Copies of my latest book Cloud Computing in Libraries arrived yesterday. This book, part of the Tech Set II series, edited by Ellyssa Kroski and published by Neal-Schuman, which has since been acquired by the American Library Association. The book also bears the imprint of the Library and Information Technology Association.

This book, along with the rest of the series, was also published by Facet Publishing in the United Kingdom.

The publisher summarizes the book as follows:

Cloud computing helps libraries shift away from owning and operating local servers to Web-based services. This book equips you with the information and practical advice needed to evaluate the many opportunities to take advantage of cloud computing. It features applications that empower you to use technology without the constraints of a locally supported infrastructure, and more in-depth information and examples of how to plunge directly into suitable projects by taking advantage of free services offered by the top cloud services providers. Examples include using cloud-based supplemental storage, Google's suite of apps, Amazon's S3 and EC2 services to power your library website, and DuraCloud to host an online library media collection.

This is my second book in the series. I wrote Next-generation Library Catalogs for the first Tech Set. This series was the winner of the ALA 2011 Award for the Best Book in Library Literature.

I will end my employment with the Vanderbilt University Library effective May 31, 2012. This marks the close of one track of my professional career, though opening more time for other threads of activity that have been underway for quite some time. I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had over these 27 years through Vanderbilt University, which has proven to be a great launch pad for professional involvement in the broader library community.

I have had an interesting succession of roles for the library system at Vanderbilt University. My current title as the Director for Innovative Technology and Research follows other positions, including Library Technology Officer and the team leader for the Library Technology Team. My full-time work with the library began in February 1985 as the Circulation Supervisor of the Science Library. I have been involved with the Vanderbilt Television News Archive since 2001 and currently serve as its Executive Director. During my tenure with the library I have been afforded opportunities for involvement in a wide array of technology initiatives, including projects funded through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. I've played strategic and operational roles in the library's automation efforts. I was the recipient of the Library's Creativity and Innovation Award in 2002 and 2004.

If you are interested in the details about my academic and professional accomplishments see my c.v. or bio.

As I depart from full-time employment at Vanderbilt University, I will continue to be based in Nashville and will keep busy with consulting, writing projects, speaking engagements, with the operation of Library Technology Guides, as the co-chair of the NISO Open Discovery Initiative, and with other projects as they arise. As my time of full-time employment at Vanderbilt University concludes, I will continue to be actively involved with the broader library community. I'm fortunate to have many opportunities to apply my interest and expertise in technology in a rich variety of library organizations. Follow me through the next steps of my professional adventures on Library Technology Guides, on Twitter (@mbreeding), and Facebook.

Library Technology Guides was noted in a recent OCLC report A Snapshot of Priorities and Perspectives: US Academic Libraries as the top blog read by academic library staff. Forty-seven percent of this group report that they rely on blogs as a key information source and Library Technology Guides was referenced most frequently, followed by Lorcan Dempsey's Weblog on libraries, services and networks, Annoyed Librarian on Library Journal, the Ubiquitous Librarian by Brian Matthews on The Chronicle, Librarian in Black, Stephen's Lighthouse by Stephen Abram, and Free Range Librarian by Karen G. Schneider.

The results of this survey were initially reported by Cathy De Rosa, OCLC Vice President for the Americas and Global Vice President of Marketing: "Cooperative Communications and Membership Survey Results" at the Americas Regional Council Member Meeting and OCLC Symposium at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, TX on January 20, 2012.

I'll be in Washington, DC soon for the annual Computers in Libraries conference, speaking on a variety of topics. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of friends and colleagues. Please feel free to track me down and introduce yourself or follow me through Twitter. Here is my speaking schedule for the conference:

W3 – Web Managers Academy: Usability & Users Experience (UX)

Preconference Workshop, Tuesday, March 20, 2012 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Darlene Fichter, Librarian, University of Saskatchewan Library
Jeff Wisniewski, Web Services Librarian, University of Pittsburgh
Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Vanderbilt University and Library Technology Guides
Dr. Frank Cervone, Vice Chancellor for Information Services and Chief Information Officer, Purdue University Calumet

Interested in improving your library website and reframing your digital presence from the point of view of the user? This lively, high-level and interactive workshop shares practical ways to assess, design, and improve your online properties for maximum user friendliness. Immerse yourself in this in-depth workshop led by experts and practitioners that incorporates an overview of usability tools and techniques, a look at the latest research on designing for a positive user experience, tons of tips and tricks to help you avoid common usability and UX pitfalls, and discusses other useful measurement and assessment tools to help you better understand your users.

D103 – Discovery Dimensions, Engines and Tools

Wednesday, March 21, 2012 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Greg Notess, Reference Team Leader, Montana State University
Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Vanderbilt University and Library Technology Guides

My portion of the session will cover "Next-generation Library Discovery: Recent trends and developments". Breeding will give an overview of the current scene in library discovery services. He will review the major products and technologies and give an update on recent developments and trends that libraries should be aware of as they consider these products.

E201 – From Ground to Cloud

Thursday, March 22, 2012 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM

Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Vanderbilt University and Library Technology Guides
Richard P. Hulser, Chief Librarian, Research & Collections, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Cloud computing is one of the most important technology trends of the times. The phase of client/server computing is fading into obsolescence, replaced by entirely web-based systems, increasingly deployed through SaaS. Libraries and other technology-oriented organizations now have options through infrastructure-as-a-service offerings such as Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud and Simple Storage Service to ramp up computing capabilities quickly, enjoy free access for smaller projects, and take advantage of usage- based subscription models for larger-scale production projects. Breeding expands on these topics and provides a basic explanation of cloud computing that focuses on real advantages and disadvantages for libraries.

E203 – Open Source Trends & Migration

Thursday, March 22, 2012 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM

Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Vanderbilt University and Library Technology Guides
Irene E. McDermott, Reference Librarian/Systems Manager, Crowell Public Library

Libraries have a natural affinity with open source software, and many have implemented it for their strategic automation infrastructure, including ILS and discovery systems. In his analysis of the library automation industry, Breeding tracks the pace of adoption of open source library automation. Come hear his perspectives on the current and emerging trends of open source in the industry relative to proprietary products and how it fares relative to broader trends such as comprehensive resource management, cloud computing, and new-generation discovery.

E205 – Changing Role of Systems Librarians

Thursday, March 22, 2012 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Vanderbilt University and Library Technology Guides
Nicole C. Engard, Vice President of Education, ByWater Solutions
Edward Iglesias, Systems Librarian, ERIS, Central Connecticut State University
Lisa Carlucci Thomas, Digital Services Librarian, Southern Connecticut State University

This panel of authors and practitioners discusses the changing role of systems librarians.