Library Technology Guides

My Systems Librarian column for the November 2008 issue of Computers in Libraries talks about some of great libraries in other countries that I've visited in the last few years. I've been extremely fortunate to receive invitations to speak in many international venues including Taiwan, Korea, China, Thailand, The Netherlands, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and Argentina. These trips provide the incredible benefit of allowing me to tour libraries and visit with librarians from different parts of world, each facing their own unique problems and issues. This diversity of perspective has helped me extend my own thinking about library automation beyond what happens in my own part of the world. I'm impressed with how much some libraries are able to accomplish with very limited resources and how others deliver state-of-the-art technology and provide exceptional collaborative learning spaces for their communities.

In my research on library automation, I've worked hard to embrace an international perspective. It's a slow process, but I'm hoping to expand the lib-web-cats directory to include many more libraries outside the English-speaking world. I'm also following some of the technologies used in libraries in other regions. Tens of thousands of libraries in the developing world, for example, use automation products based on ISIS initially developed by UNESCO. The ISIS community has seen some very interesting developments in the last year, including a movement toward open source. While each region has its own particular issues and challenges, I also see many common themes. I hope to continue to gather information about libraries throughout the world and bring some of that content into Library Technology Guides.

I’ve been extremely fortunate over the last few years to have had the opportunity to travel to many different parts of the world and speak and work with librarians in many countries. It has been great to have the chance to see firsthand some incredible libraries that demonstrate creative approaches to library services, innovative uses of technology, expansive resource sharing, and pragmatic approaches to library automation. Let me give you a quick tour. continue reading...

(The full text of my Systems Librarian columns are available on Library Technology Guides 90 days following thier original publication in Computers in Libraries magazine.)

Marshall Breeding Feb 19, 2009 07:11:57 Link to this thread    

I've recently finished my eighth version of the “Automation Systems Marketplace” which will appear in the April 1 issue of Library Journal. This article provides a great opportunity for me to get detailed data from the companies involved in the library automation industry regarding their activities over the last year. Each year companies respond to a survey where they are asked to respond to specific questions regarding the numbers of systems sold, the personnel employed, and the like. In general, the companies involved cooperate very nicely in responding with information that seems accurate and complete.

In addition to the self-reported information provided by the companies involved in the industry, I aim to gather data from other perspectives. The "Perceptions 2008: An international Survey of Library Automation" aims to gather information from the libraries' perspective. While the data from this survey isn’t comprehensive, it has been helpful in identifying or confirming broad trends.

Ideally, I would like to have open and comprehensive data regarding the library automation technologies used in libraries. For the last decade, I have been working toward developing the lib-web-cats directory of libraries to fulfill this function. It would be great to have a comprehensive account of the automation products used in all of the libraries throughout the world. Such a database would be valuable to any library in need of objective data as they make decisions regarding their automation strategies and when going through procurement processes.

The ideal of creating a comprehensive database of libraries that registers the automation products in use exceeds what can be accomplished by any single individual. It requires participation by libraries and willingness to provide data on their automation components. A small amount of effort by each library will result in a powerful resource that provides information to a broad audience. It would be great if visitors to Library Technology Guides would take a few moments to check lib-web-cats to be sure that the entry for any libraries with which they are involved is accurate and complete. Even better readers might make use of distribution lists of which librarians in their geographic region or specialty to solicit other libraries to submit their data.

Thanks in advance for any assistance provided in gathering data regarding libraries and their automation products.

Marshall Breeding Mar 22, 2009 09:33:01 Link to this thread