, organizations, and computer-mediated work. Concepts of sociotechnical systems design are related to library automation, and a set of strategies for facilitating technological change is proposed. (29 references) (Author/CLB)

This two-page digest briefly outlines some of the technological trends in updating a library, and briefly discusses the administrative issues and strategies involved. It begins by describing the wholly integrated information environment, which would include: (1) public-access personal and professional communications networks; (2) information…

Reports on study of the adoption of particular innovation, a software cataloging system, in central Ohio elementary school of approximately 500 students and 22 teachers. Discussion covers rationale for developing innovation, relationship between attributes of innovation and its adoption, use of cataloging components, consequences, recommendations,…

Arguing that technological change often affects the organizational structure of library workplaces, this paper presents two alternative approaches to the implementation of change in organizational structures, provides several examples of each approach, and suggests related reading materials. It is noted that the configurational approach…

Discusses the need for innovative management techniques if integrated library systems are to be implemented successfully, as well as the opportunity the installation process provides to reexamine the organizational structure and objectives of the library and to introduce a creative organizational environment. (CLB)

Academic libraries are at a crossroads, facing increasing competition from other student services within their institutions and from commercial entities that duplicate their services. Examining some broader trends in education leads to suggestions as to how libraries might re-examine legacy services and assumptions and consider new directions.…

What would it take for libraries to provide their patrons with the same kind of success in finding information using their resources as they achieve with Google, and as quickly? This author asserts that the answer is not that complicated: be more like Google, and then move beyond Google. With the technology available right now, this is not an…

The digitization of library materials has had a tremendous impact on libraries. By using the Internet, readers can access digital library materials from any place in the world. The BMCC Library started several programs to provide more digital materials to its patrons in the forms of electronic books, periodicals, full-text materials, and webpage…

This book describes some of the challenges facing school library media specialists as they work with teachers and administrators in making appropriate use of computers in schools. Five chapters address the following topics: (1) the school in the context of the emerging information society; (2) the roles of school library media specialists in the…