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Neal-Schuman library technology companion : a basic guide for library staff
Hastings, Robin
ALA Neal-Schuman
, 2025
; English
; 225 Pages
Foreword by Maurice Coleman Technology infuses every aspect of every day in every library, and thus basic technology skills are a prerequisite for everyone who works in a library.
Providing a one-stop overview of all technologies used in libraries today, this comprehensive primer belongs at the top of the reading list for any current or future library professional looking to stay at the forefront of technological advancement.
Representing a complete update of the book under a new author, this seventh edition of the guide is bolstered with fresh insights gleaned from librarians and library staff members sharing how they work with a given technology in their library settings.
Readers will learn about how technologies have historically impacted libraries; electronic resources including e-books, full-text articles, and streaming media; the crucial role of free web information in supporting library research; discovery layers and other systems for organizing information to make it easier to find; desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices; library websites, web services, screencasts, distance learning, and learning management systems; social networking and patron participation, with newly crafted guidelines; makerspaces and other possibilities for adding creative activities and technologies to libraries such as virtual reality and augmented reality; a comprehensive examination of how to build and maintain the library technology environment, with advice on crafting an effective plan, purchasing equipment, putting systems into operation, and preservation issues stemming from dead and dying technologies; Universal Design (UX) and adaptive/assistive technologies; protecting technology and technology users by securing collections, enhancing computer security, and safeguarding privacy; and possible future developments in library technology, with suggested resources for staying informed.
Hastings, Robin
ALA Neal-Schuman
, 2025
; English
; 225 Pages
Foreword by Maurice Coleman Technology infuses every aspect of every day in every library, and thus basic technology skills are a prerequisite for everyone who works in a library.
Providing a one-stop overview of all technologies used in libraries today, this comprehensive primer belongs at the top of the reading list for any current or future library professional looking to stay at the forefront of technological advancement.
Representing a complete update of the book under a new author, this seventh edition of the guide is bolstered with fresh insights gleaned from librarians and library staff members sharing how they work with a given technology in their library settings.
Readers will learn about how technologies have historically impacted libraries; electronic resources including e-books, full-text articles, and streaming media; the crucial role of free web information in supporting library research; discovery layers and other systems for organizing information to make it easier to find; desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices; library websites, web services, screencasts, distance learning, and learning management systems; social networking and patron participation, with newly crafted guidelines; makerspaces and other possibilities for adding creative activities and technologies to libraries such as virtual reality and augmented reality; a comprehensive examination of how to build and maintain the library technology environment, with advice on crafting an effective plan, purchasing equipment, putting systems into operation, and preservation issues stemming from dead and dying technologies; Universal Design (UX) and adaptive/assistive technologies; protecting technology and technology users by securing collections, enhancing computer security, and safeguarding privacy; and possible future developments in library technology, with suggested resources for staying informed.
eBook
Small public library management, second edition
Fesemyer, Cindy; Jones, Christina
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 183 Pages
Most libraries in the US are small in size and rural in location. And, since most of them don't require a degree to be hired as Library Director, many new hires step into the position with limited management or librarianship experience. This handbook will quickly get new directors up to speed on managing staff, drafting budgets, crafting policies, overseeing a building and its collections, and strengthening the library's place in the community. The authors, with years of small library management experience between them, offer expert guidance on all those topics and many more besides. Small public library directors at all stages of their career, as well as their board members and library trustees, will benefit from this handbook's up-to-date perspectives on what it takes to run your library in today's post-pandemic, politically polarized, technologically advanced, socially isolated world; receive to-the-point advice on governance, strategic planning, human resources, policy development, facilities, services and programs, and other foundational tasks; become informed on how to safeguard intellectual freedom, handle challenges to materials and programming, and protect patron privacy; get pointers on broadening their personal network, understanding what outside resources are available, and spearheading effective advocacy and community engagement; learn from real-life "Success Stories" and "On the Job" words of wisdom sprinkled throughout the text; and find adaptable templates, self-enrichment activities, and other tools to facilitate ongoing professional development.
Fesemyer, Cindy; Jones, Christina
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 183 Pages
Most libraries in the US are small in size and rural in location. And, since most of them don't require a degree to be hired as Library Director, many new hires step into the position with limited management or librarianship experience. This handbook will quickly get new directors up to speed on managing staff, drafting budgets, crafting policies, overseeing a building and its collections, and strengthening the library's place in the community. The authors, with years of small library management experience between them, offer expert guidance on all those topics and many more besides. Small public library directors at all stages of their career, as well as their board members and library trustees, will benefit from this handbook's up-to-date perspectives on what it takes to run your library in today's post-pandemic, politically polarized, technologically advanced, socially isolated world; receive to-the-point advice on governance, strategic planning, human resources, policy development, facilities, services and programs, and other foundational tasks; become informed on how to safeguard intellectual freedom, handle challenges to materials and programming, and protect patron privacy; get pointers on broadening their personal network, understanding what outside resources are available, and spearheading effective advocacy and community engagement; learn from real-life "Success Stories" and "On the Job" words of wisdom sprinkled throughout the text; and find adaptable templates, self-enrichment activities, and other tools to facilitate ongoing professional development.
eBook
The digital accessibility handbook for libraries
Spina, Carli; Oling, Rebecca
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 293 Pages
A complicated topic encompassing many disparate facets, digital accessibility in libraries is in constant flux as new technologies emerge and design standards continue to evolve.
This makes it challenging for library workers to ensure that their libraries meet legal requirements while also fostering inclusion for all their community members.
Incorporating advice from a range of outside accessibility experts and practitioners, this guide is here to help.
It delves into practical steps you can take to ensure that your library’s online presence is welcoming to everyone and that all your digital offerings avoid barriers that can exclude users with disabilities.
No matter your level of experience or type of library, from this book you will come to understand what is meant by disability and why libraries have obligations to support disabled users; learn about a wide range of software and hardware for creating inclusive spaces and services regardless of your budget limitations or staffing levels; get comfortable with the overarching principles of online accessibility and how they specifically apply to library websites, digital media and files, digital communications, and emerging technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence (AI); discover how libraries can verify the accessibility of the tools they develop or subscribe to, including best practices for working with vendors to optimize the accessibility of their library products; be invited to reflect upon the future of digital accessibility, particularly concerning education and hiring to ensure that accessibility remains central to the work done at all libraries. Both Spina and Oling have worked within SUNY - The State University of New York to hone skills and thinking in this area, resulting in the Library Procurement Accessibility Toolkit, an ongoing project.
They currently co-chair a subcommittee reviewing the SUNY libraries' implementation of the Electronic Information Accessibility Policy.
Spina, Carli; Oling, Rebecca
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 293 Pages
A complicated topic encompassing many disparate facets, digital accessibility in libraries is in constant flux as new technologies emerge and design standards continue to evolve.
This makes it challenging for library workers to ensure that their libraries meet legal requirements while also fostering inclusion for all their community members.
Incorporating advice from a range of outside accessibility experts and practitioners, this guide is here to help.
It delves into practical steps you can take to ensure that your library’s online presence is welcoming to everyone and that all your digital offerings avoid barriers that can exclude users with disabilities.
No matter your level of experience or type of library, from this book you will come to understand what is meant by disability and why libraries have obligations to support disabled users; learn about a wide range of software and hardware for creating inclusive spaces and services regardless of your budget limitations or staffing levels; get comfortable with the overarching principles of online accessibility and how they specifically apply to library websites, digital media and files, digital communications, and emerging technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence (AI); discover how libraries can verify the accessibility of the tools they develop or subscribe to, including best practices for working with vendors to optimize the accessibility of their library products; be invited to reflect upon the future of digital accessibility, particularly concerning education and hiring to ensure that accessibility remains central to the work done at all libraries. Both Spina and Oling have worked within SUNY - The State University of New York to hone skills and thinking in this area, resulting in the Library Procurement Accessibility Toolkit, an ongoing project.
They currently co-chair a subcommittee reviewing the SUNY libraries' implementation of the Electronic Information Accessibility Policy.
eBook
The legacy of Black women in librarianship : when they dared to be powerful
Cooke, Nicole A.
ALA Neal-Schuman
, 2025
; English
; 233 Pages
"This book aims to fill a large gap in scholarship and knowledge about black librarianship and enable newer librarians to see themselves
reflected in the profession's long and rich legacy"
Cooke, Nicole A.
ALA Neal-Schuman
, 2025
; English
; 233 Pages
"This book aims to fill a large gap in scholarship and knowledge about black librarianship and enable newer librarians to see themselves
reflected in the profession's long and rich legacy"
eBook
Well-being in the library workplace : a handbook for managers
Newman, Bobbi L.
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 281 Pages
Fostering well-being in today's library workplaces is no longer a luxury but a necessity, particularly for managers tasked with guiding and supporting their teams. Amidst budget cuts, attempts to ban or restrict books, attacks on library staff online and in-person, and potentially hostile and aggressive patrons, taking care of ourselves and our staff by putting good policies and practices into place is more important than ever. In this book, Newman and her expert contributors will lead you through creating an environment that nurtures the health, satisfaction, and well-being of its workers and helps prevent or reduce the internal factors that create an unhealthy workplace. You will receive actionable advice on navigating the pitfalls of vocational awe, which can lead to unrealistic expectations and self-neglect; setting and recalibrating healthy boundaries; approaching difficult conversations by creating spaces for positive staff communication; overcoming limited budgets; the proper mindset for encouraging realistic performance expectations among employees; using recognition, appreciation, and staff professional development as tools for wellness; nurturing social connections and collaboration to combat loneliness; effective techniques for addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, confronting anti-fat bias, and moral injury; emotional and invisible labor mitigation; and self-care methods for library leaders at risk of burnout.
Newman, Bobbi L.
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 281 Pages
Fostering well-being in today's library workplaces is no longer a luxury but a necessity, particularly for managers tasked with guiding and supporting their teams. Amidst budget cuts, attempts to ban or restrict books, attacks on library staff online and in-person, and potentially hostile and aggressive patrons, taking care of ourselves and our staff by putting good policies and practices into place is more important than ever. In this book, Newman and her expert contributors will lead you through creating an environment that nurtures the health, satisfaction, and well-being of its workers and helps prevent or reduce the internal factors that create an unhealthy workplace. You will receive actionable advice on navigating the pitfalls of vocational awe, which can lead to unrealistic expectations and self-neglect; setting and recalibrating healthy boundaries; approaching difficult conversations by creating spaces for positive staff communication; overcoming limited budgets; the proper mindset for encouraging realistic performance expectations among employees; using recognition, appreciation, and staff professional development as tools for wellness; nurturing social connections and collaboration to combat loneliness; effective techniques for addressing sensitive issues such as disabilities, confronting anti-fat bias, and moral injury; emotional and invisible labor mitigation; and self-care methods for library leaders at risk of burnout.
eBook
A slow approach to visual literacy in higher education : lesson plans for critical discernment
Statton Thompson, Dana; Beene, Stephanie
ALA Neal-Schuman
, 2025
; English
; 225 Pages
The principles of "slow librarianship"—which prioritizes reflection, collaboration, solidarity, and valuing all kinds of contributions—can also support deeper and more sustained learning and understanding. This book emphasizes the importance of attention and focus to the process of visual literacy, demonstrating how this approach supports ACRL’s Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and the Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education. Library workers, educators, and instructors will discover
• dozens of flexible lesson plans for teaching visual literacy, scaffolded by competency levels: novice, intermediate, and advanced;
• ways to integrate slow looking into the classroom, emphasizing careful observation and the sustained act of looking;
• techniques for showing learners how to select images with intention, as well as carefully determine when and how to share those images;
• reasons why slow creating is essential to understanding and applying visual literacy in the twenty-first century; and
• a look at how increasing access to internet connectivity, generative artificial intelligence (AI), and new ethics for sharing and using information online will affect the future of visual literacy.
eBook
Statton Thompson, Dana; Beene, Stephanie
ALA Neal-Schuman
, 2025
; English
; 225 Pages
The principles of "slow librarianship"—which prioritizes reflection, collaboration, solidarity, and valuing all kinds of contributions—can also support deeper and more sustained learning and understanding. This book emphasizes the importance of attention and focus to the process of visual literacy, demonstrating how this approach supports ACRL’s Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and the Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education. Library workers, educators, and instructors will discover
• dozens of flexible lesson plans for teaching visual literacy, scaffolded by competency levels: novice, intermediate, and advanced;
• ways to integrate slow looking into the classroom, emphasizing careful observation and the sustained act of looking;
• techniques for showing learners how to select images with intention, as well as carefully determine when and how to share those images;
• reasons why slow creating is essential to understanding and applying visual literacy in the twenty-first century; and
• a look at how increasing access to internet connectivity, generative artificial intelligence (AI), and new ethics for sharing and using information online will affect the future of visual literacy.
eBook
Navigating difficult situations in public libraries : the PLA guide to trauma-informed de-escalation
Paauw, Margaret Ann
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 154 Pages
Because libraries are community spaces that provide access to information, resources, and programming for people of all ages and backgrounds, conflicts between patrons, verbal or physical altercations, and other difficult situations can occur. These situations can be traumatic for those involved, whether patrons or staff, making it essential that librarians know how to de-escalate them in trauma-informed ways. Utilizing the framework from PLA’s best-seller A Trauma-Informed Framework for Supporting Patrons, this workbook walks readers through building micro-skills for handling difficult situations, providing a succinct overview of how to define and understand trauma, including its definition, causes, effects, and manifestations; evidence-informed approaches drawn from the fields of social work, psychology, and counseling; dozens of activities, handouts, and worksheets designed to spur reflection and help readers build upon the practices introduced in the book; guidance on debriefing, evaluation, facing compassion fatigue, and other aftercare topics; and appendices that provide information on mental health resources, crisis intervention hotlines, and further reading on trauma and burnout.
eBook
Paauw, Margaret Ann
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 154 Pages
Because libraries are community spaces that provide access to information, resources, and programming for people of all ages and backgrounds, conflicts between patrons, verbal or physical altercations, and other difficult situations can occur. These situations can be traumatic for those involved, whether patrons or staff, making it essential that librarians know how to de-escalate them in trauma-informed ways. Utilizing the framework from PLA’s best-seller A Trauma-Informed Framework for Supporting Patrons, this workbook walks readers through building micro-skills for handling difficult situations, providing a succinct overview of how to define and understand trauma, including its definition, causes, effects, and manifestations; evidence-informed approaches drawn from the fields of social work, psychology, and counseling; dozens of activities, handouts, and worksheets designed to spur reflection and help readers build upon the practices introduced in the book; guidance on debriefing, evaluation, facing compassion fatigue, and other aftercare topics; and appendices that provide information on mental health resources, crisis intervention hotlines, and further reading on trauma and burnout.
eBook
The high-impact digital library: innovative approaches for outreach and instruction
Myntti, Jeremy; Neatrour, Anna; Wittmann, Rachel Jane; Cummings, Rebekah; Monson, Jane D.; McMillan, Megan Myres
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 169 Pages
Digital library terminology like “accessible,” “discoverable,” and “searchable” usually presumes passive collections waiting to be found by motivated information seekers. Rarely do we envision collection managers initiating outreach with those most likely to benefit from the collections. This new collection from Core flips the script, exploring the many ways that digital library practitioners at various types of cultural institutions proactively promote their unique resources. Providing both inspiration and pragmatic guidance to readers as they undertake their own initiatives, this book discusses the results of a unique survey that provides new and structured information on digital library outreach and instruction; presents outreach case studies illustrating uses of social media promotion, integration of digital collections into teaching and instruction activities, partnerships with external campus units or community organizations, and other activities; explores many types of instruction, from drop-in class sessions and training to course-integrated instruction and ways that digital library practitioners can contribute to the Open Educational Resources (OER) and open pedagogy movements; details the digital humanities and digital scholarship programs developed at the University of Utah by many of the authors through cross-departmental collaboration; describes the ways in which the pandemic spurred many institutions to use rapid response collecting to practice community engagement; and speculates on future directions for outreach and instruction for digital libraries.
Myntti, Jeremy; Neatrour, Anna; Wittmann, Rachel Jane; Cummings, Rebekah; Monson, Jane D.; McMillan, Megan Myres
ALA Editions
, 2025
; English
; 169 Pages
Digital library terminology like “accessible,” “discoverable,” and “searchable” usually presumes passive collections waiting to be found by motivated information seekers. Rarely do we envision collection managers initiating outreach with those most likely to benefit from the collections. This new collection from Core flips the script, exploring the many ways that digital library practitioners at various types of cultural institutions proactively promote their unique resources. Providing both inspiration and pragmatic guidance to readers as they undertake their own initiatives, this book discusses the results of a unique survey that provides new and structured information on digital library outreach and instruction; presents outreach case studies illustrating uses of social media promotion, integration of digital collections into teaching and instruction activities, partnerships with external campus units or community organizations, and other activities; explores many types of instruction, from drop-in class sessions and training to course-integrated instruction and ways that digital library practitioners can contribute to the Open Educational Resources (OER) and open pedagogy movements; details the digital humanities and digital scholarship programs developed at the University of Utah by many of the authors through cross-departmental collaboration; describes the ways in which the pandemic spurred many institutions to use rapid response collecting to practice community engagement; and speculates on future directions for outreach and instruction for digital libraries.
eBook
The big source book of free and low-cost library programming : 300+ resources, ideas, and tools
Kroski, Ellyssa
ALA Editions
, 2024
; English
; 229 Pages
There's no need to spend hours trying to come up with creative programming ideas -- bestselling library activity guru Kroski has already done all the hard work for you! Largely drawn from contributions by library workers across the country, this e-book is a cornucopia of ready-to-go activities, easily accessible resources, and adaptable tools for inspiring countless fun and engaging programs at your library. Best of all, these exciting low cost/no-cost library programs can be implemented using only free resources.
eBook
Kroski, Ellyssa
ALA Editions
, 2024
; English
; 229 Pages
There's no need to spend hours trying to come up with creative programming ideas -- bestselling library activity guru Kroski has already done all the hard work for you! Largely drawn from contributions by library workers across the country, this e-book is a cornucopia of ready-to-go activities, easily accessible resources, and adaptable tools for inspiring countless fun and engaging programs at your library. Best of all, these exciting low cost/no-cost library programs can be implemented using only free resources.
eBook
Foundations of information law
Jaeger, Paul T.; Lazar, Jonathan; Gorham, Ursula; Greene Taylor, Natalie
ALA Neal-Schuman
, 2023
; English
; 217 Pages
Serving as both an accessible introduction for LIS students and a go-to reference for current practitioners, this book offers an incisive examination of the numerous ways in which law about information directly impacts the roles of information professionals and information institutions.
Jaeger, Paul T.; Lazar, Jonathan; Gorham, Ursula; Greene Taylor, Natalie
ALA Neal-Schuman
, 2023
; English
; 217 Pages
Serving as both an accessible introduction for LIS students and a go-to reference for current practitioners, this book offers an incisive examination of the numerous ways in which law about information directly impacts the roles of information professionals and information institutions.
