Ala Editions: 84 books

There are plenty of products out there for making information accessible to all users, but how can administrators and managers determine which are the most practical and economical for their particular library? Mates, former director of the Ohio Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, strips...

Picking, packing, delivering, and returning library materials can be very time consuming and expensive; yet, it is one of the most important and least understood functions within a library. Until now, little time has been spent studying, exploring, or writing about the physical delivery of library...

Urban Teens in the Library is the perfect solution for the concerns and uncertainty many librarians face when supporting this group of patrons and students. From a team of experts who have researched the information habits and preferences of urban teens to build better and more effective school and...

Subdivide and conquer! Magic Search: Getting the Best Results from Your Catalog and Beyond showcases how to increase the power of Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) subdivisions to produce astonishing results from your searches. Rebecca S. Kornegay and Heidi E. Buchanan, experienced reference...

How do college students really conduct research for classroom assignments? In 2008, five large Illinois universities were awarded a Library Services and Technology Act Grant to try to answer that question. The resulting ongoing study has already yielded some eye-opening results. The findings suggest...

Expanding on the popular, practical how-to guide for public, academic, school, and special libraries, technology expert Susan Sharpless Smith offers library instructors the confidence to take Web-based instruction into their own hands. Smith has thoroughly updated Web-Based Instruction: A Guide for...

In the November/December issue of Library Technology Reports, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom has assembled an all-star cast of writers to explore the challenges to privacy that ongoing shifts in technology have created, and how librarians can address them. Topics Covered in this Issue: *...

The increasingly important role that e-books and e-readers are playing in libraries makes it essential for librarians to get a handle on the ins and outs of e-book purchasing. Sue Polanka has compiled an expert-authored series of articles for this issue of Library Technology Reports that provide strategies,...

In 2011, cell phones and mobile devices are ubiquitous. The vast majority of Americans now own cell phones, and over half of them have mobile access to the Internet through a phone or other mobile device. For libraries to stay relevant, they must be able to offer content and services through the mobile...

User experience (UX) characterizes how a person feels about using a product, system or service. UX design incorporates the practical aspects of utility, ease of use and efficiency to make your web design and functionality decisions with patrons in mind. This results in a better design, a more intuitive...

From the time that personal computers became ubiquitous, there’s been no shortage of “the next big thing” in technology. While some new technologies do prove to be revolutionary, there are plenty that flame out very quickly. Librarians often work with limited financial resources, so when a library...

We live in the age of cell phones, iPads and netbooks, where gadgets are everywhere, and many people use one at nearly every waking moment. The newest gadgets don't often come cheap, and a poor investment can be costly for an institution like a library. In this issue of Library Technology Reports,...

For the last four years, Breeding has conducted an online survey to measure satisfaction with multiple aspects of the automation products used by libraries. In this issue of Library Technology Reports Breeding and Yelton take a deeper look at the survey data, including an expansion of findings based...

Drupal is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that many libraries use to create well-designed, easy-to-use and manage websites. Go step-by-step through the decisions and tasks needed to develop and launch a Drupal-powered site and learn the advantages of the open source approach. The...