Best Practices and Planning for Digitization Projects
The success of a project is generally in proportion to the time spent in planning the project. To help you avoid some of the pitfalls here are some recommendations and resources for planning a digital...
View ArticleCollection Development for Digital Libraries
Use this checklist to guide your digital library collection development efforts.
View ArticleCollection Development Resources Online
Here's a starter list of resources to help you sift through the flood of collection possibilities.
View ArticleCompetencies for Preservation
Preservation covers a wide range of activities: repairing the physical damage to well-used materials; transforming physical materials into digital format; or preserving the historic record or other...
View ArticleCONTENTdm Metadata Working Group?s Best Practices Guide, version 1.9
This document represents the efforts to develop best practices guidelines for providing metadata both useful to the local community and suitable for harvesting externally.
View ArticleDigitize--You Can Do It!
How the Hannibal (MO) Free Public Library made its unique history available to the town--and the world.
View ArticleEvaluating Your Technical Services Department
This checklist is a series of questions that will help identify the inefficiencies of your technical services processes and methods for streamlining them.
View ArticleGlossary of Scanning and Digital Imaging Terms
Alyce Scott helps explain some of the most common and confusing terms used in digitization projects.
View ArticleIllinois' State Wide Archival Technology Team (SWAT)
The Macomb Public Library District worked with the digital imaging staff of the Illinois State Library (ISL) to enhance the Illinois Digital Archive (IDA), a part of the Find-It! Illinois Web site...
View ArticleMaking Digital Images Accessible to the Visually Impaired Through Audio Des
The Illinois Alive digital imaging project uses audio description to make the images accessible to people with visual impairments.
View ArticleRemembering the Houses of Western Springs: Digitizing and Providing Access
The Thomas Ford Memorial Library in Western Springs, Illinois worked with the local historical society and the Illinois State Library to improve access to local history.
View ArticleThe Preservation of Glass Plate Negatives
This paper covers the history of glass plate negatives, the storage of glass plate negatives, handling techniques and common conservation concerns, reformatting of glass plate negatives and the use of...
View ArticleWebJunction's Focus on Digitization Projects
Lori Bell of the Alliance (IL) Library System and her colleagues guide you through the basics of library digitization projects.
View ArticleThe World of Cataloging
Links to basic cataloging resources, discussions on cataloging, and the most recent developments.
View Article"You're Not a Real Fan!": What Libraries Can Offer Fandom
Fandom, enthusiasts surrounding a particular work or interest, is becoming increasingly popular. Members of fandom, as well as those researching this phenomenon, agree that it has a positive impact on...
View ArticleGamer's Advisory 101: Breaking the Monopoly
The hobby board game market is booming. Everywhere news media outlets pronounce that board games are "making a comeback" or are "going through a golden age" or experiencing a "renaissance" or are "in...
View ArticleWhat Languages Do Public Library Collections Speak?
In May of 2014, Slate published a series of maps illustrating the languages other than English spoken in each of the fifty US states. In nearly every state, the most commonly spoken non-English...
View Article3 Ways Libraries Can Channel Understanding in Confusing Times
As individuals and communities react to conflict in the world, we're reminded of the ways in which libraries often serve as a sanctuary for those looking for physical or emotional safety. But...
View ArticleAdvancing the National Digital Platform: New Report Available
A report summarizing the results of needs assessment and gap analysis of digitization activities in US public libraries and state library agencies is now available from OCLC Research. The 2016 surveys...
View ArticlePreserving and Conserving Archived Photographs: An Annotated Bibliography
I have a keen interest in photography and historic photographic preservation. Here is an annotated bibliography I put together earlier this year with sources some of you might find helpful.
View ArticleUnfolding History at Your Library
In our information-saturated and social-mediated world, we are all subject to some filtering of the news we receive. It's a challenge to get the full picture of things happening, especially complex...
View ArticleSeven Answers to Seven Weeding Questions
Deciding how to weed your library's collection can be daunting. Decisions about criteria and policies are important to address to provide guidance to weeders. Holly Hibner, Adult Services Coordinator,...
View ArticleShelving with Dewey: Self-paced Course Updated
Invite new staff or volunteers to become a top-notch Dewey shelver. In the recently updated course, Shelving with Dewey, learners new to the Dewey Decimal Classification system learn the fundamentals...
View ArticleBest Practices and Planning for Digitization Projects
Alyce L. Scott, a lecturer with the School of Information at San Jose State University, explores the best practices and planning needed for digitization projects. The long term viability of digital...
View ArticleWeeding the Library Collection: Updated Self-Paced Course
Mention collection development and most librarians think of the selection of new materials for the library. Weeding - removing library materials from your collection - is an often forgotten, yet...
View ArticleWeb Archiving for Public Libraries: Self-Paced Course
The fact that the news, events, celebrations and even disasters that take place in our local communities are by now almost solely documented online is itself no longer new information. For many years...
View ArticleMulticultural Picture Books: A Deeper Look at Your Collection
Do you feel it is important to have a diverse children’s collection, but don’t always know where to start? The Diverse BookFinder Collection Analysis Tool (CAT), funded by a grant from the Institute of...
View ArticleRethink Use of Your Physical Space
This resource is part of the Toolkit for Creating Smart Spaces, a toolkit to help you re-envision your library’s place as a center of community learning. It might seem ideal to be able to build a whole...
View ArticleConscious Child Family Book Discussion Kits on Racial Equity, Identity, and...
We learned about these fantastic book discussion kits in recent Ohio Library Council News and reached out to Caitlin Campbell, Children's Librarian, at the Oxford Lane Library in Ohio, to learn more...
View ArticleWorking with Historical Collections during Contemporary Crisis
As archivist for the Indiana Historical Society, Maire Gurevitz’s role is twofold: unraveling the stories hidden in new and existing collections and helping researchers investigate their own mysteries....
View ArticleImpacts and Reflections: Digital Stewardship Training Initiative
A pressing concern for staff working in tribal archives, libraries, and museums (TALMs) is appropriately managing and preserving the unique and diverse cultural heritage materials—digital and...
View ArticleWebJunction Launches First Courses in Series on Digital Collections...
OCLC's WebJunction, in partnership with Washington State University’s Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation, has launched the first two in a series of free online courses developed for staff at...
View ArticleResources on Book Challenges and Intellectual Freedom
Across the United States, there are increased reports of book challenges from community members, which have led to very public and heated discussions. As public library leaders and staff consider how...
View ArticleResources for Advancing IDEAs (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility):...
A new blog series shares resources and learning opportunities for library staff Advancing IDEAs (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility). Twice monthly, series editor Jay Weitz compiles a...
View ArticleSpice of Life! Adding Variety to a Library of Things
Libraries of Things have been growing in popularity in recent years, offering community members the opportunity to borrow items beyond the books and media most people associate with libraries....
View ArticleConnecting Libraries and People through the New WorldCat.org
Libraries have always been trusted spaces in our communities, and the events of the past several years have brought more attention to the important work they’re doing. News stories highlighted the...
View ArticleExpanding Collections with a Library of Things
The Library of Things model has grown in popularity and expanded on the types of items that libraries keep in their collections and check out to the community. We were pleased to host the webinar,...
View ArticleHow to Get Your Collection from Awful to Awesome
Reap the benefits of a well-weeded collection! Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner, co-authors of the popular blog Awful Library Books shared their holistic approach to collection management in the WebJunction...
View ArticleAdopt-a-Shelf Program Lets Students Create Book Displays
Libraries can offer safe, welcoming spaces for young people to access resources and programming, explore their interests, and connect with peers. And these benefits can be even more impactful when...
View ArticlePartner with Indie Authors to Share Diverse Stories
Despite efforts to increase representation in publishing, the industry remains predominantly white. Authors of color often face a range of challenges, including difficulty finding literary agents,...
View ArticleLearn Digital Collections Stewardship with On-Demand Courses
OCLC's WebJunction, in partnership with Washington State University’s Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation, has created a series of free online courses developed for staff at tribal archives,...
View ArticleExplore the Digital Stewardship Lifecycle
WebJunction created the Digital Collections Stewardship course series to help staff at smaller public and tribal libraries, archives and museums understand and navigate the work of creating, sharing...
View ArticleInclusive Collections for Supercharged Storytimes
Storytimes can be transformative for children, offering them the chance to imagine possible futures for themselves. This begins with the stories you include. Look around your community and consider...
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