EDITOR'S NOTES
Outreach With Innovative Library Services
by Dick Kaser
All of the articles in this issue stress creative thinking in bringing new services to library users, extending the exposure and reach of library collections, and engaging users in new ways. Anna Kaetz, a librarian at the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library at the University of Alabama–Birmingham, describes her work dusting off rare medical books and bringing them forward into interactive library displays. When I heard Kaetz speak at Internet Librarian Connect 2023, I told her she had uniquely blended the roles of libraries and museums in her creative approach, which she shares in this edition.
Likewise, Jean Cook, the science librarian and reference coordinator for Ingram Library at the University of West Georgia, shares how she transformed the library’s instructional materials by altering the way they were produced. Subject experts who once created individual materials for their disciplines now cooperate to leverage shared digital objects across fields, providing greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Sara Gold, who serves both the Wisconsin Schools Digital Library Consortium and the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium, describes how, working with OverDrive, she made a comprehensive audio and ebook collection available to school students throughout the state.
Steven Sielaff, collections manager at Baylor University’s Institute for Oral History, shares what he is doing to catalog and promote the oral histories archived throughout the state of Texas, representing some 30,000 narratives.
Todd Miller, digital services librarian at the Niles-Maine District Library, shares his thoughts on the potential and perils of using AI tools to increase access to library materials for those with special needs.
Suzanne LaPierre of Fairfax County Public Library debuts her new column, BiblioTech, which will appear every other issue.
I look forward to seeing you at Computers in Libraries 2024 this month in Arlington, Va., where these and many other innovative approaches to library services will be presented and discussed further.
Dick Kaser, Executive Editor
kaser@infotoday.com
|
