With the world becoming increasingly more dependent upon the Internet, libraries offer an essential service by providing access to this worldwide network. To help their patrons, modern librarians must have a thorough understanding of this technology. Integrating the Web into Everyday Library Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians is a comprehensive guide to a variety of aspects of Internet use and research. The book is basic, assuming only a basic understanding of computer use and Internet research. This guide begins with: a basic explanation of the mechanics of the Internet and World Wide Web, then moves on to explore the variety of ways that a user can discover online information, how information is stored online via the cloud, and how a librarian can enhance his or her library's online presence. Later chapters explain: how to use the Internet to communicate, how to help patrons research and evaluate information, and how to protect patrons and yourself from online dangers. The final chapter is devoted to helping librarians solve basic computer problems that their patrons may encounter, including troubleshooting Internet connections.

Games can seem to do the impossible: reach patrons and drive traffic to projects and services. But how can libraries use gamification and game elements to improve instruction and outreach, or to encourage the use of particular areas and services? In this guide, readers will learn about how to structure game activities in order to best reach their patrons. Chapters devoted to topics such as personalization, goal setting, working with partners, games in instruction, and assessment illustrate some of the many ways games can have an impact in libraries. Everything in this book is presented from a practical point of view – email templates, real-life examples, and scenarios are included. Games have a lot of potential for use in many different library services, and this book will help you decide how they might work best for you. From the first seeds of a project’s beginning to its eventual maturation, this book will help you develop, implement, and evaluate game-style projects at your library.

Planning and implementing a 3D printing service in a library may seem like a daunting task. Based upon the authors’ experience as early adopters of 3D technology and running a successful 3D printing service at a large academic library, this guide provides the steps to follow when launching a service in any type of library. Detailed guidance and over 50 graphics provide readers with sage guidance and detailed instructions on: planning a proposal printer selection tips preparing the location addressing staff concerns for new service developing service workflows and procedures managing inevitable disasters developing policies conducting the “reference interview” for 3D printing staff training tips outreach activities This book brings into one place all the guidance you need for developing and implementing a 3D printing service in any library.

Story time is a popular activity in public libraries. Unfortunately, many librarians (and not just children’s librarians) are thrust into the role of providing this service have not taken a course or had the necessary experience of performing story times. Story times are so popular that they are now offered to children of many ages, not just to preschoolers. This book will help librarians who have never done story time to learn to promote, plan, and perform story times, and will be useful to experienced librarians to build on their story time repertoires. Because story times are essential components of library service to children and in such demand, in many libraries, even librarians who have never done story time before are being asked to step into that role. Story Time Success: A Practical Guide for Librarians is comprehensive handbook which can help any librarian learn to promote, plan, and perform story times even with no prior training or experience. Key elements include: Customizable planning templates Hints for choosing appropriate books and other materials Suggestions for overcoming performance anxiety Troubleshooting for common story time problems and pitfalls Evaluation rubrics for performers and supervisors Veterans and beginners alike will find many useful pointers for establishing and improving their story time skills and repertoires.

Teaching Google Scholar in your library instructional sessions can increase students’ information and digital literacy skills. Students’ familiarity with Google Scholar’s interface works to the instructor’s advantage and allows more time to address students’ information needs and teach foundational information literacy skills and less time teaching a new database with a less-intuitive database interface. Teaching Google Scholar: A Practical Guide for Librarians will illustrate instructional methods and incorporate step-by-step guides and examples for teaching Google Scholar. It begins with providing you with essential background: What Google Scholar is How to set up Google Scholar using OpenURL How to design Google Scholar instructional sessions How to incorporate active learning activities using Google Scholar After reading it, you will be ready to teach students critical skills including how to: Use specific Google Scholar search operators Incorporate search logic Extract citation data, generate citations, and save citations to Google's My Library and/or a citation management program Use Google Scholar tools- including “cited by,” “alerts,” “library links,” and “library search” Google Scholar is a powerful research tool and will only become more popular in the coming years. Learning how to properly teach students how to utilize this search engine in their research will greatly benefit them in their college career and help promote life-long learning. Google Scholar instruction is a must in today’s modern information literacy classroom.

A collaborative approach to grant seeking can stimulate and reshape the culture of your library organization. The exciting and rewarding activities of developing a successful grants program can yield enormous dividends for the benefit of your staff, patrons, and community. Collaborative Grant-Seeking: A Practical Guide for Librarians will share new insights for those who want to access grant funding without reinventing the wheel. Based on years of practical grant writing and collaboration development experience, this resource provides a complete guide for setting up a library grant-seeking program, and for combining forces with community partners to increase grant funding to libraries. Venturing into the grants world can be scary and unpredictable. This book offers detailed strategies and practical steps to establish a supportive and collaborative environment that creates the capacity to consistently develop fundable proposals, and gives readers the confidence needed to make grant-seeking activities commonplace within libraries. Collaborative Grant-Seeking will share featured topics unavailable in other grant writing publications, such as: interpreting sponsor guidelines identifying appropriate funding programs determining the feasibility of project ideas asset-based (vs. need-based) proposal development strategies actual examples of successful and unusual library projects initiating and sustaining collaborative relationships

Librarians must know how to provide essential programs and services that make a difference for the people they serve if libraries are going to survive. It is no longer realistic for librarians to rely on the idea that “people love libraries, so they will fund them” in this economic climate. Librarians must be able to prove that their programs and services are making a difference if they want to compete for funding in their municipalities, schools, corporations, colleges, institutions and organizations. Meeting Community Needs: A Practical Guide for Librarians presents a process that librarians of all kinds can use to provide effective programs and services. This requires being in close touch with your community, whether it is a city, town, or village; college or university; public or private school; or corporation, hospital, or business. Understanding what information people need, how they access it, how they use it, how it benefits them, and how they share it is paramount. The process in this book covers community assessment, designing programs and services to meet needs, implementing and evaluating programs and services, and funding options. Providing library programs and services for your entire population - not just library users - is more important than ever. Librarians working in libraries of all types must provide programs and services that meet community needs if libraries are to stay relevant and survive in the long run. Librarians must be able to measure their success and demonstrate the library’s worth with verifiable proof if they are going to be competitive for available funds in the future. Meeting Community Needs will make you take a serious look at how well your library programs and services are meeting your community’s needs, and it will show you the way to success.