This book examines the changing roles of the librarian and how working within a rich digital environment has impacted on the ability of professionals to develop the appropriate 'know how', skills, knowledge and behaviours required in order to operate effectively. Expert specialists and opinion-makers from around the world discuss the challenges and successes of adapting existing practices, introducing new services and working with new partners in an environment that no longer recognizes traditional boundaries and demarcation of roles. The book is structured thematically, with a focus on three key strands where the impact of digital technologies is significant: - Rethinking marketing and communication: this strand looks at strategic approaches and practices which harness social media and illustrate the importance of communication and marketing activities in these new online spaces. - Rethinking support for academic practice: this part examines the professional expertise required of librarians who engage with and support new academic and learner practices in digitally rich teaching, learning and research environments. - Rethinking resource delivery: this section investigates the use of strategies to maximize access to online resources and services: harnessing system data to enhance collection management and user choice, designing and managing mobile 'friendly' learning spaces and providing virtual resources and services to an overseas campus. Readership: This timely and inspiring edited collection should make vital reading for librarians, library schools, departments of information science and other professional groups such as education developers, learning technologists and IT specialists.

Due to the changing nature of librarianship resulting from the increasing amount of information available in digital format, educating digital librarians has become an important agenda within library and information science schools. Collection, preservation, and presentation of digital information in all formats; development of systems linking the users to the vast print and online collections within a library and beyond; digital project management is vital for librarians. The digital content may be locally held or accessed remotely via Web-based services. A digital library is one in which a significant proportion of the resources are available in digital format, accessible by means of computers and Webaccessible devices. Digital libraries are an emerging concept, as today's libraries routinely provide information and services in digital form. Mastering Digital Librarianship examines the changing roles of the librarian and how working within a rich digital environment has impacted on the ability of professionals to develop the appropriate 'know how', skills, knowledge and behaviors required in order to operate effectively. As the nature and role of libraries have changed in response to the new digital environment, new applications and services have been developed. Digital libraries have unique characteristics that differ from traditional libraries and their approaches to information provision. The evolutionary view of digital libraries has been addressed by practitioners in the library and information fields. As a consequence, educating digital librarians who are competent to work in the dynamic and complex digital environment has become a high priority. This book should be of immense valuable for librarians, library schools, departments of information science and other professional groups such as education developers.

"This book provides tools to complement an organization's burgeoning information treasuries, exploring new frontiers by looking at social and economic aspects of digital libraries and their sustainability"--Provided by publisher.

Covering the most common subject specialties and departmental liaison roles found in colleges and universities, this guide is for early- and mid-career librarians looking to move up in their chosen specialty as well as for established academic librarians interested in changing fields or for librarians taking on liaison roles in areas outside their expertise. Becoming a subject specialist is a rewarding career path for academic librarians: it allows you to pursue intellectual passions as well as move up in the organization. In this practical guide, experienced academic and research librarians describe how to succeed in various subject fields, presenting expert perspectives on the coursework, work experience, and core knowledge necessary for librarians interested in joining their specialty areas. For each specialty, an expert identifies useful or necessary coursework, provides insights on work and internship experiences, and pinpoints core knowledge areas necessary for success. The chapters offer valuable advice for early- and mid-career librarians on how to advance their career goals through building relevant skills, professional development, networking, and participating in professional associations. This book is crucial reading for library and information science students—and those who teach and advise them—as well as new librarians preparing for their careers and mid-career-changers.

Planning and managing a self-contained digitization project is one thing, but how do you transition to a digital library program? Or better yet, how do you start a program from scratch? In this book Purcell, a well-respected expert in both archives and digital libraries, combines theory and best practices with practical application, showing how to approach digital projects as an ongoing effort. He not only guides librarians and archivists in transitioning from project-level initiatives to a sustainable program but also provides clear step-by-step instructions for building a digital library program from the bottom up, even for organizations with limited staff. Approachable and easy to follow, this book traces the historical growth of digital libraries and the importance of those digital foundations; summarizes current technological challenges that affect the planning of digital libraries, and how librarians and archivists are adapting to the changing information landscape; uses examples to lay out the core priorities of leading successful digital programs; covers the essentials of getting started, from vision and mission building to identifying resources and partnerships; emphasizes the importance of digitizing original unique materials found in library and archives collections, and suggests approaches to the selection process; addresses metadata and key technical standards; discusses management and daily operations, including assessment, enhancement, sustainability, and long-term preservation planning; provides guidance for marketing, promotion, and outreach, plus how to take into account such considerations as access points, intended audiences, and educational and instructional components; and includes exercises designed to help readers define their own digital projects and create a real-world digital program plan. Equally valuable for LIS students just learning about the digital landscape, information professionals taking their first steps to create digital content, and organizations who already have well-established digital credentials, Purcell's book outlines methods applicable and scalable to many different types and sizes of libraries and archives.

This excellent reference traces the construction and maintenance of the digital collections and services that have been available day in and day out to users worldwide for more than a decade. It examines applicable guidelines for any library looking to build and manage systems, conduct and evaluate projects, and scout new directions for mainstreaming and hybridizing the building of a digital library. Including contributions from seasoned experts in specializations such as staffing, collection development, and technology project management for digital libraries, Becoming a Digital Library discusses the techniques for finding and training the right people to build a digital library.

Digital collections have already changed the ways users access and interact with an institution's materials. And small or medium-sized libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies face a unique set of challenges in regards to digital collections. They may have been unable to jump on the digitization bandwagon at its beginning due to competing priorities or lack of resources, and may now be struggling to get a digitization program in place to meet the evolving needs and expectations of their own users. The good news is that digital projects can scale down to fit the size of any organization. Providing an entry point for librarians, archivists, and curators who are new to digitization, Monson's well-researched guide shows how even smaller institutions can successfully endeavor to make their content digitally accessible. Clearing aside the jargon and acronyms to hone in on the practicals, this book will help readers get a digitization program off the ground, offering guidance on how to efficiently harness existing workflows, especially in departments seeing a decline in workload; the pros and cons of the two common service models for state and regional digital repositories; how to evaluate and choose among the digital asset management systems, comparing four proprietary and six open source systems; hardware options for image capture; choices in metadata models MODS, VRA Core, Dublin Core Element Set, and EAD; understanding the characteristics of various file formats and using them effectively to create master and derivative files; bitstream copying, data redundancy and other strategies to safeguard digital files against media degradation and technological obsolescence; and Section 108 copyright exemptions for cultural heritage institutions. This easy-to-follow guide to digitization fundamentals will ensure that readers gain a solid grasp of the knowledge and resources available for getting started on their own digital collection projects.