Archives

• November/December

  Vol. 58 No. 8 (2022)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 58, no. 8 (November/December 2022) “The Current and Evolving Landscape of Bibliometric Tools and Technologies,” by Laura Bredahl.

  While bibliometrics has been around for decades, with the recent development of new bibliometric tools, there has been a surge in interest in bibliometric services at academic institutions in North America. Navigating this rapidly evolving landscape can be a challenge for academic institutions as they attempt to determine which tools and skill sets will best meet their needs. This issue of Library Technology Reports, “The Current and Evolving Landscape of Bibliometric Tools and Technologies” (vol. 58, no. 8), will help guide decision makers and practitioners in their selection and use of current bibliometric tools and related systems, and it will offer some insight into future directions.

• October

  Vol. 58 No. 7 (2022)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 58, no. 7 (October 2022) “The Current Landscape of Electronic Resources Access Issues,” by Ashley Zmau and Holly Talbott.

  In this issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 58, no. 7), “The Current Landscape of Electronic Resources Access Issues,” we discuss the current landscape of electronic resources access issues through the lens of the prevailing access tool employed by academic libraries: the discovery service. The report outlines the technical components through which library end users gain access to electronic materials through the discovery system environment and describes the common points of failure within them. The report also discusses the troubleshooting techniques and tools through which access issues are identified and diagnosed. The report closes with a discussion on new technological developments in library discovery and access, highlighting the new opportunities for access failure, as well as the initiatives aimed at mitigating these issues.

• August/September

  Vol. 58 No. 6 (2022)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 58, no. 6 (August/September 2022) “Improving Access to and Delivery of Academic Content from Libraries,” by Aaron Tay.

  While academic libraries have traditionally focused on discovery, helping users to seamlessly access resources available behind a paywall is becoming equally important. The emergence of Sci-Hub into the public eye has led not only to more academic piracy but also to the discovery that academic users were using Sci-Hub for the sheer convenience of not needing to authenticate. This and other reasons have led to the suspicion that there is a need to improve and streamline the processes for users to authenticate and access resources available behind paywalls.

  While the traditional solutions are IP authentication and federated access, we now have a slew of possible alternatives or improvements. These include initiatives like SeamlessAccess and GetFTR as well as the emergence of new third-party tools known as access broker browser extensions, such as Lean Library and LibKey Nomad.

  Google has also been working toward a solution dubbed Campus Activated Subscriber Access (CASA), while the rise of content syndication partnerships between publishers like Springer Nature and ResearchGate gives the possibility of authentication using researcher profiles.

  This issue of Library Technology Reports, “Improving Access to and Delivery of Academic Content from Libraries,” will walk the interested nontechnical librarian through understanding the fundamentals needed to plan for these new developments.

• July

  Vol. 58 No. 5 (2022)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 58, no. 5 (July 2022), “Designing Information Literacy Tutorials: Tips, Techniques, and Trends,” by Yvonne Mery

  Even before the pandemic, many librarians were teaching online via video or interactive tutorials. But how do we know if our tutorials are any good? This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 58, no. 5), “Designing Information Literacy Tutorials: Tips, Techniques, and Trends,” explores how librarians can create engaging and effective tutorials that are aligned with how this generation of students learns. The report starts with how to design better tutorials by using newer, agile instructional design models and implementing adult learning theories. The next chapter takes a deep dive into one trending and successful approach: microlearning. Chapter 3 discusses accessibility and universal design. Next, we take a look at getting feedback from our users, and we wrap up with a look at some helpful e-learning tools librarians need to create better tutorials.

• May/June

  Vol. 58 No. 4 (2022)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 58, no. 4 (May/June 2022), “US Census Data: Concepts and Applications for Supporting Research,” by Frank Donnelly

  More than just a ten-year count, the US census is a collection of high-quality, geographically detailed, and free and open datasets that describe the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the nation on an ongoing basis. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 58, no. 4), “US Census Data: Concepts and Applications for Supporting Research,” provides readers with a crash course on the census: learn about the concepts on which the census is organized, the key datasets, accessing data online and through scripts via APIs, and considerations for using GIS, historical data, and microdata. Librarians will gain knowledge they can use for assisting members of their communities with census data and will see how the census can be used for library planning and research.

• April

  Vol. 58 No. 3 (2022)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 58, no. 3 (April 2022), “Thinking Differently about Library Websites: Beyond Your Preconceptions,” by Laura Solomon

  In this issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 58, no. 3), we’ll look at the common preconceptions of library websites and web design and work toward understanding what makes a useful, relevant library website that is user-friendly.

• February/March

  Vol. 58 No. 2 (2022)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 58, no. 2 (February/March 2022), “Patron Engagement and Marketing Products and Services for Public Libraries,” by Marshall Breeding

  This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 58, no. 2), “Patron Engagement and Marketing Products and Services for Public Libraries,” provides an overview of the technology products currently available to support library outreach and marketing strategies. In response to public libraries’ interest in proactive marketing of their programs, services, and collections, a variety of new products have been introduced. Each takes a different approach in providing libraries with sophisticated tools to support marketing campaigns or other initiatives to strengthen engagement with their communities. Many involve harvesting data and producing analytics and visualizations that aim to provide insight into the strategic performance of the library and the effectiveness of its marketing efforts.

• January

  Vol. 58 No. 1 (2022)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 58, no. 1 (January 2022), "Library Engagement Platforms," by David Lee King 

  This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 58, no. 1), “Library Engagement Platforms,” introduces library engagement platforms, explains what types of interactions take place while using them, and illustrates why libraries need to utilize them to connect with their customers. These interactions take place using a variety of communication channels, including e-mail, text messages, and mobile phone notifications. The end goal of a library engagement platform isn’t the messaging; it’s engaging with that customer and moving them to respond and interact, or engage, with the library.

• November/December

  Vol. 57 No. 8 (2021)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 57, no. 8 (October 2021), "Using the Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit," by Carson Block 

  The Toward Gigabit Libraries (TGL) toolkit was a project originally funded by a Laura Bush grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The initial phase took place from 2015 to 2018 and included on-site visits to test the toolkit in real-world applications. An important focus of the grant was that the toolkit should work for all libraries but should be especially helpful to rural, tribal, and underfunded libraries. A second grant was awarded in 2020, and while somewhat hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new project (called Gigabit Libraries and Beyond) is underway to further refine the toolkit to expand reach to tribal and rural libraries and explore how the toolkit may be used in “tech desert” urban areas. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 8), “Using the Toward Gigabit Libraries Toolkit,” presents ideas for using the resources of the toolkit and gives examples of how libraries have used it in troubleshooting or training.

• October

  Vol. 57 No. 7 (2021)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 57, no. 7 (October 2021), "Library IT Management in Times of Crisis," by Jason Bengtson 

  Crisis and disaster can strike at any time. During times of crisis, IT departments become even more vital parts of the organization by empowering libraries to recover and respond to challenges. At such times technology concerns, as well as leveraging technology to ameliorate the effects of a crisis, should be a major focus for libraries. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 7), “Library IT Management in Times of Crisis,” will describe different crisis effects, ways in which technology can assist in responding to them, and issues for library technology managers to be aware of.

• August/September

  Vol. 57 No. 6 (2021)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 57, no. 6 (August/September 2021), "Metadata Application Profiles," by Theodore Gerontakos and Benjamin Riesenberg 

  In Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 6), “Metadata Application Profiles,” metadata application profiles (MAPs) are discussed in two broad categories depending on whether or not they adhere to linked-data practices. There exist a broad range of purposes for MAPs, including metadata implementation and interoperability. MAPs have four components: the application, entities, properties, and values. MAP creators gather MAP components from already existing sources, including ontologies, schemas, vocabulary encoding schemes, and syntax encoding schemes. Implementers may present MAPs in human-readable, machine-readable, and hybrid formats. Several examples in the text demonstrate specific MAP features.

• July

  Vol. 57 No. 5 (2021)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 57, no. 5 (July 2021), "Cloud Services for Digital Repositories," by Jarrod Bogucki

  A digital repository can provide a library or similar institution the capability to offer patrons a variety of media and rich cultural collections. Repositories can be robust, valuable resources, but for a library they can be large and potentially difficult to create and manage. Cloud resources offer a wide range of tools and services that can be used to build a repository of any kind and manage it in a sustainable, successful way. Subscription services, development tools, and virtual infrastructure can be used to leverage existing repository software or build a custom repository to exact specifications. Consider the capabilities and shortcomings of cloud resources when creating a digital repository.

• May/June

  Vol. 57 No. 4 (2021)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 57, no. 4 (May/June 2021), "Creating Adaptable Digital Preservation Workflows," by Erin Baucom
  

  Libraries are scaling up their digitization, digital scholarship, digital archiving, and data management programs. All of this effort could be lost to a major failure of technology, a shift in administrative priorities, or a loss of institutional memory. The loss would not just be the materials themselves, but also the resources used to build and promote these collections to users. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 4), “Creating Adaptable Digital Preservation Workflows,” will help libraries create transparent and enduring digital preservation workflows that will help them maintain consistent and transparent practices when acquiring, accessioning, stabilizing, processing, providing access to, and preserving their digital materials.

• April

  Vol. 57 No. 3 (2021)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 57, no. 3 (April 2021), "Video Accessibility," by Carli Spina 

  Video content is an increasingly important part of library marketing, outreach, instruction, and more. In order for this content to be inclusive for all patrons, it is vital that it be made accessible. However, large quantities of video content are still shared without adequate accessibility features, such as captions, transcriptions, audio descriptions, sign language interpretation, and accessible media players. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 3), “Video Accessibility,” will help librarians to understand these various accessibility features and how they are used. It will also give them the knowledge and tools necessary to ensure that the videos they share, create, and purchase for their collections are accessible to all patrons.

• February/March

  Vol. 57 No. 2 (2021)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 57, no. 2 (February/March 2021), "Mobile Technology in Libraries," by David Lee King

  Most of your library customers own a smartphone, using it for a variety of tasks. They want to use their smartphones in and around the library. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 2), “Mobile Technology in Libraries,” presents tools and practices for giving your customers a great experience while connecting with your library. It addresses provisions supporting customers’ mobile use inside the library, such as Wi-Fi and charging stations, or outside the building, offering mobile access for basic library tasks. The report will show ways in which libraries are using mobile technology to address the digital divide, such as circulating hot spots or training, and how staff can use mobile technology to expand services in the community.

• January

  Vol. 57 No. 1 (2021)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 57, no. 1 (January 2021), "Data Visualization with R for Digital Collections," by Monika Glowacka-Musial

  Since the 1990s, libraries have invested in developing digital collections and online services to provide access to historical sources. One way to inspire users to actively engage with these materials is by creating visual contexts for the materials. These visuals provide an overview of a collection’s content and inspire users to experiment with the collection’s data for various purposes, including research.

  This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 57, no. 1) presents an approach that views digital collections as data that can be mined, analyzed, and visualized by means of the R programming language. R is open source, relatively easy to learn, and supported by an established community of coders. The selection of plots presented in the report includes R scripts, fragments of data tables, and some explanation of the R code used to create the plots.

• November/December

  Vol. 56 No. 8 (2020)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 56, no. 8 (November/December 2020), "Consolidation of the Library Technology Industry," by Marshall Breeding 

  This issue of Library Technology Reports offers an in-depth analysis of the vendor and product environment in libraries over the past thirty years. Mergers and acquisitions have accelerated in the past decade, yet the pattern of maintaining products has nevertheless presented libraries with options and a competitive environment. The report draws extensively from data on vendors and product implementations.

• October

  Vol. 56 No. 7 (2020)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 56, no. 7 (October 2020), "One Country One Library," by Mirela Roncevic 

  
  One Country One Library (OCOL) is an idea to turn countries into open digital libraries via geographic coordinates and to measure the impact of reading materials in each country. The platform, available as a web and mobile application, houses all types of materials, including books, academic journals, general articles, short stories, and guides. It serves as a digital reading room, a self-publishing platform, a learning tool, an information kiosk for tourists, and a powerful new evaluator of the materials’ performance and reader activities. Publishers are paid a participation fee per country and supplied with detailed analytics showing each publication’s score and impact. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 7), “One Country One Library,” sheds light on the idea as well as on the technology and the business model designed to make the idea sustainable for participating countries, libraries, publishers, authors, and organizations. The goal of the report is to present the OCOL idea in its simplicity as well as its complexity and to encourage librarians and other book professionals to consider building open national digital libraries that serve the needs of the widest possible range of users.

• August/September

  Vol. 56 No. 6 (2020)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 56, no. 6 (August/September 2020), "Library Privacy Policies," by Jason Vaughan 

  Protecting patron privacy in an increasingly distributed online environment is a complex challenge facing libraries. Still, publicly posted privacy policies can empower patrons, allow librarians to share their professional values, and help support sound library operations in the event of information disclosure requests. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 6), “Library Privacy Policies,” shares results from an analysis of publicly posted privacy policies from one hundred academic and public libraries across the United States. Details on data types, why data is collected, how data is used and protected, and how data may be released are shared. Just as importantly, nuances in how policy text is phrased reveals a richness and emphasizes the adage that “It’s not always what you say, but how you say it.”

• July

  Vol. 56 No. 5 (2020)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 56, no. 5 (July 2020), "Digital Legacy," edited by Heather Moorefield-Lang 

  This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 5), “Digital Legacy,” addresses some of the following questions. How do library community members build their digital lives? Are libraries involved in the building and education of those digital lives? How do we as librarians aid our patrons in understanding the legacies they leave behind in a digital world? Death is a topic often avoided, but the legacy we leave behind in both our physical and digital worlds is important. These legacies deserve recognition. In this report we investigate digital footprints, digital legacy, and digital lives.

• May/June

  Vol. 56 No. 4 (2020)

  Library Technology Reports vol. 56, no. 4 (May/June 2020), "Virtual Voice Assistants," by Win Shih and Erin Rivero

  With the rapid advancement of voice technology, smart speaker devices have penetrated many US households and businesses. Voice assistants, such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Assistant, are embedded in a slew of consumer products and IoTs. Digital assistants act as intelligent agents interacting with user voices, responding with answers and support.

  This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 4), “Virtual Voice Assistants,” first provides an overview of the technology behind smart speakers and voice assistants, also known as digital or virtual assistants. It further explores innovative uses of such technology in library and educational settings. Next, the report discusses related issues of ethics, privacy, security, and trust, concluding with a review of future trends and advice for decision makers preparing for integrating voice assistants in their organizations.

• April

  Vol. 56 No. 3 (2020)

  Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 3), How to Create Free Digital Breakouts for Libraries,” by Ellyssa Kroski

  Digital breakouts are immersive online experiences that pose exciting challenges for players and along with them opportunities for libraries to engage patrons while imparting learning outcomes and problem- solving skills. In this issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 3), “How to Create Free Digital Breakouts for Libraries,” discover how libraries are using these tools to offer information literacy instruction, classroom support, youth programming, and even staff training and how you can create your own digital breakout adventures for your library today.

• February/March

  Vol. 56 No. 2 (2020)

  Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 2), “Moving Forward with Digital Disruption: What Big Data, IoT, Synthetic Biology, AI, Blockchain, and Platform Businesses Mean to Libraries,” by Bohyun Kim

  Digital disruption, also known as “the fourth industrial revolution,” is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 2), “Moving Forward with Digital Disruption: What Big Data, IoT, Synthetic Biology, AI, Blockchain, and Platform Businesses Mean to Libraries,” examines today’s leading-edge technologies and their disruptive impacts on our society through examples such as extended reality, Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), synthetic biology, 3-D bio-printing, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and platform businesses in the sharing economy. This report explains (1) how new digital technologies are merging the physical and the biological with the digital; (2) what kind of transformations are taking place as a result in production, management, and governance; and (3) how libraries can continue to innovate with new technologies while keeping a critical distance from the rising ideology of techno-utopianism and at the same time contributing to social good.

• January

  Vol. 56 No. 1 (2020)

  Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 1), “Digital Rights Management and Books,” by Mirela Roncevic

  Digital rights management. Anyone who has in any way dealt with digital content in the past two decades has come across this term. It is talked about and written about in the context of all content disseminated digitally—books, films, music, and video games. It is the topic at every library and digital publishing conference and the subject of countless scholarly articles dedicated to trying to understand its impact. This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 56, no. 1), “Digital Rights Management and Books,” discusses digital rights management (DRM) in the context of books—popular and academic—and all who are part of the publishing ecosystem, including authors, readers, publishers, educators, researchers, librarians, and information scientists. Its aim is to provide a thorough analysis of what DRM is, what its main purpose is, what its legal implications are, who it affects, how it works, why it matters, why some believe it has done more harm than good for books and authors as well as libraries, what its challenges remain to this day, what may be possible solutions to those challenges, and what the future holds for DRM, including both those who support it (usually publishers) and those who vehemently oppose it (usually readers and librarians). Lastly, this report points to new ways in which DRM can be approached in the future and ways in which piracy and illegal online activities can be overcome more successfully.

• November/December

  Vol. 55 No. 8 (2019)

  Library Technology Reports (vol. 55, no. 8), “Blockchain in Libraries,” by Michael Meth

  This issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 55, no. 8), “Blockchain in Libraries,” examines the application of blockchain in libraries. Blockchain technology has the ability to transform how libraries provide services and organize information. To date, most of these applications are still in the conceptual stage. However, sooner or later, development and implementation will follow. This report is intended to provide a primer on the technology and some thought starters. In chapter 2, the concept of blockchain is explained. Chapter 3 provides eight thought and conversation starters that look at how blockchain could be applied in libraries. Chapter 4 looks at the barriers and challenges of implementing blockchain in libraries. Chapter 5 raises some questions around ethical issues that librarians should consider with respect to blockchain implementation.