Librarians constantly conduct searches for their customers and for themselves. However the internet and technology are constantly changing, resulting in pressure on librarians to keep up-to-date with how best to use the internet. This guide offers advice on how to use the internet and how to gain the information required most effectively. It covers for example: how to search in order to achieve the best results (strategies, what to ask and examples) and interpreting results (including examples). Importantly, not only does the book show how to use the Internet, but it also links this to perfect customer service - how to teach your customers what you know and how to properly interpret what your customers want. - Helps a librarian deliver perfect customer service with confidence - Provides practical tips and hints - Written by a highly respected and experienced practitioner

In this updated and expanded second edition of her popular guidebook, Searcher columnist Irene McDermott once again exhorts her fellow reference librarians to don their pith helmets and follow her fearlessly into the Web jungle. She presents new and improved troubleshooting tips and advice, Web resources for answering reference questions, and strategies for managing information and keeping current. In addition to helping librarians make the most of Web tools and resources, the book offers practical advice on privacy and child safety, assisting patrons with special needs, Internet training, building library Web pages, and much more

Understanding and navigating online databases is an essential skill for today's librarians, but staying current in this changing landscape can be a challenge. The fifth edition of this vital book ensures that you meet that challenge. Today's librarians not only need to know about existing databases and how to perform searches within them but must also be able to teach search capabilities and strategies to library users. This practical guide introduces librarians to a broad spectrum of the fee-based and freely-available databases that are available, some of which are new to this edition, and explains their underlying information structures as well as updates to some standard databases. In addition, it covers search strategies, provides criteria for evaluating databases, and discusses how to teach others about databases. As in the previous edition, this book takes a "real world approach," covering everything from basic and advanced search tools to online subject databases. Each chapter includes a thorough discussion, recap, concrete examples, exercises, and points to consider, making this an ideal text for courses in database searching as well as a trustworthy professional resource.

A Guide to Using the Anonymous Web in Libraries and Information Organizations provides practical guidance to those who are interested in integrating the anonymous web into their services. It will be particularly useful to those seeking to promote enhanced privacy for their patrons. The book begins by explaining, in simple terms, what the anonymous web is, how it works, and its benefits for users. Lund and Beckstrom also explain why they believe access to the anonymous web should be provided in library and information organizations around the world. They describe how to provide access, as well as educate library users on how to utilize the anonymous web and navigate any challenges that might arise during implementation. The authors also encourage the development of library policies that guide appropriate conduct and filter content, where appropriate, in order to deter illegal activity. A Guide to Using the Anonymous Web in Libraries and Information Organizations reminds us that libraries and other information providers have a duty to educate and support their communities, while also preserving privacy. Demonstrating that the anonymous web can help them to fulfil these obligations, this book will be essential reading for library and information professionals working around the world.

Written by a professor of computer science and a reference librarian, this guide covers basic browser usage, e-mail, and discussion groups; discusses such Internet staples as FTP and Usenet newsgroups; presents and compares numerous search engines; and includes models for acquiring, evaluating, and citing resources within the context of a research project. The emphasis of the book is on learning how to create search strategies and search expressions, how to evaluate information critically, and how to cite resources. All of these skills are presented as within the context of step-by-step activities designed to teach basic Internet research skills to the beginner and to hone the skills of the seasoned practitioner.

This brand new addition to the acclaimed "History Highway" series is essential for anyone conducting historical research on North, Central, or South America. Complete with a CD with live links to sites, it directs users to the best and broadest, most current information on U.S., Canadian, and Latin American history available on the Internet. "The American History Highway": provides detailed, easy-to-use information on more than 1,700 websites; covers all periods of U.S., Canadian, and Latin American History; features new coverage of Hispanic American and Asian American History; includes chapters on environmental history, immigration history, and document collections; all site information is current and up-to-date; includes a CD of the entire contents with live links to sites - just install the disc, go online, and link directly to the sites; and, also provides a practical introduction to web-based research for students and history buffs of all ages.

A Librarian's Guide on How to Publish discusses the publishing strategies needed for the development of skills that are essential for successful job requirements and the production of quality print and electronic publications. The book serves as a useful guide indicating the main principles of professional library publishing activities in both print and virtual environments. A number of library activities are, in fact, publishing, and requires librarians to have the knowledge and skills in order to manage it. With the wide use of web sites, these competencies are becoming indispensable. Whether it is publishing catalogues of their collections, selected bibliographies, exhibition catalogues, or journals. The Internet has transformed libraries' web pages into real publishing projects. - Enables librarians to undertake successful publishing projects - Helps librarians to avoid professional mistakes which can be a challenge for library image and cause financial loses - Equips managers with the skills for supervising the main publishing process outcomes

Complete with a CD-ROM, this specialized edition of The History Highway 3.0 guides users to the incredible amount of information on world history available on the Internet like no other resource. It covers thousands of sites, and the CD-ROM features the entire contents as PDF files with live links, so that users can put the disk into their computers, go online, and click directly to the sites. In addition, the best sites for researchers of all types are highlighted as "Editor's Choice," and there is also helpful information about using the Internet and evaluating information in an online environment.

The role of academic librarian is far from cut-and-dried. There are numerous job classifications and widely varying academic focuses and cultures to contend with. While every academic librarian is expected to meet the research needs of an institution's faculty and students, many are expected to assume other obligations as part of a faculty or tenure system. Given the many variants, library school alone ccannot prepare individuals for every aspect and flavor of academic librarianship, and intrepid librarians who find themselves in new places and positions face unique challenges. The Successful Academic Librarian is an antidote to the stress and burnout that almost every academic librarian experiences at one time or another. In its pages, Gwen Meyer Gregory and nearly 20 of her peers take a practical approach to a range of critical topics. Their advice, war stories, tips, techniques, and inspiration will help you thrive in your academic library career. -- from back cover.