EDITOR'S NOTES
Getting in the Know
by Dick Kaser
As 2019 rapidly approaches, we find ourselves in a future that we could hardly have imagined just 10 years ago. This issue looks at how far we’ve come and how far we still can go if we not only stop, look, and listen, but assert our ability to control. Michael Blackwell (St. Mary’s County Library in Maryland) takes a wide-ranging look at the ebook landscape as it has evolved over the past decade, detailing key areas for improvement.
Marydee Ojala (editor of CIL’s sister publication, Online Searcher) looks at how far we have come with AI and Big Data, but also points to the perils of blindly believing that the answers the algorithms spit out are correct.
Intrepid CIL columnist and libtech consultant Marshall Breeding provides an update on the cloud-computing paradigm that has reshaped the library-technology landscape, along with everything else we encounter on the internet via our smartphones, tablets, computers, and TVs.
Stephen Abram (Federation of Ontario Public Libraries), Elizabeth Glass (Toronto Public Library), and Carmen Ho (Toronto Public Library) not only point to the need for assessing the true benefits derived from public, school, and academic libraries, but show you how to develop a toolkit to demonstrate just how much of a difference libraries make.
And, as my holiday gift to all the loyal readers of Computers in Libraries, the issue is packed with how-to articles for applying technology in your library.
May the new year bring you the curiosity and confidence to experiment on your own and define the way forward for you, your library, and the community you serve.
Dick Kaser, Executive Editor
kaser@infotoday.com
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