Mary Beth Weber

This book takes a look at the future of technical services post-pandemic and at the brink of technological disruptions through a diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility lens. Libraries have undergone a tremendous change that has been driven by multiple factors that include technological developments, and societal impacts such as declining college enrollment and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has introduced changes to how technical services professionals work and provide services. Whereas the library is often perceived by users as a building to house print books and journals, the reality is that the library encompasses both physical and virtual spaces. For many users, the library’s online catalog and website are their first (and perhaps only) experience with the library. Our user community is global, and technical services work has evolved to serve users with a growing array of electronic resources, which includes e-books, databases, and e-journals. These resources differ from their print counterparts in that they cost more, require licenses and contracts that eventually need to be renegotiated and renewed, must be accessible, and require different skill sets to catalog. The virtual spaces and services libraries provide are built on the foundation provided by technical services librarians. Assessment is an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of technical services work, and is addressed in this book. It is critical for collection development and acquisition of electronic resources. It is also an important component of the work of electronic resources librarians, who monitor usage and trends. Developing an appropriate skill set for technical services work is essential for success. This includes knowing the standards for the work performed, awareness of emerging standards, and remaining relevant.

This book takes a look at the future of technical services post-pandemic and at the brink of technological disruptions through a diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility lens. Libraries have undergone a tremendous change that has been driven by multiple factors that include technological developments, and societal impacts such as declining college enrollment and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has introduced changes to how technical services professionals work and provide services. Whereas the library is often perceived by users as a building to house print books and journals, the reality is that the library encompasses both physical and virtual spaces. For many users, the library’s online catalog and website are their first (and perhaps only) experience with the library. Our user community is global, and technical services work has evolved to serve users with a growing array of electronic resources, which includes e-books, databases, and e-journals. These resources differ from their print counterparts in that they cost more, require licenses and contracts that eventually need to be renegotiated and renewed, must be accessible, and require different skill sets to catalog. The virtual spaces and services libraries provide are built on the foundation provided by technical services librarians. Assessment is an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of technical services work, and is addressed in this book. It is critical for collection development and acquisition of electronic resources. It is also an important component of the work of electronic resources librarians, who monitor usage and trends. Developing an appropriate skill set for technical services work is essential for success. This includes knowing the standards for the work performed, awareness of emerging standards, and remaining relevant.

LIS students and practitioners alike will find this top-to-bottom guide to collection development and management a must-have resource at every stage of their career. This benchmark text serves as the perfect guide for beginners and a quick reference tool for seasoned professionals. For the new fifth edition, expert instructor and librarian Johnson is joined by technical services expert Weber. Complete with refreshed case studies exploring the issues and suggestions for further reading, each chapter provides in-depth coverage of one aspect of collection development and management. Readers will gain a thorough understanding oftraditional management topics such as organization of the collection, staffing, planning, and policymaking;the continuing relevance and importance of the discipline in an increasingly digital environment;Open Access, the Big Ten Open Books collection, and moving toward a digital library ownership model;e-book lending, including purchasing models (PDA, DDA, EBA) and controlled digital lending;collaborative collection development and management;licenses, negotiation, contracts, maintaining productive relationships with vendors and publishers, and other important purchasing and budgeting topics;self-published books and their path into library collections;collection analysis and weeding, including both print and e-resources;timely issues such as the ways in which collecting practices have changed post-pandemic, the evolving needs and expectations of library users, diversity in library collections, and ensuring accessibility, all illustrated using updated examples and data; andmarketing, liaison activities, and outreach, through coverage expanded for this edition. This fifth edition will be useful as a comprehensive introduction and learning tool for LIS students, a timely update for experienced librarians with new collection development and management responsibilities, and a handy reference resource for practitioners as they go about their day-to-day work.

No matter what the future brings for academic libraries, technical services librarians need to be ready to face the unexpected. Virtual Technical Services guides librarians through the steps of creating a contingency plan for disasters seen and unseen

No matter what the future brings for academic libraries, technical services librarians need to be ready to face the unexpected. Virtual Technical Services guides librarians through the steps of creating a contingency plan for disasters seen and unseen