The author, a digital access architect in the information systems department of the Orange County Library System in Florida, was given the challenge of creating a library mobile app around the 2009 holiday season. At that time, Sheri Chambers, digital content manager in the information systems department, and Debbie Moss, assistant director of the…

Digital curation refers to the actions people take to maintain and add value to digital information over its lifecycle, including the processes used when creating digital content. Digital preservation focuses on the "series of managed activities necessary to ensure continued access to digital materials for as long as necessary." In this…

The Digital Initiatives department at Miami University, like most digital initiatives and special collections departments, has a large number of rich digital image collections, stored primarily in a third-party database. Typically, these databases are not findable to the average Web user. From a desire to expose these collections to the wider Web…

College students today are spending more time online accessing information and connecting with each other. Libraries and librarians have made changes in their collections and services so as to be easily available and accessible in the online world. Embedding a librarian in a course enhances student learning by connecting students with reliable…

This paper is a summary of the project that the author completed at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) library for providing online access to 80 open access E-journals and digital collections. Although FGCU uses SerialsSolutions products to establish online access, any one can provide access to these collections as they are free for all. Paper…

With the growth of Web 2.0 library intranets in recent years, many libraries are leaving behind legacy, first-generation intranets. As Web 2.0 intranets multiply and mature, how will traditional intranet best practices--especially in the areas of planning, implementation, and evaluation--translate into an existing Web 2.0 intranet infrastructure?…

Debates typically invoke an image of individuals arguing over the merits of opposing viewpoints. However, the term has a softer, more deliberative sense that connotes reflection, discussion, and consideration. The 2009 WebWise conference, titled "Digital Debates," was conducted in this spirit, with panelists and attendees engaged in…

The "Educational Media and Technology Yearbook" is dedicated to theoretical, empirical and practical approaches to educational media development. All chapters are invited and selected based on a variety of strategies to determine current trends and issues in the field. The 2009 edition will highlight innovative Trends and Issues in…

The article gives an overview of social bookmarking in libraries and discusses the University of Central Florida (UCF) Libraries Delicious project and its outcomes in depth. It also addresses technical issues involved with setting up a library Delicious account; barriers to participation; training requirements; integration with other library sites…

Living in the vast shadow cast by the spires of the Magic Kingdom presents special challenges for Orlando's Orange County Library System (OCLS), the most formidable of which is increasing its relatively small user base. The library additionally faces tension between the administration and staff, political strife on the board, and looming contract…

FloriNet--the Florida Library Online Resource Information Network--was first envisioned by a Florida Network Planning Task Force in 1994 as the aggregate of networked information in Florida libraries, including library networks, independent libraries, statewide databases, Free-Nets, and as-yet unimagined information resources. This document is a…

A growing number of libraries have installed wireless data connections as a way of providing access to the Internet for members of the public. Some libraries have used their wireless networks to enable staff to use wireless devices to increase their mobility, effectiveness and responsiveness to client need particularly in providing reference and…

The American Library Association's (ALA) Annual Conference, June 24?30, in steamy Orlando, drew 19,575 people, including 5,739 exhibitors, the lowest total since Miami in 1994, not counting the SARS-shadowed conference in Toronto last year (see statistics, p. 15). Although this years conference was filled with exciting events, this abstract is…

Explains the development of library networks in Florida and the role of the state library. Topics include regional multitype library consortia; a statewide bibliographic database; interlibrary loan; Internet access in public libraries; government information, including remote public access; automation projects; telecommunications; and free-nets.…

There are no foolproof solutions to Internet access in libraries. This article lists selected library solutions, what not to do, and what to do: pick a common-sense approach, focus on customer service, keep an open mind, avoid accepting or repeating hearsay, and find common ground. Includes highlights of the Orange County (FL) Library System's…