Telling the Technical Services Story

Telling the Technical Services Story
Author: Kimberley A. Edwards
Publisher: ALA Editions
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2021-04-30
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780838949467

The real-world initiatives and straightforward advice in this collection will embolden technical services managers and administrators to demonstrate the value of their work to stakeholders throughout their organization.

Guide to Technical Services Resources

Guide to Technical Services Resources
Author: Peggy Johnson
Publisher: Chicago : American Library Association
Total Pages: 336
Release: 1994
Genre: Education
ISBN:

This authoritative guide covers all areas of technical services.

Virtual Technical Services

Virtual Technical Services
Author: Mary Beth Weber
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2022-04-25
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1538152649

Prior to the COVID pandemic, there was little published information to guide technical services operations on how to deal with crises and emergencies. Viewed as a backroom operation by administration, little thought historically has been given to how these employees might protect equipment and resources and continue to provide services that seamlessly support the rest of the library. Virtual Technical Services: A Handbook is the first to address emergency and crisis planning specifically for technical services. The authors address how to create an emergency plan and how to prepare for an uncertain future that will undoubtedly include other threats to our health and safety. We discuss how the pivot to remote work can revolutionize technical services librarianship and allow us to better serve the needs of a 21st Century library. As the WFH period extended longer than anticipated, libraries and other organizations realized both the challenges and benefits of working remotely. WFH is about more than just doing one’s job, and we focus on employees as individuals with needs that include work/life balance, self-care, and the flexibility to meet life circumstances including childcare, eldercare, and appointments. A unique feature of our book is the focus on employee well-being, including burnout and self-care. Prior to COVID-19, employee well-being was typically not emphasized as part of personnel management. The risks to our health and safety and being removed from the physical workplace provided the opportunity to re-examine priorities and reframe them to forge a stronger and more collaborative relationship between employers and employees. Technical services personnel, in particular, are subject to burnout as their operations are frequently understaffed and they face competing demands of serving both libraries’ physical needs and supporting electronic and digital resources. Management in a remote work environment has challenges that are not present in an on-site operation. Communication, setting expectations, and documentation and training take on added significance when WFH, as does accountability. Our book addresses these aspects of management through a WFH lens. The book also covers the return to work after a shift to remote, whether it is completely on-site, hybrid, or some combination. Normalization, determining staffing levels, employee accommodations, and an adjustment period are discussed. Since most technical services personnel have not previously had to pivot to remote on short notice and for an extended period, the book addresses these issues for libraries as they make decisions about repopulating their workplaces.

Electronic Resources Librarianship

Electronic Resources Librarianship
Author: Holly Talbott
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2018-08-31
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1538107317

Electronic Resources Librarianship: A Practical Guide for Librarians will help new e-resources librarians to hit the ground running. Simultaneously a step-by-step guide and comprehensive toolkit, the book walks readers through their first few days on the job, giving them the practical skills to immediately begin engaging with vendors, diagnosing access issues, tracking usage, and making well-informed retention decisions. Further, it sets readers up for long-term success by talking about project planning and goal setting in an environment of continuous change, as well as advice on how to pass on their newly acquired e-resource knowledge to others. This easy-to-read guide addresses several ever-present issues for both new and established e-resource librarians: the need for concrete tools to implement in their day-to-day tasks, the need to gain goal setting and project management skills to thrive and not just survive, and the need to overcome feelings of anxiety and isolation. Acting as a ready reference, Electronic Resources Librarianship will help steer librarians through the intricacies of the daily e-resource grind while giving them the tools and the confidence to handle even the most complex challenges. Special Features include: Extensive technology toolkit Sample worksheets, email scripts, and checklists Real-world troubleshooting problems and solutions Practical strategies for organizing and prioritizing work Comprehensive list of support groups, so readers are never at a dead end

Assessment Strategies in Technical Services

Assessment Strategies in Technical Services
Author: Kimberley A. Edwards
Publisher: ALA Editions
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019-05-09
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780838918579

Are you spending money wisely? Can you prove it? The call for efficiency and evidence-based practice has sparked an examination traditional assessment and statistic-gathering.

Library Technology and Digital Resources

Library Technology and Digital Resources
Author: Marie Keen Shaw
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2015-11-12
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1442256451

In the last decade library collections have rapidly evolved from a predominance of print books and journals to an ever growing mix of digital and print resources. Library patrons are predominately served by support staff that is expected to know how to help patrons select and use digital resources. Yet most library support staff (LSS) has not had training to become proficient in finding, using, and instructing others in the abundance of the digital resources of websites, databases, e-texts, digital libraries and their related technologies. Library Technology and Digital Resources: An Introduction for Support Staff is both a text for professors who teach in library support staff programs and an introductory reference manual for support staff who work in libraries. This book will guide the LSS to be able to: Distinguish key features and enhancements found among vendors and providers of digital libraries, digital collections, databases, and e-texts; Plan, budget, fund and write grants for digital resources; Understand the complexity and options of licensing and usage agreements for digital resources; Know copyright permissions and acceptable use guidelines for digital resources. Understand the basic technologies that support library digital resources including network structures, software applications, and protocols; Distinguish between directories and search engines as they relate to digital resources as well as be able to employ advance search skills effectively; Explore the resources of global, national, and state digital libraries and their collections; Use government databases and other digitized systems and information sources; Find exemplary digital resources though other agencies such as museums, university collections and other sources that librarians can share with patrons. Create local digital resources of primary and historical materials and artifacts with metadata and cataloging for searchable access. Interpret meaning from library digital resources using visual literacy skills. Promote library digital resources through a variety of means including social media and online options.

Introduction to Library Public Services

Introduction to Library Public Services
Author: G. Edward Evans
Publisher:
Total Pages: 528
Release: 1999
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN:

This volume emphasizes the changes wrought by technology. Chapters are arranged by type of service - reference services and sources, bibliographic instruction, interlibrary loan, circulation, reserve services, special collections, serials, media services and government documents.

Digital Rights Management

Digital Rights Management
Author: Catherine A. Lemmer
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2016-09-02
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1442263768

In a world of users that routinely click “I Agree” buttons, librarians may be the lone voice raising an alert to the privacy, use, and ownership issues arising in connection with the design and implementation of digital rights management (DRM) technologies. DRM reflects the efforts of copyright owners to prevent the illegal distribution of copyrighted material – an admirable goal on its face. A common misunderstanding is that DRM is copyright law. It is not. Rather it is a method of preventing copyright infringement; however, if unchecked, DRM has the potential to violate privacy, limit ownership rights, and undermine the delicate balance of rights and policies established by our current system of copyright. All three of these arenas are critical for both librarians and their users. Reflecting the shift from ownership to access, libraries are increasingly providing access to rights-protected digital content. Libraries strive to provide access to rights-protected content in a manner that protects both the content creator and the privacy of the user. DRM encompasses a variety of technologies and strategies utilized by content owners and managers to limit access to and the use of rights-protected content. Librarians need to understand DRM to effectively enable users to access and use rights-protected digital content while at the same time protecting the privacy of the user. Designed to address the practical operational and planning issues related to DRM, this guide explores the critical issues and challenges faced by librarians. After reading it, librarians will better understand: the digital content rights protection scheme; the various DRM technologies and how they are used; how to use authentication and authorization standards, strategies, and technologies; and, the privacy and security issues related to DRM. Edited by two librarians who also hold law degrees, this is a best practices guide for front-line librarians on how to best respond to the impact of DRM schemes on collection development, staffing, budget, service, and other library concerns.

Access to Online Resources

Access to Online Resources
Author: Kristina Botyriute
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 45
Release: 2018-03-13
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3319739905

This book is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 licence.The book offers a concise guide for librarians, helping them understand the challenges, processes and technologies involved in managing access to online resources. After an introduction the book presents cases of general authentication and authorisation. It helps readers understand web based authentication and provides the fundamentals of IP address recognition in an easy to understand manner. A special chapter is dedicated to Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), followed by an overview of the key concepts of OpenID Connect. The book concludes with basic troubleshooting guidelines and recommendations for further assistance. Librarians will benefit from this quick and easy read, which demystifies the technologies used, features real-life scenarios, and explains how to competently employ authentication and access management.

A Beginner's Guide To Understanding Technical Support

A Beginner's Guide To Understanding Technical Support
Author: Jose D. Afable
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2002
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0595225748

A Beginner's Guide To Understanding Technical Support is a unique guide designed for anyone wishing to venture into the field of technical support. This book will provide a basic understanding of the processes, entities, and issues within a support organization so that anyone wishing to know more about the support organization functions or wanting to pursue a career in this area receives the information they need to make their informed decision.