The Top Technologies Every Librarian Needs to Know: A LITA Guide (LITA Guides)

While it's inspiring to ponder the libraries of the 22nd century, it's a lot more practical to think ahead to the next five years. That's just what Varnum and his hand-picked team of contributors have done, showing library technology staff and administrators where to invest time and money to receive the greatest benefits. Their ideas will stimulate strategic thinking and help library staff make informed decisions about meeting user expectations and delivering services. Chapters include * "Impetus to Innovate: Convergence and Library Trends," by a.J. Million and Heather Lea Moulaison * "Hands-Free Augmented Reality: Impacting the Library Future," by Brigitte M. Bell and Terry Cottrell * "Libraries and Archives Augmenting the World," by William Denton * "The Future of Cloud-Based Library Systems," by Steven Bowers and Elliott Jonathan Polak * "Exit as Strategy: Web Services as the New Websites for Many Libraries," by Anson Parker, VP Nagraj, and David Moody * "Reading and Non-Reading: Text Mining in Critical Practice," by Devin Higgins * "The Case for Open Hardware in Libraries," by Jason Griffey

Kenneth J. Varnum is the Web Systems Manager at the University of Michigan Library, where he manages the library web site and development of new features and functionality. He received a masters degree from the University of Michigan's School of Information and his Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College. He has worked in a range of library settings -- large and small academic, corporate, and special. He led the University of Michigan's implementation of Summon using the Summon API in a Drupal site in 2010. An active member of the library technology world for 18 years, Ken's research and professional interests range from Drupal and site redesign to user-generated content. ALA TechSource published his first book, Drupal in Libraries, in 2012.

The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of ALA, educates, serves and reaches out to its members, other ALA members and divisions, and the entire library and information community through its publications, programs and other activities designed to promote, develop, and aid in the implementation of library and information technology.