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Category: Publications

New Version of Cataloging Correctly for Kids

Cataloging Correctly for Kids book cover

Cataloging library materials for children in the internet age has never been as challenging or as important. RDA: Resource Description and Access is now the descriptive standard, there are new ways to find materials using classifications, and subject heading access has been greatly enhanced by the keyword capabilities of today’s online catalogs. It’s the perfect moment to present a completely overhauled edition of this acclaimed bestseller. This new sixth edition guides catalogers, children’s librarians, and LIS students in taking an effective approach towards materials intended for children and young adults. Informed by recent studies of how children search, this handbook’s top-to-bottom revisions address areas such as: how RDA applies to a variety of children’s materials, with examples provided;   authority control, bibliographic description, subject access, and linked data; electronic resources and other non-book materials; and cataloging for non-English-speaking and preliterate children. With advice contributed by experienced, practicing librarians, this one-stop…Continue Reading

Telling the Technical Services Story: Communicating Value

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. Technical Services isn’t the hidden discipline it once was. Even so, despite all the cross-departmental interaction, misconceptions about the work are all too common. It’s incumbent on technical services staff to take a proactive approach by communicating to others their value to the library and institutional mission. Spotlighting several successful initiatives, Telling the Technical Services Story will give you the guidance to bolster communication within departments, across the library, and campus-wide. Listen to a podcast featuring the editors or read a sample from the book (PDF). Available now, Core members receive a 10% discount when purchasing this title.

New Issue of Information Technology and Libraries

Read the June 2021 issue of Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL). In his Letter from the Editor, Ken Varnum provides an update on the expansion of ITAL’s editorial review process, as announced in the March issue. This issue inaugurates what we plan to be an occasional feature, the “Core Leadership Column,” to which we invite contributions from members of Core leadership. In the first of these columns, incoming Core president Margaret Heller writes about “Making Room for Change through Rest,” in which she highlights the need for each of us to recharge after a collectively challenging year. It is joined by two other regular items, our Editorial Board Thoughts essay by Michael P. Sauers, “Do Space’s Virtual Interview Lab: Using Simple Technology to Serve the Public in a Time of Crisis” and William Yarbrough’s Public Libraries Leading the Way column, “Service Barometers: Using Lending Kiosks to Locate Patrons.” If you…Continue Reading

Digital Civics and Citizenship for Students

Regardless of age and experience, young adults must be mindful of their digital presence in the expanding digital world. In Digital Civics and Citizenship: An Applied Approach, Casey Davis provides a guide for librarians, educators, counselors, and administrators to guide secondary and higher education students in successfully practicing responsible citizenship and civics in the digital world. In our world where our social credit is held increasing value, digital civics and citizenship are powerful tools, especially for students just venturing into this expansive realm. Available this Fall, Core members receive a 20% discount when purchasing this title using the code RLLITA20. Preorder your copy today. Digital Civics and Citizenship: An Applied Approach is a must read for every educator striving to help their students navigate the ever changing landscape of our digital world. With themes of respect, empathy, and advocacy, to name a few, Davis has put together an honest and much…Continue Reading

Learn Sustainable Strategies for Optimizing Digital Stewardship

In Sustainable Enterprise Strategies for Optimizing Digital Stewardship: A Guide for Libraries, Archives, and Museums, Angela I. Fritz explores how a multicomponent Digital Asset Management Ecosystem (DAME) can ensure strategic growth of institutional collections in the context of long-term holistic collection management plans. Increasingly, librarians, archivists, and curators are managing an integrated digital ecosystem by coordinating and complementing a number of existing and emerging initiatives. This new guide provides a high-level overview and offers a conceptual framework for understanding a digital asset management ecosystem with discussions on digital collection typologies and assessment, planning and prioritization, the importance of a community of practice through associated workflows, and an understanding of the critical role that foresight planning plays in balancing an evolving infrastructure and expanding digital content with creative cost modeling and sustainability strategies. Available this Fall, Core members receive a 20% discount when purchasing this title using the code RLLITA20. Preorder…Continue Reading

Transform print collections to increase user engagement with this new guide from Core

In the forthcoming book from Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, Transforming Print: Collection Development and Management for Our Connected Future, Lorrie McAllister and Shari Laster explore the vision of the future of print collections in this increasingly digital age. This book inspires its readers to consider print collections and how experimentation and innovation can result in a more engaging experience for the communities they serve and highlights the ways in which people and books are central to the library’s educational mission. Some of the case studies discussed include the ”Open Stacks” concept, haptic learning, learning from browsing behaviors, and an open digital future for the Library of Congress. This guide helps collection management staff in academic libraries transform print collections from selection to management to disposition. Members receive a 10% discount when purchasing this title, and it will be available in print format in the Fall of 2021. Pre-order your copy…Continue Reading

Explore grey literature from a technical services perspective with this new guide from Core

In this new guide from Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, Managing Grey Literature: Technical Services Perspectives, authors Michelle Leonard and Susan E. Thomas demonstrate why grey literature is a valuable source for conducting research within the technical services workflow including collections, acquisitions, cataloging, and preservation. This guide defines the significance of grey literature and provides methods for integrating it into library collections. Not only will you learn about how the rich and timely content of grey literature can serve as an invaluable asset to researchers, scholars, and students, you will also gain insight on methods for promoting grey literature in library collections and best communication practices for your institution. This title will be available in print format in the Fall of 2021. Pre-order your copy of the book today.

Examine the key concepts of I.T. with this textbook for librarians and information professionals

In the first textbook from Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, praised as “thorough, comprehensive, yet highly readable,” Jonathan M. Smith lays a solid foundation of information technology concepts and best practices for aspiring technologists. The Information Technology for Librarians and Information Professionals book provides a broad selection of practical and current topics ranging from information security and web development to technology planning. In this textbook, Smith outlines foundational principles needed to excel in this discipline and serves as the go-to resource for library & information science students, librarians new to systems or information technology responsibilities, and library managers desiring a primer on information technology. Receive 30% off your purchase when using the promo code: RLFANDF30 during checkout. This title is available in both print and PDF format on the Rowman & Littlefield website. Purchase your copy of the book now.

March 2021 Issue of Information Technology and Libraries is Published

The March 2021 issue of Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL) was published on March 15. Two journals published by ALA’s Core division, Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL) and Library Leadership and Management (LL&M), invite applications for peer reviewers. Serving as a reviewer is a great opportunity for individuals from all types of libraries and with a wide variety of experience to contribute to scholarship within our chosen profession. See “Reviewers Wanted,” the Letter from the Editor for this issue. Editorial Board Member Brady Lund asks and answers a particularly intriguing question facing libraries in this quarter’s Editorial Board Thoughts column, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Does It Pose an Existential Threat to Libraries?”  We have two “Public Libraries Leading the Way” columns this issue, both focused on technological adaptations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first one, We Can Do It for Free! Using Freeware for Online Patron…Continue Reading

Call For Reviewers For ITAL & LL&M Journals

The Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL) and Library Leadership and Management (LL&M) journals invite applications for peer reviewers. This is an exciting opportunity for individuals from all types of libraries and with a wide variety of experience to contribute to scholarship within the profession. We are seeking the broadest pool of reviewers possible. Reviewer responsibilities for both journals are to have an interest/experience with the journal’s topics, as described below. Reviewers should expect to review 2-4 articles a year and should provide thoughtful and actionable comments to authors and the editor. Reviewers will work with the editor, associate editor, and/or editorial board of the corresponding journal. See the job description for ITAL reviewers for more details about that role.  We welcome applications from individuals at libraries of all types, levels of experience, locations, perspectives, and voices, especially those from underrepresented groups. Reviewers will be selected to maximize the diversity of…Continue Reading