Libraries are experiencing major changes concerning the role of technical services. Technical services librarians also are being challenged about their relevance and role, sometimes revealed by a lack of understanding of the contribution technical services librarians make to building and curating library and archival collections. The threats are real: relocation from central facilities, the dramatic shift to electronic resources, budgetary constraints, and outsourced processing. As a result, technical services departments are reinventing themselves to respond to these and similar challenges while embracing innovative methods and opportunities to advance librarianship in the twenty-first century. Library Technical Services provides case studies that highlight difficult realities, yet embrace exciting opportunities, such as space reclamation, evolving vendor partnerships, metadata, retraining and managing personnel, special collections, and distance education. Written for catalog and metadata librarians and managers of technical services units, this book will inspire and provide practical advice and examples for solving issues many libraries are facing today.

The real-world initiatives and straightforward advice in this collection will embolden technical services managers and administrators to demonstrate the value of their work to stakeholders throughout their organization.

For library technicians working in technical services and students in library technology programs, Introduction to technical services for library technicians is a practical, how-to-do-it text that shows how to perform the behind-the-scenes tasks the job requires. Comes complete with a suggested reading list, helpful charts and tables, and review questions at the end of each chapter.

This exciting volume explores the role of technical services functions and organizational structure as forces in the library change process. It provides practical information to help administrators make decisions about how their libraries are organized and managed. As libraries change in many ways--organizational structure, design of jobs, managerial philosophy, responsibilities of professionals, and the impact of automation--librarians in technical services, administrators, and personnel officers--need guidance in meeting the new challenges in order to continue providing thorough efficient services. Professionals from a variety of library environments address the pertinent issues of automation, personnel matters, education, management techniques, and the role of technical services within the total library community.

Through the perspectives of interlibrary loan (ILL) specialists, this book examines what ILL departments are doing, the value of ILL librarians in the evolving library environment, and how library collections and services are being affected by new ILL policies. In today's libraries, ILL specialists are facilitating service that goes far beyond traditional borrowing and lending. Recent innovations in interlibrary loan and library resource-sharing practices have advanced the information-sharing mission of libraries—a sea change that affects and benefits all library operations and staff. This book explores the far-reaching significance of these innovations in ILL for other areas of library activity, from acquisitions and collection development to reference and instruction to circulation and e-resource management and beyond. Readers will understand that as valuable as traditional ILL remains, ILL librarians are also well-placed to do much more. For example, ILL staff can inform acquisitions and collection development decisions with request data; demonstrate the need to maintain and preserve the long tail of print; advocate for the fair use of copyrighted print material and license terms that safeguard library information sharing in the digital environment; nurture consortial relationships and international cooperation between libraries; and promote the discovery of information, all of which can help librarians meet the information needs of their communities.

The success of the web depends not only on the creation of stimulating and valuable information, but also on the speed, efficiency and convenient delivery of this information to the Web consumer. This authoritative presentation of web server technology takes you beyond the basics to provide the underlying principles and technical details of how WWW servers really work. It explains current technology and suggests enhanced and expanded methods for disseminating information via the Web. Features: Covers measurement of WWW component performance--the networks, server hardware, and operating systems--and suggests alternative Web server software designs for improving performance. Explains the costs and benefits of mirroring and caching Web documents. Surveys the web's current search tools and uses the library system as a model layout to illustrate indexing, searching, and retrieval techniques. Assesses web security hazards and presents mechanisms for combating these vulnerabilities, including an in-depth discussion of firewalls. Analyzes the risks and explains the technologies used in a variety of services available for making monetary transactions online.

Of key findings. Description of university, library, and staffing -- Cataloging productivity -- New technologies, enhancement of online catalogs -- Transition to metadata standards -- Cataloging of web sites and digital, special collections -- Library catalog/ metadata training and presentation -- Database maintenance, holdings, and physical processing -- Relationship with acquisitions departments -- Staff education -- Other issues facing library cataloging staff -- Curry College -- The University of North Dakota -- Haverford College -- University of Washington -- Yale University -- Brigham Young University -- Illinois State University -- Louisiana State University -- Pennsylvania State University.