Since the turn of the century, one of the hottest topics in the IT world has been the coming mobile revolution. While there's been some arguing over the details, the fundamental tenet of the mobile revolution is that lots and lots of people will start accessing web content from handheld portable devices instead of using a traditional laptop or…

Despite lower attendance than in the past and blustery, cold weather, the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in Denver in January offered lots of news from industry vendors and lots of opportunities to discuss important issues and trends. In this report, the author highlights some of the most important product announcements with a…

It turns out Al Wallace got my old space at Kitsap. It's a little hovel in what we call "The Outback," the octagon furthest from the administrative offices, an easy place to hide if you're really quiet. It?s triangular in shape and somewhat awkward, but that?s what you get when an architect knits together a bunch of 5,000-square-foot octagons in a…

In this column, the author describes three very experimental visual display technologies that will affect library collections and services in the near future. While each of these new display strategies is unique in its technological approach, there is a common denominator to all three: better freedom of mobility that will allow people to interact…

In recent years, security issues have increasingly come to dominate the technological development process--although still in a more reactive than proactive mode. It now seems more important than ever to monitor security trends and policy developments, especially if technology is regarded as a potential community builder. This article suggests…

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…

In the fall of 2005, the Orange County Library System (OCLS), located in the Orlando metropolitan area of Florida, launched a mission to explore podcasting. This article, written in the form of a "captain's log," prepares the reader for their own journey into the universe of successfully launching podcasts and a vodcast (video podcast).…

A new library and cultural center in Croyden (England) is described. Function-based areas include library, administration, technical services, museum and galleries, museum offices and store, cinema, tourist information center, and local government offices. Information technology systems include the library management system, office automation, and…

Outlines technology trends affecting library marketing: change is too slow; education is out/learning is in; the next generation are "NextHeads"; the next generation is different; change cannot be managed generationally; "virtual" is place, not format; communities of interest are not bounded by geography; new brands are…

Presents observations about developments in information technology that will influence the information industry and libraries of the future. Discusses search engine capabilities; push technology; electronic commerce; WebTV; and optical discs with links to Web sites. Ten figures provide illustrations and charts. (AEF)

Examines developments in multimedia technologies and in the World Wide Web. Discusses CD-recordable, CD-rewritable, cable modems, personal digital assistants, digital video discs, interactivity and virtual worlds, advertising on the Web, and Intranets and CD-ROM networks. Eight tables and figures show costs, download time, estimated sales, storage…