The Transformed Library: E-books, Expertise, and Evolution

Jeannette Woodward

Nov 2012 · American Library Association

About this ebook

This wide-ranging survey takes stock of our institutions' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, analyzing how libraries and the very concept of librarianship have been comprehensively transformed over the past few decades. A respected veteran of libraries who has witnessed first-hand the many changes in the library world, Woodward provides a balanced, realistic look at the situation confronting both libraries and information professionals. In an assessment that proves both provocative and stimulating, sheExamines the key technological and economic developments that have already had an impact on librarianship, and offers a frank evaluation of the roles libraries must fill today and in the futureSums up the trends in library management of e-books and other electronic media, in the process showing how libraries can enlarge their function as community hubs through digital innovationAnalyzes the skills and versatility today’s library professionals need to survive and thrive, presenting career advice for staying current in the field’s changed professional environmentOffers survival strategies tailored to librarians’ particular contexts, including academic, public, and school librariesThe Transformed Library is an institution that can be more vibrant and relevant than ever, and Woodward’s book demonstrates how.

About the author

Jeannette Woodward is a principal of Wind River Library and Nonprofit Consulting. After a career in academic library administration, she began a second career in public libraries, serving as director of the Fremont County Library System in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Woodward is the author of several books, including What Every Librarian Should Know about Electronic Privacy, Nonprofit Essentials: Managing Technology, Creating the Customer-Driven Library: Building on the Bookstore Model, and Countdown to a New Library: Managing the Building Project. She holds a master's degree in library and information science from Rutgers University, with doctoral study at the University of Texas at Austin.