Libraries are experiencing major changes concerning the role of
technical services. Technical services librarians also are being
challenged about their relevance and role, sometimes revealed by a lack
of understanding of the contribution technical services librarians make
to building and curating library and archival collections. The threats
are real: relocation from central facilities, the dramatic shift to
electronic resources, budgetary constraints, and outsourced processing.
As a result, technical services departments are reinventing themselves
to respond to these and similar challenges while embracing innovative
methods and opportunities to advance librarianship in the twenty-first
century.
Library Technical Services provides case studies that highlight
difficult realities, yet embrace exciting opportunities, such as space
reclamation, evolving vendor partnerships, metadata, retraining and
managing personnel, special collections, and distance education. Written
for catalog and metadata librarians and managers of technical services
units, this book will inspire and provide practical advice and examples
for solving issues many libraries are facing today.