Library Technology Awareness Resources

The resources below were compiled as part of my research while writing The Neal-Schuman Library Technology Companion: A Basic Guide for Library Staff, 6th ed. (ALA Neal-Schuman, 2019).

Websites, Newsletters, and Blogs
Twitter
Electronic Discussion Lists
Periodicals
Continuing Education, Conference, and Trade Show Opportunities
Find Libraries Near You To Visit

Websites, Newsletters, and Blogs

Alertbox.
This weekly e-mail features usability and Web design tips from usability guru Jakob Nielsen.

American Association of School Librarians (AASL). “Best Tools for Teaching and Learning.”.
AASL provides annually updated lists of the best teaching and learning apps and websites.

ALA Center for the Future of Libraries.
This initiative of the American Library Association presents ongoing research on trends in society and information technology that may impact libraries. The center has a newsletter that provides regular assessments of new developments and trends, as well as a growing list of trends with explanations of their relevance to libraries.

CNET.
This website includes lots of technology information, product reviews, how-to documents, and advice. It is the place to start when you are planning to buy computers or other technology items.

Current Cites.
This free, monthly e-mail contains annotations of information technology articles and other items written by a team of librarians and library staff. It provides an easy way to scan the professional literature for technology-related publications.

Engadget.
This website includes product reviews and product-focused news stories on all kinds of technologies, but also features updates on technology and the law, industry happenings, and technology innovations that might define the future.

Free Technology 4 Teachers.
Written by Richard Byrne, a columnist for School Library Journal, this blog covers educational technology, with an emphasis on free resources. It features excellent explanations and applications of technology that can be of use to individuals both inside and outside of educational settings.

Inkdroid.
Inkdroid is written by Ed Summers, an information technology specialist and programmer at the Library of Congress. He covers a diverse blend of technology topics, ranging from really involved programming discussions to broad technology introductions.

Keeping Up With . . .
This is a monthly current awareness publication that focuses on trends in academic libraries. Many of the topics covered have a technology connection, such as patron driven acquisitions, net neutrality, and augmented reality, that would speak to a library audience beyond academe.

Library Technology Guides.
“The Library Technology Guides website aims to provide comprehensive and objective information related to the field of library automation,” according to the website. It is an excellent source of library systems-related reports, articles, and trends. It includes a directory of library system vendors.

LISNews.
LISNews is a blog of library-related news happenings that includes discussions which grow out of the individual postings. You can sign up for e-mail updates of new postings.

Macworld.
This site provides news, tips, and reviews of Apple products and software.

Seven Things You Should Know About . . .
Created as part of the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, this series of short quarterly pieces provides informative introductions to a variety of technologies (from accessibility to open education to photogrammetry) along with possible educational uses for them.

Social Media | Emerging Trends | Libraries.
David Lee King writes on trends within libraries and related fields along with “how- to” posts on using technologies in your library. He is as a public librarian, but addresses issues relevant to all libraries.

Stephen’s Lighthouse.
This blog is a library-focused look at trends in technology from within libraries and from elsewhere in society. Stephen Abram is a librarian and an information industry veteran with great insights into how libraries and information sources are being used and what to pay attention to in the wider world of technology.

TechSoup for Libraries.
TechSoup offers free webinars on various technology issues and also a blog that covers recent developments in and discussions of public computing issues.

Top Tech Trends.
This webpage features a biannual discussion of technology and library users by the Library and Information Technology Association’s Top Technology Trends Committee. These discussions take place at the American Library Association’s midwinter and annual conferences, and are captured here for your review.

WebJunction.
WebJunction includes a section on technology in libraries that holds useful documents on equipment and planning for technology that may be helpful.

The Wirecutter.
This website provides reviews and recommendations for many technology items. It is not specifically library-focused, but many of the items included are ones used in libraries.

Twitter

So, follow the accounts preceded by the @, and search for the discussions with the hashtags (#). This is just a starter set to get you going. Try out new hashtags to see who might be talking about a topic of interest.

@ALA_TechSource – ALA’s technology publications source
@bohyunkim – Bohyun Kim
@creativecommons – Creative Commons
@davidleeking – David Lee King
@griffey – Jason Griffey
@heyjudeonline – Judy O’Connell
@jessamyn – Jessamyn West
@lbraun2000 – Linda W. Braun
@LibTechWomen
@lorcanD – Lorcan Dempsey
@make – Make: Magazine
@mbreeding – Marshall Breeding
@ranti – Ranti Junus
@ThatAndromeda – Andromeda Yelton
@varnum – Ken Varnum

#alattt – LITA Top Trends Committee
#librarymakerspace
#librarytech
#makerspace
#OER
#1minuteCPD – continuing profesional development
#3dprinting

Electronic Discussion Lists

ai4lam. (subscription information and archives).
ai4lib is a discussion list for topics related to artificial intelligence in libraries.

AUTOCAT. (subscription information and archives)
AUTOCAT is a discussion list for library staff members who catalog and perform other technical services-related work. It involves discussions of technologies as they connect to these tasks.

Code4Lib. (subscription information and archives)
This excellent resource for discussions and applications of programming and coding in libraries also offers extensive job listings for technology positions in libraries.

Liblicense-l. (subscription information)
This discussion group focuses on the licensing of digital content for libraries. It ranges into discussions of open access journals and other key topics related to publishing and access.

LIBRARYMAKERSPACE-L. (subscription information)
A list for library staff members interested in developing and running makerspaces in libraries. Typically has a lot of discussion of 3D printers and 3D printing, but also covers policies for makerspaces and other topics.

LITA-L. (subscription information and archives).
The mailing list for the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) division of ALA. The list presents a good blend of workshop/conference/job announcements along with interesting technology articles and discussion of questions from list members.

LM_NET. (subscription information and archives).
While this list focuses on school librarians and school library issues, many of the discussions have a strong technology focus (particularly electronic resources and educational technology). Be warned: this is a highly active group.

Web4Lib. (subscription information and archives).
This is a very active discussion list that focuses on Web-related technologies in libraries but also discusses other issues including public computer setup, library website design, scanning, and search engine developments, to name but a few regular topics.

Periodicals

American Libraries.
This magazine, published by the American Library Association, includes the excellent Dispatches from the Field column on technology topics along with regular technology-related feature articles.

Cites and Insights.
This monthly online publication includes in-depth coverage of technology trends written by author and technology guru Walt Crawford. His observations and analyses of recent publications are a must-read.

Computers in Libraries.
This magazine, from Information Today, features articles on applications of computer technologies in libraries and reviews of technology products.

Information Technology and Libraries.
This journal focuses on the applications of information technology in libraries.

Library Hi-Tech.
This publication features articles on emerging technologies in libraries.

Library Journal.
This periodical offers feature articles on technology topics, the technology-focused “InfoDocket” column, and regular reports on digital collections and sources.

Library Technology Reports.
This journal covers extensive reviews, studies, and testing of various examples of library technology items, from embedded librarianship to Web scale discovery services.

Macworld.
Apple computing devices and software are the main focus of this periodical.

Make: Magazine.
This periodical covers making activities of all kinds and reviews technologies available for makers and makerspaces.

MIT Technology Review.
This publication includes articles on forthcoming technologies, current technology news, and assessments of technology development.

Online Searcher.
This periodical includes articles, reviews, and product information on databases and other electronic library resources. It also includes coverage of broader library technology issues, such as blockchain technology in libraries.

PC Magazine.
This periodical focuses on computing devices, software, and peripherals.

School Library Journal.
This publication for school librarians includes technology-oriented articles and product reviews.

Wired.
Wired covers a broad swath of technology topics.

In addition to the titles mentioned, there are three excellent resources for finding technology information published in other library-related periodicals. Two are periodical indexes: Library Literature and Information Science Full Text (EBSCOhost) and Library, Information Science, and Technology Abstracts, or LISTA (EBSCOhost). The other is The Informed Librarian Online, a unique resource for scanning the monthly output of some 290 library and information science-related periodicals. The free version of the service provides a monthly e-mail update to new issues with links to selected items. A premium subscription service provides full access to the tables of contents for the periodicals and adds access to a selection of full-text articles, a searchable archive of past issues, and a search interface to all linked periodical issues.

Continuing Education, Conference, and Trade Show Opportunities

Affiliate & Chapter Planning Calendar.
This calendar, part of the American Library Association website, lists conferences and meetings sponsored by ALA and its chapters and affiliate organizations, all linked to more information on chapter and affiliate websites.

Events Calendar.
Information Today offers a calendar of major conferences and events in the library and information-seeking world with an international focus.

Library Conference Planner.
Although there is no comprehensive national or international directory of library continuing education or professional development events, this website by Douglas Hasty can be very helpful. It lists a large number of national and international conferences to consider, along with the dates for their next meetings.

List of Library Associations.
This Wikipedia entry is a lengthy list of international library associations organized by continent.

List of Library Associations Specific to American States.
In this Wikipedia entry, library associations are organized in alphabetical order by state with links to their websites.

Find Libraries Near You to Visit

Kids’ Zone: Find a Library.
This tool, from the National Center for Education Statistics, allows users to identify public libraries and branches by choosing a state and then a city or town.

LibWeb: Library Servers via WWW.
This website offers an alphabetical list of links to state library websites. Most state libraries maintain directories of libraries in their state that can be searched by location or ZIP code.

WorldCat: Find a Library Near You.
This webpage presents a search tool for locating libraries that are members of OCLC or that have registered (at no charge) with WorldCat.