Library & Information Technology

This guide explains the basics of reference services covering resource types and awareness of their appropriate uses, collection development and maintenance techniques that support reference service work, the latest online searching techniques, and best practices for service interactions through various platforms including email, chat, text, phone, and face to face. Additionally, it includes topics such as reference service ethics; communication and conducting reference interviews; important policies related to reference service development, provision, and maintenance; and professional service provider networking.

Thirty individuals from a variety of libraries and from outside librarianship describe their vision of what the library will be in 2020. They were told: "be bold, be inspirational, be hopeful, be true, be provocative, be realistic, be depressing, be light-hearted, be thoughtful, be fun... be yourself, and for heaven's sake, don't be boring." Introduces important perspectives and aspects within the profession as well as voices beyond the professional realm.

Covers such topics as... Customer perspective - Marketing and mission goals and objectives - SWOT: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats - A four-step model for marketing - Marketing Research - Channels of distribution - Promotion - Case studies - Evaluation - Marketing tools.

Doucett analyses the successful approaches of businesses and companies within the fields of marketing, customer service, fundraising, retailing, and looks at how these can be applied to improve the library world.

Covers such topics as... Library instruction on the web - Design and development cycle - Designing the user interface - Multimedia - Interactivity - Evaluation, testing, and assessment.