Libraries today are determined to meet the expanding needs of their patrons by keeping their services and book collections up-to-date with the rapidly growing technological advances. Many have adapted to the innovative changes seamlessly by integrating new technology trends such as: (1) purchasing more ebook titles; (2) using social media sites…

The study looked into the 307 Koha libraries listed in Breeding's Library Technology Guides. Since all the tag clouds in Koha are user-contributed, their adoption and usage can shed light on the extent to which libraries are supporting user tagging. The research also revealed that public library users are more actively involved in tagging than…

Broadband and bandwidth allocation is an essential technology planning activity that libraries should address on a continual basis. There are five key factors that will impact your network's performance: 1. infrastructure, 2. network load, 3. workstation performance, 4. prioritization of services, and 5. network management. The author thinks it's…

When staff at the Wisconsin State Law Library began compiling a wish list for a new website, the topic of a new domain name came up almost immediately. Their old website was located at http://wsll.state.wi.us. Spelling that relatively complex domain over the phone day after day provided the impetus to explore other options. Whatever domain name…

Technology has ushered itself into our culture without borders or boundaries. Students and educators have fallen victim to the notion of "information at your fingertips" and "easy access" while taking many things for granted. In the past few years, there have been several articles written about the use of textbooks in the academic library. Most of…

Library staff members should ultimately base their purchasing choices on the mission statements of their employing institutions. Fortunately, library mission statements have much in common. Undoubtedly, for example, all libraries have a goal that includes "serve the information needs of the community," because on some level, all libraries are…

For more than a decade, librarians have struggled to balance making the convenience of the ebook formats available while alleviating users' frustrations with the disparities between the myriad formats. This article tells the story of another area of ebook concern: How can independently published ebooks make it into a library's collections? The…

Patient activation is a new term for a perennial problem. People know what they need to do for their health: exercise, eat right, and get enough rest--but how are they motivated to actually do these things? This is what patient activation is. From this author's vantage point as a medical librarian, public libraries are well-placed to be part of…

The University of Minnesota-Duluth is the second largest campus in the University of Minnesota system. The UMD library, which serves more than 11,000 students and 500 faculty members, is primarily an undergraduate library. The reference team consists of eight librarians, including author Sunshine Carter, reference and electronics resources…

The Butte Free Public Library was established in 1894. At that time, head librarian J. Davies published a catalog of the opening collection. Two fires and one flood later, many of the monographs from that original collection list have, remarkably, survived. Because of this, in part, the library, now known as the Butte-Silver Bow Public Library…

In the corporate world, the "consumerization of IT" is being debated by C-level execs. Will libraries adopt the new bring-your-own-device-to-work policy? In the workplace, there may be room for debate, but in libraries, librarians don't have a choice whether or not to support the devices patrons want to use, at least not if they want to remain…

In this article, the author, a technology consultant for the Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS), shares the story of how the Kansas Library on the Web (KLOW) program was created. KLOW's story begins with the initial startup fund finding and the enthusiasm of the six pilot libraries. The middle of the story has to do with building a flexible,…

Technology has transformed libraries. There are digital libraries, electronic collections, online databases and catalogs, ebooks, downloadable books, and much more. With free technology such as social websites, newspaper collections, downloadable online calendars, clocks and sticky notes, online scheduling, online document sharing, and online…

What do Google Maps and a library's Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) have in common? Google Maps provides users with all the information they need for a trip in one place; users can get directions and find out what attractions, hotels, and restaurants are close by. Librarians must find the ultimate OPAC that will provide, in one place, all the…

Throughout the history of library automation, the author has seen a steady advancement toward more open systems. In the early days of library automation, when proprietary systems dominated, the need for standards was paramount since other means of inter-operability and data exchange weren't possible. Today's focus on Application Programming…