As managers of special collections engage with evolving formats and technologies, it is imperative that these professionals remain well versed in papyrus, paper, and principles that inform archival work. The permanence of this content defines our past, informs our present, and shapes our future. However, a constricting interpretation of archival…

In this article, Summer Creek High School (Harris County, Texas) librarian, Louise Lankau shares a formula for successfully integrating technology via the school library and reaching every department and teacher in a school of 2,500 students and 170 teachers. The challenge is that the teaching staff at Summer Creek increases each year to…

Barcode scanning has become more than just fun. Now libraries and businesses are leveraging barcode technology as an innovative tool to market their products and ideas. Developed and popularized in Japan, these Quick Response (QR) or two-dimensional barcodes allow marketers to provide interactive content in an otherwise static environment. In this…

This article discusses best practices for evaluating open source software for use in library projects, based on the authors' experience evaluating electronic publishing solutions. First, it presents a brief review of the literature, emphasizing the need to evaluate open source solutions carefully in order to minimize Total Cost of Ownership. Next,…

In this column, the author discusses how the management of e-books has introduced, at many libraries and in varying degrees, the challenges of maintaining effective technical services workflows. Four different e-book workflows are identified and explored, and the author takes a closer look at how particular variables for each are affected, such as…

While podcasting initiatives may have come and gone in many libraries, it remains a powerful and accessible way to leverage emerging technology to make personal as well as practical connections with users. In this article, the author briefly discusses best practices in podcasting informed by her experience in public radio, which gives her a unique…

Libraries are widely known as institutions that access, organize, and preserve collections of information. Libraries are also dynamic administrative entities that generate and exchange internal business information. From small operations with limited staff and technology to large, multidepartmental institutions with full IT support, libraries…

This will be my first time authoring this column, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity it presents to explore the intersection of library technology and public services. As the recent title of the 2008 Internet Librarian conference indicates, "Beyond Library 2.0: User-Focused Tools and Technologies," the tide of what for several years has…

This article demonstrates how Facebook, a popular social networking Web site, provides libraries with the opportunity to develop an outreach presence and information portal within an online community. While much of the recent literature examines Facebook and defines its potential use within libraries, this article focuses on the use of Facebook's…

What makes a classroom "smart"? Presentation technologies such as projectors, document cameras, and LCD panels clearly fit the bill, but when considering other technologies for teaching, learning, and developing content, the possibilities become limited only by the boundaries of an institution's innovation. This article presents 32 best practices…