These essays by noted Area Studies specialists at a number of US research libraries serve as a practical and theoretical guide to university and college administrators, library directors and heads of collection development, as well as selection practitioners who work to create foreign-language collections for research libraries. The volume constitutes a general introduction for new practitioners and even the most experienced Area Studies librarians will find useful practical advice for reviewing and refining their existing collecting practices. Coverage includes East Asia, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, South Asia and the Romance language areas of Europe, as well as the German/Nordic/Netherlandic countries. Each essay presents the Area Studies topic in question from an historical perspective and provides background on its present status and anticipated future development. Special emphasis is placed on the techniques of both print and digital collecting and on the assessment methods by which collection strengths and future needs are determined. Guidelines for expenditures for both collections and collateral activities such as providing access and preservation are provided, and contributors also supply extensive documentation for the burgeoning array of online digital resources which have emerged in the past decade. The volume editors, Dan C. Hazen (Harvard) and James H. Spohrer (University of California, Berkeley), also provide a general introduction to the topic and a detailed summary of current cooperative activities in Area Studies collecting.

Supporting Research in Area Studies: A Guide for Academic Libraries focuses on the study of other countries or regions of the world, crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries in the humanities and social sciences. The book provides a comprehensive guide for academic libraries supporting communities of researchers, exploring the specialist requirements of these researchers in information resources, resource discovery tools, information skills, and the challenges of working with materials in multiple languages. The book makes the case that adapting systems and procedures to meet these needs will help academic libraries be better placed to support their institutions' international agenda. Early chapters cover the academic landscape, its history, area studies, librarianship, and acquisitions. Subsequent chapters discuss collections management, digital products, and the digital humanities, and their role in academic projects, with final sections exploring information skills and the various disciplinary skills that facilitate the needs of researchers during their careers. - Describes the nature of area studies research and the traditional strengths of area studies librarianship in supporting inter- and trans-disciplinary research - Applies the latest thinking in research support in university libraries to the specific needs of the area studies research community in the United Kingdom and United States - Explores how internationalizing systems and processes can bring broader benefits to the university as a whole - Analyzes the particular issues caused by working with content and systems in multiple languages

Digital information and networks challenge the core practices of libraries, archives, and all organizations with intensive information management needs in many respectsâ€"not only in terms of accommodating digital information and technology, but also through the need to develop new economic and organizational models for managing information. LC21: A Digital Strategy for the Library of Congress discusses these challenges and provides recommendations for moving forward at the Library of Congress, the world's largest library. Topics covered in LC21 include digital collections, digital preservation, digital cataloging (metadata), strategic planning, human resources, and general management and budgetary issues. The book identifies and elaborates upon a clear theme for the Library of Congress that is applicable more generally: the digital age calls for much more collaboration and cooperation than in the past. LC21 demonstrates that information-intensive organizations will have to change in fundamental ways to survive and prosper in the digital age.

Though still hampered by some challenging obstacles, Latin American collection development is not the static, tradition-bound field many believe it to be. Latin American studies librarians have confronted these difficulties head-on and developed strategies to adapt to the field's continuous digital advancements. Presenting perspectives from several independent Latin American libraries, this collection of new essays covers the history of collecting, current strategies in collection development, collaborative collection development, buying trips, and future trends and new technologies.

Research within the Disciplines is designed to help reference librarians – and students studying to become librarians – gain that deeper understanding of disciplinary differences that allows them to comfortably solve information needs rather than merely responding to questions, and practical knowledge about how to work with researchers in a library setting. The book has three chapters that cover the disciplines at the broadest level – humanities, social sciences, and sciences, plus supplemental chapters that focus on associated disciplines (research in history, business, and engineering, research using government sources) and across disciplines (interdisciplinary and critical information literacy). For the second edition of Research within the Disciplines, several chapters have been added that together give a broader and deeper overview of research across all subject areas: research practices of creative and performing artists and of clinical scientists, research in international documents, research strategies for foreign language materials, and visual literacy across the disciplines. Major shifts in technology have been accounted for that have changed how we do research and have expanded the range of resources available to researchers in all disciplines. All of the chapters have been rewritten or heavily revised; this is much more a new book than a new edition.

Technology has revolutionized the ways in which libraries store, share, and access information, as well as librarian roles as knowledge managers. As digital resources and tools continue to advance, so too do the opportunities for libraries to become more efficient and house more information. Effective administration of libraries is a crucial part of delivering library services to patrons and ensuring that information resources are disseminated efficiently. Digital Libraries and Institutional Repositories: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice addresses new methods, practices, concepts, and techniques, as well as contemporary challenges and issues for libraries and university repositories that can be accessed electronically. It also addresses the problems of usability and search optimization in digital libraries. Highlighting a range of topics such as content management, resource sharing, and library technologies, this publication is an ideal reference source for librarians, IT technicians, academicians, researchers, and students in fields that include library science, knowledge management, and information retrieval.