Careful, informed, and systematic planning is the most crucial element in successfully   implementing technology at the library. The Complete Library Technology Planner: A Guidebook with Sample Technology Plans and RFPs on CD-ROM, to be published by Neal-Schuman on December 15, 2009, is designed to provide administrators and staff in any type of library with the critical guidelines to follow when planning for a technology-based system or service.

Following a foreword from Executive Director of the American Library Association Keith Michael Fiels, authors John M. Cohn and Ann L. Kelsey provide a comprehensive introduction to the key concepts and elements in technology planning and the changing technological landscape affecting today’s libraries. They divide their book into twelve chapters, beginning with an introduction to different ILS systems and technologies. Cohn and Kelsey then address the library technology plan’s primary purpose and scope, with guidance for meeting funding requirements and a discussion of the prominent “E-Rate” program. Next, the authors explain how to collect data and develop a library profile in preparation for implementing technology, assess and identify institutional needs and priorities, and write, update, and price a technology plan. They also include a model five-step process to help demonstrate key planning stages. Cohn and Kelsey then shift their focus to applying a completed technology plan, with guidelines for preparing collections, efficient implementation, managing staffing and training issues, and evaluating and amending the plan.

The accompanying CD-ROM includes over thirty-five time-saving, sample technology plans and RFPs. Each plan is specifically targeted to public, academic, school, or special libraries, and can be easily replicated or adapted for use in any library organization. An array of figures, checklists, and examples are included throughout the book to help reinforce important concepts, and a comprehensive webliography lists further related resources.

The Complete Library Technology Planner: A Guidebook with Sample Technology Plans and RFPs on CD-ROM is a hands-on, practical book that gives librarians the tools they need to organize a successful technology effort.

The Complete Library Technology Planner: A Guidebook with Sample Technology Plans and RFPs on CD-ROM
ISBN: 978-1-55570-681-4. 2009. 8.5×11. 160 pp. $99.95.

About the Authors
John M. Cohn is the Director of the Sherman H. Masten learning resource center at the County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey. He holds an MlS from Pratt institute and a PhD from New York University.

Ann L. Kelsey is the former Associate Director of the learning resource center, now retired. She holds an MlS from the University of California, Los Angeles. Both are partners in Documentors, an independent consulting firm.

About Neal-Schuman Publishers
Neal-Schuman Publishers is a leading publisher of professional books for librarians, archivists and knowledge managers. Founded in 1976, Neal-Schuman Publishers is based in New York City, with offices in London, UK.

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