Group items tagged

How will you survive and thrive as social media changes our world? What are the best ways to use social media to succeed in our work, our lives and our future? "Content Nation" is a wide-ranging look at what makes social media tick, offering case studies and practical tips as to how we can conduct our business, our politics and our personal lives using social media and a look at how a future shaped by social media will be very different in many ways than the civilizations of the past several thousand years.

"Unlike a printed book, a single copy of an ebook could potentially be read by many users simultaneously, from any location. Thus, a major concern of publishers is that ebook borrowing from libraries will be so easy as to erode sales to readers. To counter this, many publishers insist on terms that replicate aspects of print book lending. Some of these terms may be necessary and tolerable, at least temporarily, to offset perceived risks in selling ebooks to libraries. Others, such as requiring patrons to come to the library to check out ebooks, will be onerous to patrons and damaging to perceptions of library service. With today's rapidly changing business environment for ebooks, the choices that libraries make today can have profound impact on the direction taken by the entire reading ecosystem. It is thus of utmost importance that these choices be made with careful consideration of the needs of both present and future users. Decisions are best made in the context of an informed community and never in isolation."

If librarians truly wish to be where the user is and to be user-centric, they need to be present in those spaces that users are. Embedded librarianship is a major focus for the future for the profession. The physical library will continue to provide  a place for research, for study, and for group work. But, with the dramatic increase in electronic resources and technological capabilities, bringing the library and the librarian to the user, wherever they are-office, laboratory, home, or even on their mobile device-is at the forefront of what it means to be embedded. 

At a time when the nation's economic future seems shaky, many school and public libraries are moving to open-source library management systems, which tend to be cheaper, more flexible, and fulfill the same mission a library serves: making a valuable contribution to the greater good.

(Thanx Mary for this link) Copyright for Librarians is a joint project with the goal to provide librarians in developing and transitional countries information concerning copyright law. More specifically, it aspires to inform librarians concerning: * copyright law in general * the aspects of copyright law that most affect libraries * how librarians in the future could most effectively participate in the processes by which copyright law is interpreted and shaped.

"Nearly ten years' worth of research conducted by The Pew Internet & American Life Project examines the growing role of technology in our lives, our changing expectations about how to find and use information, and the impact these changes will have on libraries and other institutions in the future."

In this book, which can be downloaded for free, 34 leading scholars from 10 countries challenge established understandings of lifelong learning and work, with several arguing that 'work' and 'lifelong learning' need to be 'turned inside out' through a rigorous critique of underlying power relations and practices that shape learning/work possibilities. In various ways, all the chapters are infused with imaginings of alternative futures that prioritise social justice and sustainability for the majority. Learning/Work will appeal to all those who are grappling to understand and implement learning/work critically within demanding times.

Rosaila points to an underpinning and central question that challenges school libraries today: what is the future of school libraries, and how can they be continuously improved to sustain and nurture 21st century learning? The professional need for capacity building and continuous improvement of school libraries is no more timely than at present.

As a modern day library student, you're probably excited about discovering and experimenting with the new tools and systems that have changed the way we find, receive and catalog information. But with all of the new technology out there, it can be hard to keep track of everything beyond your own niche field of study. This collection of library and information technology blogs have changed that, and now you'll be able to learn about all of the trends, developments, tools and resources available to librarians in every niche.

In this book, 34 leading scholars from 10 countries challenge established understandings of lifelong learning and work, with several arguing that 'work' and 'lifelong learning' need to be 'turned inside out' through a rigorous critique of underlying social relations and practices so that we understand the power relations that shape learning/work possibilities. In various ways, all of the 25 chapters that make up this volume are infused with imaginings of alternative futures which prioritise social justice and sustainability for the majority in the world.

"The BookServer is a growing open architecture for vending and lending digital books over the Internet. Built on open catalog and open book formats, the BookServer model allows a wide network of publishers, booksellers, libraries, and even authors to make their catalogs of books available directly to readers through their laptops, phones, netbooks, or dedicated reading devices. BookServer facilitates pay transactions, borrowing books from libraries, and downloading free, publicly accessible books."