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…

In August 2008, the Missouri River Regional Library (MRRL), where the author serves as information technology coordinator, switched over from an internally hosted Microsoft Exchange email server to the Google Apps product. As the person who led the charge to use Google Apps and the person who actually flipped the switch, he was responsible for…

In this article, the authors share how cloud-based applications, such as Google Calendar, Wikidot, Google Docs, Google Sites, YouTube, and Craigslist, played a big part in the success of their plan of implementing a technology training program for customers and employees. A few years ago the Denver Public Library, where the authors work, developed…

For many people, the word "twitter" brings to mind birds rather than humans. But information professionals know that Twitter (www.twitter.com) is a fast-growing, free messaging service for people, and it's one that libraries (and librarians) can make good use of--without spending much time or effort. This article discusses the many potential uses…

The wonderful Web 2.0 is a famously slippery concept to define. The very ambiguity of the term is Escheresque, self-referential to its ever-changing meaning. As Tim O'Reilly, CEO of O'Reilly Media, described it, "Like many important concepts, Web 2.0 doesn't have a hard boundary, but rather, a gravitational core." As Illinois State Library's…

The new Fac-Back-OPAC (a faceted backup OPAC) is built on code that was originally developed by Casey Durfee in February 2007. It represents the convergence of two prominent trends in library tools: the decoupling of discovery tools from the traditional integrated library system (ILS) and the use of readily available open source components to…

In this article, the author argues the need for transparency with regard to the automation systems used in libraries. As librarians make decisions regarding automation software and services, they should have convenient access to information about the organizations it will potentially acquire technology from and about the collective experiences of…

While much has been done to address the digital divide, awareness concerning the importance of information literacy (IL) has taken a back seat to a world that focuses on technology. This article traces the genesis of a global effort to address information literacy education and training beyond discussions taking place within the library and…

What would technological librarians like to see in the next generation of Integrated Library Systems (ILS)? This question was asked of several well- known library technology experts, and their responses are presented in this article. Survey respondents expressed a clear desire for the following features and functionality: (1) Direct, read-only…

Formed in 1996, Internet2 is a not-for-profit advanced network consortium led by the U.S. research and higher education community. Its goals are to provide leading-edge network capabilities and to facilitate the development, deployment, and use of revolutionary Internet technologies. Starting with 34 universities, Internet2 has grown to more than…

Describes the origins of hypertext and reviews the history of the concept of nonsequential access to information that led to hypertext. Technological developments that have been combined with hypertext are discussed, including workstations, video and laser disk technology, and microcomputers; and library applications of hypertext and hypermedia…

Nowadays, it's possible to look to the open Web for subscription-based services that allow one to sidestep slow-moving institutions in order to serve one's users. More often than not, systems offices will not interfere, as they're heavily involved in triaging their workload. Happily, taking an active stance in learning a new technology before it…

Librarians and archivists find themselves facing the prospect of digitization. Everyone is doing it, everyone needs it. Discussions rage nationally and internationally concerning what to digitize and the best means to present and retain digital objects. Digitization is the act of making something digital, expressing a physical object "in numerical…

There has been a move afoot in libraries of all kinds to incorporate open source software and applications to better support their rapidly evolving information access and delivery services. There has been particular interest in a specific configuration of open source components?known by the acronym LAMP?that can be used to build fairly complex Web…

In 2004, Georgia State University (GSU) Library's Southern Labor Archives, located in Atlanta, began working with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) to plan for the digitization of the union's 105-year-old journal. With generous financial support from IAM, the authors, who are GSU staff members, began…