ALA Techsource

Gaming and Libraries Update

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:09:18 -0500

“And what an amazing year it was,” recalls Jenny Levine in the new issue of Library Technology Reports, “Gaming and Libraries Update: Broadening the Intersections.”

“In an uncharacteristically (for our profession) viral and rapid way, videogame services in libraries broke through the niche, cult-like status that had relegated them to something only geeky nerds did at home in the basement,” she adds.

Game is still on…

In “Gaming and Libraries Update: Broadening the Intersections” Levine adds to the growing body of content documenting gaming and libraries.

In her previous “Gaming and Libraries: Intersection of Services,” (LTR 42:5) Levine identified the various gaming and videogame-related activities occurring in libraries — public, school, and college — as well as explained gaming activities outside the library domain.

In this issue, Levine focuses on unique videogame services libraries are implementing. “We will hear from nine innovators in the field, each of whom spent 2007 taking gaming in libraries in new directions, providing inspiration and leadership.”

Levine approaches the topic of gaming and libraries with her quiet and practical zeal and openness and wisely features the work of these innovators, who provide case history examples of these new directions at the intersection of library services and "videogames." [Says Levine of the spelling “videogame”: “In 2007, P3: Power Play Publishing released The Videogame Style Guide and Reference Manual and noted the official spelling of video games as one word (videogames), not two. I have had trouble adapting to this convention myself, but this LTR represents my first full effort to finally integrate this new spelling into my own writing.”]

Contributors to “Gaming and Libraries Update: Broadening the Intersections” include:

Scott Nicholson, Associate Professor, Information Institute, Syracuse Univ. and founder of Board Games with Scott (Broadening Our Definition of Gaming: Tabletop Games," Chapter 2)
Eli Neiburger, author of Gamers… in the Library?! The Why, What and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages (Broadening Our Definition of Gaming: Big Games, Chapter 3, Case Study 3, Dewey Dare)

Plus more case study contributions by Martin D. House, Mark E. Engelbrecht, and Paul Waelchli.

About the Author
Jenny Levine is the Internet Development Specialist and Strategy Guide for the American Library Association's Information Technology and Publishing departments. She earned her MLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1992 and has been an eminent technology training evangelist for librarians during her career. In 2003, she was named one of Library Journal's Movers & Shakers, the publication's homage to “the people shaping the future of libraries,” published every March.

“Levine has one simple goal,” notes the March 15, 2003, Library Journal profile, “to help us librarians become as technologically adept as our users are so that we can deliver services to them when and where they wish to use them and in their preferred medium and platform.”

Levine is a keen advocate for gaming services and libraries, as she is a gamer and has witnessed, through personal observation and study, how gaming services can help members of several generations (particularly younger users) feel connected to the library.

“Gaming,” she concludes, “provides a wealth of service intersections for libraries today and for the libraries of the future. And that future is all about opportunities and weaving together threads, both old and new.”

Since writing a 2006 LTR on this topic, she has organized the 2007 ALA TechSource Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium, helped coordinate ALA's first National Gaming in Libraries Day, and is already working on the next gaming and libraries symposium.

Levine also writes about gaming and libraries on a regular basis on her popular blog, The Shifted Librarian, which can be found at theshiftedlibrarian.com. She began the first librarian blog in 1995, The Librarians' Site du Jour, which can still be accessed at http://jennyscybrary.lishost.org/sitejour.html.

The Preservation of Digital Materials

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:19:05 -0600

Library Technology Reports

Priscilla Caplan, author of the second issue of Library Technology Reports in 2008, is Assistant Director for Digital Library Services at the Florida Center for Library Automation, where she oversees the Florida Digital Archive, a preservation repository for use by the eleven state universities in Florida.

Caplan, who has been involved with digital preservation for more than ten years and has published widely on the subject, lends her expert perspective to this fascinating and extremely important area of information science in "The Preservation of Digital Materials."

"This issue of Library Technology Reports," she notes, "is intended to provide a relatively brief, relatively comprehensive introduction to digital preservation."

Digital Preservation Defined
In the February/March 2008 issue of LTR, chapter 1 ("What Is Digital Preservation?") describes digital preservation in terms of what it is (definitions) and what it does (goals and strategies), and chapter 2 ("Preservation Practices") provides a look at preservation strategies and the management of materials.

Chapter 3, "Foundations and Standards," introduces core frameworks and standards, while chapter 4 ("Support for Digital Formats") delves into the heart of digital preservation, digital formats.

The Who and What of Digital Preservation
In chapter 5, "Preservation Programs and Initiatives," Caplan reviews various initiatives around the globe, including NDIIPP (National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program) in the U.S., the United Kingdom's Digital Preservation Coalition and Digital Curation Centre, and the European Commission's Digital Preservation Europe and PLANETS and CASPAR. And in chapter 6, "Repository Applications," Caplan covers institutional repositories, such as DSpace, Fedora, and EPrints. The author also delineates such applications as DAITSS, LOCKSS, and aDORe in this chapter.

Finally, in chapter 7 ("Special Topics") Caplan outlines unique projects, including electronic journals, records and archives, Web harvesting, databases, new media art, and personal collections.

About the Author
Priscilla Caplan is Assistant Director for Digital Library Services at the Florida Center for Library Automation, where she oversees the Florida Digital Archive, a preservation repository for the use of the eleven state universities of Florida. She has been involved with digital preservation for nearly ten years and has published several articles on the subject, including “The Florida Digital Archive and DAITSS: A Working Preservation Repository Based on Format Migration” (International Journal on Digital Libraries, March 2007) and “Ten Years After” (Library Hi Tech 25, no. 4, 2007). She co-chaired with Rebecca Guenther the OCLC/RLG working group that produced the PREMIS Data Dictionary for Preservation Metadata, and she currently serves as a member of the PREMIS Editorial Committee.

She is also interested in standards for digital libraries and has chaired several standards committees, including the NISO Standards Development Committee (1997–2002) and the NISO/EDItEUR Joint Working Party on the Exchange of Serials Subscription Information (2002–2006). She is the author of Metadata Fundamentals for All Librarians (ALA Editions, 2003). She holds an MLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2007 she received the LITA/Library Hi-Tech Award for Outstanding Communication for Continuing Education.

Changing the Way We Work

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 20:01:23 -0600

Library Technology Reports

The way of work in the Information Age continues to be commuted by the Internet. The interconnected, collaborative functionality the World Wide Web provides, when implemented and utilized, can help individuals, as well as working groups, achieve greater flexibility and productivity, reports Michelle Boule, the author of the first issue of Library Technology Reports in 2008.

A social sciences librarian and technology trainer, Michelle Boule (Univ. of Houston) examines how technology—which in Boule's report is defined as "any tool that can be used to communicate and collaborate over the Internet"—can and has impacted libraries in her issue “Changing the Way We Work.”

The Future of Library Work
Committees, task forces, and small working groups—all common ways to assign projects, divide work, and produce results in libraries—can benefit from “technology-enhanced work.”

In her issue of Library Technology Reports, Boule reports on technology-enhanced work from several library or library-related projects, including:

the open-source software-based integrated library system known as “PINES,” which was developed under the "Evergreen" project—"an ongoing effort to create the best open-source integrated ILS available"—conducted by the Georgia Public Library Service.
"LibraryFind," a federated-search tool built by Oregon State Univ. Libraries (with funding from OSA and Oregon State Library). “OSU wanted to build an open-source tool that worked the way federated search was meant to work,” reports Boule.

In addition, Boule looks at the other technology-enhanced work projects/software: Material Digital Libraries Pathway (MatDL); MyHamilton; and Scriblio.

This issue of Library Technology Reports also delineates technology-enhanced tools, such as Web conferencing, instant messaging, and project-management tools, and it lists specific tools and "widgets" in widespread use (AOL Instant Messager [AIM], Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Meebo, Trillian, etc.)

In "Changing the Way We Work," Boule also provides best practice tips for working in a virtual team environment as well as a list of selected references that provide additional research and analysis about technology-enhanced work in libraries.

About the Author
Michelle Boule's love of information and libraries started at a very young age. After she received a B.A. in English with minors in women's studies and anthropology from Texas A&M in 2001, her love of reading eventually led her to the library profession. Michelle completed her master's in library science at Texas Woman's University. It was in graduate school that a fascination with technology and information-seeking behaviors took hold.

Michelle is a social sciences librarian at the University of Houston. During her day job, she maintains the Ethnic Studies collections, teaches classes, answers questions, does technology training, and works with students and faculty. Though technology is not a formal part of her job, she lives much of her life online. Michelle is very involved with LITA, the Library Information Technology Association; serves on BIGWIG, the IG that maintains LITA Blog (http://litablog.org); was part of the ALA Emerging Leader Program in 2007; and is always looking for ways to do new and innovative things within ALA.

Michelle was a part of planning team of the very successful Five Weeks to a Social Library program (www.sociallibraries.com/course), a free, grassroots course that allows librarians to learn about social software and libraries. She writes and speaks about technology and education in libraries.

Michelle can be found online in various places and maintains her own writing space at A Wandering Eyre (http://wanderingeyre.com). She has been an online gamer and all-around geek librarian for a very long time. Michelle believes that e-learning and Web 2.0 tools are the way of the future and that libraries can survive only by adapting to an online environment.

Information Organization Future for Libraries

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:55:24 -0600

Library Technology Reports

As library technologists and librarians are well aware, since the advent of the Internet, the relationship between the user and his/her library has changed.

In a world of quick-and-easy search engines and of online social networks—in which information gets shared at an astonishingly rapid rate—information retrieval and aggregation are no longer the purview of the library institution alone.

“[N]ow that I am a library administrator dealing with staffing and budget issues on a daily basis,” states Dr. Brad Eden, in the “Introduction” to the sixth issue of Library Technology Reports in 2007, “it has become quite clear that the way libraries do business just isn't working.”

Eden, who early in his library career worked as a cataloger, is now the Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Also in his “Introduction,” Eden chronicles, through his own career, how the library institution and its role have changed and continue to change in the Information Age. In addition, he asserts, “So, going beyond the arguments about whether the library catalog is important or of value (it is), and going beyond the arguments about whether structured metadata, in MARC or something else, is important and of value (it definitely is), the reality is that libraries have limited resources to compete and position ourselves in the new information universe. We have gone from a monopoly, which could impose whatever rules and software and search strategies that we wanted on our users, to a bit player in market overflowing with technological gadgets, tools, and algorithms that capture the attention of the public and leave libraries with but a slim slice of the information pie, all in the space of approximately 15 years.”

Thus, Eden tackles the important topic of “Information Organization Future for Libraries” in this final issue of Library Technology Reports in volume 43.

In this issue, Eden focuses “not only on current initiatives around ‘reinventing' the OPAC and all of its attendant possibilities (provided in the context of economic realities),” but, in the report, Eden also looks at “opportunities to get away from the OPAC and focus resources on new areas, such as 3D information visualization, mass digitization, Library 2.0, and metadata related to digital resources."

In this issue of Library Technology Reports, you'll find:

a chapter on essential resources: electronic mailing lists, blogs and wikis, and other tools;
a chapter on “Reinventing the OPAC,” an annotated listing of papers, articles, reports, lectures, presentations, Web sites, even a music video, providing a range of perspectives on the future of the library catalog; and
a chapter on Library 2.0 resources.

About the Author
Brad Eden is Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Previous positions include Head, Web and Digitization Services, for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries; Head, Bibliographic and Metadata Services, for the UNLV Libraries; as well as Coordinator of Technical Services for the North Harris Montgomery Community College District.

He is editor of OCLC Systems & Services: Digital Library Perspectives International and The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances, is associate editor of Library Hi Tech and The Journal of Film Music, and is series editor of the Routledge Music Bibliographies.

He has master's and Ph.D. degrees in musicology, as well as an MS in library science. He publishes in the areas of metadata, librarianship, medieval music and liturgy, and J. R. R. Tolkien.

He recently edited Innovative Redesign and Reorganization of Library Technical Services: Paths for the Future and Case Studies (Libraries Unlimited, 2004) and is the author of five previous issues of Library Technology Reports, including “Metadata and Its Applications” (ALA TechSource, 2002), “3D Visualization Techniques” (ALA TechSource, 2005), “Innovative Digital Projects in the Humanities” (ALA TechSource, 2005), “Metadata and Its Applications: New Directions and Updates” (ALA TechSource, 2005), and “FRBR: Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records” (ALA TechSource, 2006).

Web 2.0 & Libraries, Part 2: Trends and Technologies

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 13:48:15 -0500

Social software, more ubiquitous than ever, continues to have a profound impact on information and communication in the Information Age.

From the American Library Association to social software news aggregation, it's clear the trend toward utilizing "Web 2.0" technologies for information and communication in the 21st century is growing stronger.

In "Web 2.0 & Libraries, Part 2: Trends and Technologies," librarian and educator Dr. Michael Stephens continues his 2.0 work and re-emphasizes the importance of libraries embracing this world of conversation, community, and collaboration.

"In this issue [of Library Technology Reports]," he writes, "we'll revisit some of the social tools presented in 'Web 2.0 & Libraries: Best Practices for Social Software,' address some trends guiding social technology in libraries, take a look at some newer tools, and cover some best practices for using 2.0 tools in your library."

With the "Presence in the 2.0 World " foreward by Jenny "The Shifted Librarian" Levine, this 80-page issue of Library Technology Reports covers a broad range of Web 2.0 topics, tools, and considerations, including:

value-added blogging
building a community Web site with a blog
Ten Best Practices for Flickr & Libraries
libraries and social sites like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube
tagging and social bookmarking
Messaging in a 2.0 World: Twitter & SMS
podcasting
The OPAC Rebooted
how libraries such as the Hennepin County Library and the Arlington Heights Memorial Library are using 2.0 tools

About the Author
Michael Stephens, Ph.D, is an assistant professor at the Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science in River Forest, Illinois. A frequent speaker at library conferences around the world, he was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker in 2005. He has been the keynote speaker at many conferences, including the Iowa Library Association Conference, Ohio Tech Connections, the Rethinking Resource Sharing Conference, the Mississippi Library 2.0 Summit (Mississippi State University), and the Ohio Library Council. He also spoke at Internet Librarian International in London in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and at the August 2006 TICER Innovation Institute at the University of Tilburg, the Netherlands. He serves on the editorial boards of several major journals, including Internet Reference Services Quarterly and Reference & User Services Quarterly.

A prolific author, Michael wrote “Web 2.0 & Libraries: Best Practices for Social Software,” the July/August 2006 issue of Library Technology Reports published by ALA TechSource (a unit in the publishing dept. of the ALA), and he writes a monthly column, “The Transparent Library,” in Library Journal with Michael Casey. His blog, Tame the Web, is read avidly by many librarians.

Michael holds bachelor's and MLS degrees from Indiana University and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Information Science from the University of North Texas. He divides his time among Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.

Next-Generation Library Catalogs

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:10:14 -0500

"In this current phase of library automation, all eyes are focused on developing and deploying Web-based interfaces better suited to meet the expectations of the current generation of Web-savvy users," notes Marshall Breeding in the "Introduction" to "Next-Generation Library Catalogs," the fourth issue of Library Technology Reports in 2007.

"Over the course of the last year, a number of libraries have made bold moves to introduce new catalogs cast in a mold apart from their previous offerings. Library automation vendors have launched development efforts to create new catalogs and interfaces more in tune with today's expectations," Breeding adds.

In this issue of LTR, Breeding covers the terminology associated with the "next-generation" catalog situation as well as such areas as:

federated searching and
other features expected in the "next-generation" interfaces (such as faceted navigation, relevancy, the "did you mean?" feature, and RSS).

Also in this issue of Library Technology Reports, Breeding reports on the next-generation interfaces:

AquaBrowser (from Medialab Solutions);
Endeca's search engine for library catalogs;
Encore (from Innovative Interfaces);
Primo (from Ex Libris);
WorldCatLocal (from OCLC);
Polaris (from Polaris Library Systems);
open-source software-based interfaces Evergreen and Koha; as well as
LibraryThing, the social-networking, personal library cataloging software.

About the Author
Marshall Breeding serves as the Director for Innovative Technology and Research at the Vanderbilt University Libraries in Nashville, Tennessee. He has authored several previous Library Technology Report issues, is a contributing editor to Smart Libraries Newsletter, and has authored the feature “Automated Systems Marketplace” for Library Journal for the last six years. His column “Systems Librarian” also appears monthly in Computers in Libraries magazine.

A regular on the library conference circuit, Breeding frequently speaks at Computers in Libraries, Internet Librarian, and other professional gatherings throughout the United States and internationally. He is a regular panelist on the LITA Top Technology Trends panel at the ALA Annual and Midwinter conferences.

Breeding created and maintains the Library Technology Guides Web site at www.librarytechnology.org. For more information or to contact the author, see http://staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/breeding.

Open-Source Software for Libraries

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 20:30:48 -0500

Library Technology Reports 43:3 (May/Jun 2007)

"In the 70s, computer users lost the freedoms to redistribute and change software because they didn't value their freedom. Computer users regained these freedoms in the 80s and 90s because a group of idealists, the GNU Project, believed that freedom is what makes a program better, and were willing to work for what we believed in." — "Linux, GNU, and Freedom," by Richard M. Stallman, Free Software Foundation Founder

Casey Bisson, with the help of Jessamyn West and Ryan Eby, reports on open-source software (OSS) and its use and importance in libraries in the third issue of Library Technology Reports in 2007.

In "Open-Source Software for Libraries," Bisson engagingly narrates the history of open source, explains how the OSS "movement" came about, details key players in OSS development, and discusses why and how open source can work for libraries.

Bisson also shares success stories from those in libraries using OSS including:

how Thomas Ford Memorial Library in Western Springs, IL, utilized OSS to build its popular and interactive Western Springs History Web site (www.westernspringshistory.org), which utilizes the widely used WordPress platform; and
why those at the Meadville (PA) Public Library (meadvillelibrary.org) started using OSS and how the librarians and library staff at that public institution have embraced and benefitted from OSS.

In addition to Bisson's insightful and interesting discussion of OSS, this issue of LTR includes the informative chapter "Open-Source Software on the Desktop," by community technology librarian Jessamyn West. Also, Ryan Eby, "an active member of the Code4Lib community" provides an overview of open-source server applications, including that of ILS apps Koha and Evergreen; digital library and repository software, such as DSpace and FEDORA; and OPAC replacements, such as Scriblio and SOPAC.

About the Authors
Casey Bisson, named among Library Journal's Movers & Shakers for 2007 and recipient of a 2006 Mellon Award for Technology Collaboration for developing Scriblio (formerly WPopac), is an information architect at Plymouth State University. He is a frequent presenter at library and technology conferences and blogs about his passion for libraries, roadside oddities, and hiking in New Hampshire's White Mountains at MaisonBisson.com

Jessamyn West is a community technology librarian and a moderator of the massive group blog MetaFilter.com. She lives in Central Vermont, where she teaches basic computer skills to novice computer users and librarians. She maintains an online presence at jessamyn.com and librarian.net. Her favorite color is orange.

Ryan Eby is active member of the Code4Lib community and spends his days supporting distance learners and online courses at Michigan State University. He blogs at blog.ryaneby.com and can often be found on the #code4lib IRC channel. He enjoys brewing his own beer and roasting his own coffee.

Technology Competencies and Training for Libraries

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 13:14:55 -0500

Library Technology Reports 43:2 (Mar/Apr 2007)

"Competencies are the abilities, qualities, strengths, and skills required for the success of the employee and the organization."

Sarah Houghton-Jan, the author of the second issue of Library Technology Reports in 2007, tackles technology competencies for librarians in the Information Age. "A few years ago," she notes, "I found myself wanting a work like this to exist. Because it did not, I figured I might as well consolidate all the information about library technology competencies in one place so that others could benefit from my hunting and gathering."

In her report, Houghton-Jan provides useful technology-training practices, including:

how to use descriptions of technology competencies so they will enhance your staff members' technology knowledge, improve their self-confidence and individual morale levels, help staff provide better service, and transform your library into an institution that continously promotes lifetime learning for every staff member;
a look at the purpose and background of describing competencies;
a review of the process of creating descriptions and a look at various types and structures of lists of competencies as well as sample competencies; and
the implementation process, including assessment and best practices for technology training.

"This work," summarizes Houghton-Jan, "is an attempt to fill the gap in knowledge about documenting technology competencies with overall guiding principles, examples of successful projects, and project-management guidelines for those embarking upon such a project in their libraries."

About the Author
Sarah Houghton-Jan received her MLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MA in Irish Literature from Washington State University. A member of Beta Phi Mu, she has worked in libraries for a decade as a page, reference assistant, reference librarian, e-services librarian, technology trainer, and technology manager.

Sarah is currently the Information and Web Services Manager for the San Mateo County Library in Northern California. She also works as a consultant technology instructor for the Infopeople Project, serves on LITA's Top Technology Trends Committee, is a member of the California Library Association's Assembly, and the past President of CLA's Information Technology Section. In her time as the IT Section President, she led the task force that developed the Association's Technology Core Competencies for Library Workers, building on her previous experience creating competencies for individual libraries.

Sarah is also the author of the blog LibrarianInBlack.net.

Digital Audiobook Services through Libraries

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 20:11:02 -0600

Library Technology Reports 43:1 (Jan/Feb 2007)

A "report focus[ing] on digital audiobook systems for libraries, library consortia, and other institutional customers."

Author Tom Peters explains that his issue of Library Technology Reports, "examines in some depth digital audiobook services that can be purchased or leased. It also looks briefly at a few free online digital audiobook sources."

According to the author, who is a librarian and an avid user of audiobooks, "The purpose of this report is not to convince librarians to implement a digital audiobook service, but to help librarians make an informed decision."

Among the areas that Peters covers in Library Technology Reports:

The popularity of audiobooks and the demographics of the users who consume content in digital audiobook form;
Major library vendors for digital audiobooks and free sources of digital audiobooks;
How the interaction with audiobook content is understood or perceived by librarians: "As you consider a digital audiobook service," Peters notes, "it may be beneficial for librarians and other library staff members to discuss how users will interact with the content....Do users 'listen' to audiobooks, or are they 'reading' the book? This is not a merely semantic question. How your librarians answer may reveal the value they place on using audiobooks."
Current digital rights management (DRM) issues (such as the "The iPod Impasse") impacting audiobook services for libraries;
Content comparison and decision points, e.g., content characteristics; cost components; purchase, lease, and licensing options; circulation models; integration with other library services; and technical support;
Methods for implementing and sustaining digital audiobook services in your library;
Reports from the field (e.g., The Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center's field tests); and
Potential new vendors of audiobooks this year and beyond.

About the Author
Thomas A. Peters has been a librarian for nineteen years and is the founder/CEO of TAP Information Services, a company that helps libraries and library-related organizations innovate. TAP Information Services provides coordination services for Unabridged (www.unabridged.info), a downloadable digital audiobook service for blind and low-vision users in nine states. Tom also contributes to the ALA TechSource Blog and Smart Libraries Newsletter. Tom previously has worked at the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), an academic consortium of research universities; Western Illinois University; Northern Illinois University; Minnesota State University—Mankato; and the University of Missouri—Kansas City. He currently lives in beautiful Blue Springs, Missouri, with his wife, children, cats, and dogs. He often listens to digital audiobooks while walking his dog Max morning, noon, and night.

Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:09:31 -0600

Library Technology Reports 42:6 (Nov/Dec 2006)—A comprehensive resource that provides a "vehicle for providing concise, readable, and...understandable abstracts on the variety of resources available related to FRBR."

From the Preface
"FRBR, FRAR, FROR, FRVRR, FRANAR, FRSAR . . . What are these abbreviations? In a profession that lives and breathes abbreviations and acronyms, do we really need more? Apparently we do, because these are the new boys (or girls) on the block. There is an information revolution on the horizon. Actually, it is going on right now. Libraries no longer have a monopoly on information. As library professionals, we are challenged by publicly traded companies—such as Google and Amazon—with billions of dollars in resources. They provide the consumer with easy-to-use Web interfaces, a single-search box that belies the complexity of indexes and programming beneath, and add-on features that have become extremely popular with users who now expect them to be available on the library's online public access catalog (OPAC) and databases.

"It has become apparent to library administrators the current organizational arrangement and division of operations of technical services and public services is not sustainable either financially or organizationally. The clear imperative is: libraries need to be able to morph, change, reengineer, and strategically invest and train personnel and resources toward a future in which information is no longer controlled or held by the library, but by a large number of publishing and service conglomerates for whom there is little incentive to think about issues, such as persistent access, preservation, or standardization of digital objects....

"We have neither the money nor the market dominance that companies like Google, Amazon, and eBay have in the new information environment; we must change, and we must change NOW! FRBR and its subsequent follower abbreviations and/or acronyms may be able to provide the marketability and viability towards this new direction. Only time will tell."

About the Author
Brad Eden is Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Previous positions include Head, Web and Digitization Services for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries; Head, Bibliographic and Metadata Services for the UNLV Libraries; and Coordinator of Technical Services for the North Harris Montgomery Community College District. He is editor of OCLC Systems & Services: Digital Library Perspectives International and is associate editor of Library Hi Tech and The Journal of Film Music. He has a master's and Ph.D. degrees in musicology as well as an MS in library science. He publishes in the areas of metadata, librarianship, medieval music and liturgy, and J. R. R. Tolkien. He recently edited Innovative Redesign and Reorganization of Library Technical Services: Paths for the Future and Case Studies (Libraries Unlimited, 2004), and is the author of four other issues of Library Technology Reports including, “Metadata and Its Applications: New Directions and Updates” (41:6); “Innovative Digital Projects in the Humanities” (41:4); “3D Visualization Techniques: 2D and 3D Information Visualization Resources, Application, and Future” (41:1); and “Metadata and Its Applications” (38:5)."