By Keeping Up with Emerging Technologies: Best Practices for Information Professionals

Review Hennig simplifies for the harried librarian the process of finding information on emerging technology, touching on sources in several formats, along with sharing methods and processes for staying abreast in the field. The purpose of the book is to share techniques, but it also serves as a robust purveyor of information sources. . . . Overall, a handy guide to keeping up with emerging technologies for those of us with little time to devote to the endeavor.-- "Booklist Online"Readers who find it challenging to stay abreast of emerging technologies will appreciate this resource that acknowledges the difficulties of doing so. . . . Hennig refers to herself as a visionary rather than an implementer, and the many ideas and materials presented here reflect her wide-ranging purview. VERDICT Essential reading for all information professionals.-- "Library Journal, Starred Review"The book serves as an invaluable guide not only to resources and methods for staying current and performing the duties, but also as a tool to place the role of Emerging Technologies Librarian into the broader context of librarianship.-- "College & Research Libraries"The time management strategies for processing and organizing information and continuing to keep up as technology changes are especially useful. . . . Keeping Up with Emerging Technologies is a valuable resource that can be read cover to cover or used for its extensive resources.-- "VOYA"There is something for everyone in this rather slim volume of less than 200 pages. . . . [I]t is a solid starting point with referrals to many other resources to help launch a new technology project or service.-- "The Library Quarterly" Product Description The acceleration of technological change demands that today's information professionals and educators not only be constantly acquiring new knowledge and skills, but also that they cultivate the ability to make sound judgments on which technologies to embrace.Today's librarians and information specialists know it's imperative that they keep up with new technologies. But not all technologies are equally important, either within the library setting or to library patrons. So how does one decide which ones to pursue and integrate into services? In the uphill battle to stay current with new and emerging technologies, deciding which ones to pursue and integrate into services is a major challenge. A secondary problem is simply finding the time to consider the question. Readers of Keeping Up with Emerging Technologies will learn all of the best practices and skills to keep up with new technologies and to analyze the ability of specific technologies to meet recognized user needs―all in this single source.You'll learn the best ways to gather information about new technologies and user needs, to evaluate and analyze information, to curate technology information for others, to set up experiments and evaluate the results, and to present your findings to persuade decision-makers. Written by the former head of user experience at MIT's library system, this guidebook serves information professionals, educators, education technology specialists, and anyone with "emerging technology" or "innovation" in their job titles. It will also be useful for library administrators and those who manage these positions as well as for students seeking a technology-oriented or curriculum-design career path in libraries.Helps information specialists create a strategy for keeping up with new technologies and for making informed judgments on which technologies to test and integrate into library servicesProvides ideas for designing curriculum for an education technology specialist career track in library schoolGives those who are preparing to interview for a technology specialist position a reliable guide for professional growthIdentifies which types of resources are most helpful for keeping up with new technologies About the Author Nicole Hennig is an independent user expe