Description
Times have changed and library institutions struggle to maintain relevancy in the Information Age. With the inescapable presence of harnessing technologies for information management and access, the role of the library has increased in importance within academic institutions and public communities.
Information Technology and Collection Management for Library User Environments brings into focus the new responsibility libraries have in meeting patron needs, specifically with the use of emerging technologies. Highlighting the concepts of collection management, library space planning, and information technologies; this book is a critical guide for library professionals, para-professionals, as well as researchers who wish to meet the diverse needs of patrons in ever-changing societies.
Reviews and Testimonials
– Featured in Computers in Libraries Magazine, "Books to Check Out"
It is innovations in the dissemination of information rather than in the content of information that is driving current changes in the user environments of libraries and other information institutions, Walker points out. He surveys current and newly developed information technologies and their effects on user environments, adds unique contributions to the fields of both library and information technology where their mutual interests combine, and includes the forensic information of all libraries and institutions he reviewed for the book.
– ProtoView Book Abstracts (formerly Book News, Inc.)
Authored by a consultant in the information technology field and prior academic and public librarian, along with 22 case studies authored by Lisa Black and the author, this book discusses information technology and collection management for library user environments drawing extensively on the case studies performed. [...] This book can be of use for libraries looking for in-depth information about collection management using information technology, although in general practice this book will be more advanced, theoretical, and in depth.
– Sara Marcus, American Reference Books Annual
Author's/Editor's Biography
Joseph Walker
Joseph Walker is a consultant in the information technology field. Working with many clients from national and international corporations such as IBM and Dell, government organizations, not-for-profits, academic institutions, and the military, as well as smaller companies, he has diverse exposure to both the public and private sectors’ IT and information management needs. Before moving into the IT profession, he worked over four years with both public and academic libraries in the areas of reference services and collection space management. Though he ended up moving into the more technical applications of data management and information expertise, more traditional library services—such as working with patrons, and managing and reinforcing the important role of the library in the community, whether public, private, or academic—remains his first love and long-term focus.