Expert contributors teach libraries to deliver information and resources to users on-the-move

New York, NY (November 19, 2008)— As mobile technology improves, a growing number of people depend on cell phones, PDAs and other handheld devices for instant information acquisition. M-Libraries: Libraries on the Move to Provide Virtual Access, to be released by Neal-Schuman on December 15, 2008, emphasizes the importance of understanding and developing mobile libraries (or “m-libraries”) in a rapidly evolving information landscape. This enlightening collection provides library science professionals, policy-makers and publishers with critical background information and key mobile network development procedures, and highlights the extensive opportunities available to libraries through emerging mobile technologies.

Editors Gil Needham and Mohamed Ally have included contributions from over 45 international field experts in their authoritative new collection. Based on the First International M-Libraries Conference, the book explores a range of topics, including the technological and sociological contexts for m-libraries, the potential for and benefits of future development, and several real-life examples of global m-library initiatives and outcomes. The book also includes an innovative analysis on the impact m-libraries have in servicing under-developed and developing countries, where mobile devices are often more common than personal computers or technologically advanced library buildings.

M-Libraries: Libraries on the Move to Provide Virtual Access is organized into four sections. Part 1, called The Changing Landscape, focuses on the role of libraries in a networked society, and provides a broad overview of how mobile technology affects public and academic libraries, its role in education, and its impact on today’s current, tech-savvy generation of learners. The second section, Mobile Technology for Development, discusses mobile information developed specifically for delivery on mobile devices. Part 3, Initiatives, Innovations and Challenges, explains several current m-library projects in progress across the globe, and discusses the challenges and difficulties faced when attempting to implement mobile technology in libraries. The concluding section, Practice Perspectives, provides real-life examples of mobile technologies currently used in libraries and offers best practices for transforming mobile devices into adept and far-reaching LIS tools.

M-Libraries: Libraries on the Move to Provide Virtual Access is a timely book that will benefit any library looking to succeed in the increasingly competitive, technology-based world of information science. With comprehensive background, instruction and guidance from the field’s leading professionals, this groundbreaking collection will help libraries implement the latest mobile technologies, effectively expand their customer reach beyond restrictive physical limitations, and provide their users with valuable information at a moment’s notice.

M-Libraries: Libraries on the Move to Provide Virtual Access
ISBN 978-1-85604-648-0.
2008. 6 x 9. 352 pp. $125.00.

About the Editors
Gil Needham, MSc(Econ) is Head of Strategic and Service Development at the Open University Library and Learning Resources Centre, UK.
Professor Mohamed Ally, PhD, is Director of the Centre for Distance Education, Athabasca University, Canada.

About Neal-Schuman Publishers and Facet Publishing
Facet Publishing titles are exclusively available in the United States through Neal-Schuman Publishers, a leading provider of library management, Internet, and information technology resources. Facet is the imprint of the prestigious Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (formerly the British Library Association). Founded in 1976, Neal-Schuman Publishers is based in New York City with offices in London, UK.

For More Information and/or Cover Art
Contact Sarah Eisenberg
sarah.eisenberg@neal-schuman.com

100 William Street, Suite 2004
New York, NY 10038
212-925-8650
www.neal-schuman.com

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Using Web 2.0 Tools in the K-12 Classroom makes it easy to master and implement cutting edge technology in practice

New York, NY (November 17, 2008)—From blogs to podcasts and Google to wikis, Web 2.0 (the “two-way” Web) and its many tools holds the potential to transform classrooms across the country. Using Web 2.0 Tools in the K-12 Classroom, to be published by Neal-Schuman on January 6, 2009, provides tips, strategies and useful lesson plans to help teachers, library media specialists, and technology coordinators in elementary and secondary schools integrate and succeed with Web 2.0.

According to a 2008 longitudinal study from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), Web 2.0 tools are steadily gaining popularity in schools across the United States. In Using Web 2.0 Tools in the K-12 Classroom, noted K-12 educator, researcher and author Beverly Crane demonstrates the favorable impact that Web 2.0 tools have on today’s teaching and learning. The book encourages educators to learn more about these tools, many of which their students are already using, and helps them master and implement new and compelling teaching methods in their own classrooms.

Using Web 2.0 Tools in the K-12 Classroom is divided into eight chapters that cover crucial topics and tools, including blogging, podcasts, wikis, digital storytelling, Google, and social bookmarking. Each chapter is further divided into three easy-to-understand sections (visit www.neal-schuman.com/uw2t for a complete Table of Contents and a list of all topics and tools). Ideas and Insights includes a comprehensive glossary of relevant key terms, chapter objectives, and a helpful overview of the chapter topic. Getting Started offers a preparatory outline to help educators link teaching strategies to new Web tools, practice using the tools, and set up an effective classroom plan. Practical Applications is a step-by-step guide to using each tool in a real-life classroom setting, and offers guidance for building a lesson’s framework, deciding on materials, creating activities, and evaluating success. Each chapter also includes a list of useful Web sites and exercises for practicing the skills illustrated in that chapter.

The book’s companion Web site, located at www.neal-schuman.com/webclassroom, is an interactive source for educators to further hone their understanding of Web 2.0 in the classroom. The “What’s New” section provides up-to-date information about the latest tools being used by pioneers in K-12 education and offers guidance for applying them to curricula across a variety of subjects. The site’s “Now You Try It” section includes bonus sample exercises that give educators hands-on practice for using these tools in conjunction with their lesson plans.

Using Web 2.0 Tools in the K-12 Classroom is a timely and important confirmation of the Web’s emerging role in contemporary education. With clear explanations and a practical focus on adapting the latest technologies for the classroom, Crane’s comprehensive guide to Web 2.0 will help educators successfully use 21st century tools in their classrooms.

Using Web 2.0 Tools in the K-12 Classroom
Plus companion website
ISBN: 978-1-55570-653-1.
2009. 6 x 9. 200pp. $59.95.

About the Author
Beverly E. Crane received her B.S. in Spanish and English and her M.Ed. in Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language from Penn State University. She obtained her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, and has taught English-language arts and ESL at the middle-, high-school, and college levels. She has presented across curriculum areas at multiple national conferences.
Her book Teaching with the Internet: Strategies and Models for K-12 Curricula was published by Neal-Schuman in 2000 and Internet Workshops: 10 Ready-to-Go Workshops for K-12 Educators in 2003.

About Neal-Schuman Publishers
Founded in 1976, Neal-Schuman Publishers is based in New York City with offices in London, UK. Neal-Schuman is a leading publisher of textbooks in all areas of library and information studies, from library science to archival and records management, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

For More Information and/or Cover Art
Contact Sarah Eisenberg
sarah.eisenberg@neal-schuman.com
100 William Street, Suite 2004
New York, NY 10038
212-925-8650
www.neal-schuman.com

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Core Technology Competencies for Librarians and Library Staff Details Technology Skills Needed by All Library Staff

New York, NY (November 10, 2008)— Nothing changes faster than technology, and up-to-date technology skills are more in demand than ever for librarians. Core Technology Competencies for Librarians and Library Staff, to be published by Neal-Schuman on January 6, 2009, provides librarians and their staff essential details, tips and explanations of the core technology skills they’ll need to master for career success. The book’s variety of expert authors explain both the need for constant change in libraries as well as the ways for which to effectively develop these vital skills.

Edited by Susan M. Thompson for the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association, Core Technology Competencies for Librarians and Library Staff is the fifteenth publication in the esteemed LITA Guide series, and is the authoritative source for libraries looking to evaluate their employees’ technical skills and shortcomings. The book includes information to help librarians and technology managers better understand the need for consistent change and assess their staff’s needs. It also provides updated job descriptions and tips to enhance new employee orientation sessions and cultivate more effective training and professional development programs.

Divided into three sections, the first two chapters of Core Technology Competencies for Librarians and Library Staff detail the general competencies crucial to all library staff, and the three subsequent chapters focus on the specific skills needed by library technology managers. LITA’s latest offering concludes with three case studies describing the best practices of academic and public libraries and how they use the concept of core technology competencies to determine job classifications, develop training and professional development programs, establish employee assessment criteria, and improve technology support, among other things. The extensive appendices for these chapters include core competency lists, personnel assessment checklists, job descriptions, and training curricula. Leading libraries whose competencies are featured here are: The UT Southwestern Medical Library, The University of Iowa Libraries, and the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina.

Contending that “the need for basic technology competencies will pervade all twenty-first-century” library jobs, the book details both “hard” skills –identifying computer parts and functions, Internet knowledge, digitizing and scanning print materials, office software, using blogs and wikis, digital cameras, and more – as well as “soft” skills, such as an aptitude for quick and continual learning, flexibility, skepticism, customer service, and more.

As libraries become increasingly dependent on technology, management and staff must be attune to the constantly growing list of skills and abilities. Core Technology Competencies for Librarians and Library Staff teaches librarians how to prepare for and succeed in these rapidly evolving technological times.

Core Technology Competencies for Librarians and Library Staff: A LITA Guide
ISBN: 978-1-55570-660-9
2008. 6 x 9. 220pp. $65.00.

About the Editor
Susan M. Thompson is the Coordinator for Library Systems at the California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). She has presented at a number of national and regional forums on topics ranging from reimagining technologies role in the library building to evaluating technology solutions to plagiarism. She has also published a number of articles including “Riding into Uncharted Territory: The New Systems Librarian” in Computers in Libraries and “Remote Observation Strategies for Usability Testing” in Information Technology and Libraries.

About Neal-Schuman Publishers & LITA
The LITA Guide series from the Library and Information Technology Association, a division of the American Library Association, is published by Neal-Schuman. Founded in 1976, Neal-Schuman Publishers is based in New York City with offices in London, UK. Neal-Schuman is a leading publisher of textbooks in all areas of library and information studies.

For More Information and/or Cover Art
Contact Sarah Eisenberg
sarah.eisenberg@neal-schuman.com
100 William Street, Suite 2004
New York, NY 10038
212-925-8650
www.neal-schuman.com

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Experts o! er an easy-to-understand approach to the formation and implementation of a comprehensive technology security plan

New York, NY (Nov 4, 2008): Securing Library Technology: A How-To-Do-It Manual, to be released on January 6, 2009 by Neal-Schuman Publishers, serves to safeguard the technological assets of libraries and technology centers from the growing array of external and internal threats that exist in today’s technology driven society. From viruses and worms to hackers, system failures, and natural disasters, this vital preparedness handbook offers a step-by-step, easy-to-implement guide for securing servers, systems, and networks.

Authors Paul W. Earp and Adam Wright use simple, jargon-free writing to guide the reader through the necessary steps to build a custom, comprehensive security plan. The book begins with an introduction to the common technologies in libraries and their basic security needs. It shows how after performing a technology inventory and assessing the security needs of their institution, librarians can begin to formulate policy that will secure public access technology, protect office technology and computers, and establish server security. The authors then go on to profile the history and intent of many common technology threats, and provide of best practices for reducing network infrastructure vulnerabilities.

The authors include detailed inventories of a library’s many technology platforms, including all vulnerable machines and equipment, and identify the corresponding threats specific to each one. The text also includes a carefully chosen collection of model plans, useful appendices (including an appendix on current laws and cybercrime), and a glossary of technical terms, as well as an appropriate recovery action plan that assists libraries in system reconstruction in the event of a technological catastrophe.

Securing Library Technology is a wide-reaching compendium of all the vital technologies, security measures, and available software and hardware tools pertinent to any library looking to protect its valuable digital assets.

Securing Library Technology: A How-To-Do-It Manual
ISBN: 978-1-55570-639-5
2008. 6 x 9. 215pp. $65.00.

About the Authors
Paul W. Earp – Paul has been in computer technology since 1985, and has most recently for six years worked as the Network Manager for Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University Kingsville.

Adam Wright – Adam is currently the Executive Director for the North Texas Regional Library System where he handles all technology consulting for its 74 member public libraries.

About Neal-Schuman Publishers
Founded in 1976, Neal-Schuman Publishers is based in New York City with offices in London, UK. Neal-Schuman is a leading publisher of textbooks in all areas of library and information studies, from library science to archival and records management, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

For More Information and/or Cover Art
Contact Sarah Eisenberg
sarah.eisenberg@neal-schuman.com
100 William Street, Suite 2004
New York, NY 10038
212-925-8650
www.neal-schuman.com

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