For those working in a small library, particularly one that may have little technical support, a foundational knowledge of technology is crucial. Written for librarians, library staff and administrators at libraries serving populations of 15,000 or less, “Technology for Small and One-Person Libraries: A LITA Guide,” published by ALA TechSource, shows how to successfully develop, implement, sustain and grow technology initiatives. Editors Rene J. Erlandson, Rachel A. Erb and their contributors draw from personal experience in rural libraries and regional state university libraries to offer guidance for making sound technology decisions. Whether looking for a quick answer or starting an in-depth technology project, readers will quickly find basic information on the full range of library technology, organized into chapters with numerous headings for easy scanning. Topics include:

• An overview of library technology basics;
• Electronic resource fundamentals, including a look at licensing issues;
• Webpage development, Open-source (OS) applications and a six-step plan for social media and social networking;
• How to create and sustain an effective technology strategy.

Erlandson is the director of virtual services at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) libraries, with oversight of computer systems, digital asset management, digital collection development, electronic resource management, emerging technologies, library systems, network infrastructure and Web development. Prior to joining the University of Nebraska faculty, she worked at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Iowa State University over the course of two decades. As the senior cataloger and project coordinator for the Library of Congress-administered Illinois Newspaper Project at UIUC, she visited many small libraries throughout the state of Illinois and was often consulted on technology questions by librarians working in those libraries.

Erb has been working in technical services for over a decade with substantial experience in cataloging materials of various formats and in managing integrated library systems. She recently transitioned to focusing on electronic resources and is now the electronic resources management librarian at Colorado State University (CSU). Most of her professional experience consists of working in either rural settings with limited resources or regional state universities. She has also written several case studies of technical services operations in these environments.

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New vacancy listings are posted weekly on Wednesday at approximately 12 noon Central Time. They appear under New This Week and under the appropriate regional listing. Postings remain on the LITA Job Site for a minimum of four weeks.

New This Week

• Digital Archivist, Princeton University Library, Princeton, NJ
• Emerging Technology and Systems Librarian , University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Green Bay, WI
• Executive Director, Digital Scholarship Services, Rice University, Houston, TX
• Library Associate – AnswerLine, County Library System, Issaquah, WA
• Reference and Instruction Librarian, Brandywine Campus, The Pennsylvania State University Libraries, Philadelphia, PA

LITA has announced the winners of annual scholarships it sponsors jointly with three organizations: Baker & Taylor, LSSI and OCLC, Inc. These scholarships are for master’s level study, with an emphasis on library technology and/or automation, at a library school program accredited by the American Library Association.

This year’s winner of the LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship ($3,000) sponsored by Baker & Taylor is Daniel Verbit, who will pursue his studies at The University of Alabama. The LITA/LSSI Minority Scholarship ($2,500) winner is Elizabeth Tham who will pursue her studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana -Champaign. Lisa Lynn Tyler, the winner of the LITA/OCLC Minority Scholarship($3,000), will pursue her studies at the University of Washington.

Criteria for the scholarships include previous academic excellence, evidence of leadership potential and a commitment to a career in library automation and information technology. Two of the scholarships, the LITA/LSSI Minority Scholarship and

LITA/OCLC Minority Scholarship, also require U.S Citizenship and membership in one of four minority groups: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, African-American, or Hispanic.

The Scholarship winners will be honored at the LITA Awards Ceremony, which will be on Sunday, June 30, 2013, 1:00 pm in Chicago, Ill. at the McCormick Convention Center in S105a-c.

Karen Doerksen, MLIS degree candidate at the University of Alberta School of Library and Information Studies, has been named the winner of the 2013 LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award, sponsored by Ex Libris Group and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

Doerksen’s paper, titled “A Sight to Be Held: Adapting Comics and Graphic Novels for Visual Impairment,” describes the vital role of graphics and pictures in the development of early literacy and examines the challenge of adapting comics and graphic novels into assistive formats to support the achievement of graphicacy in visually impaired individuals.

“The members of the LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award Committee are pleased to acknowledge and honor with this award Karen Doerksen’s thought-provoking manuscript, which reconsiders the position that comics and graphic novels are highly unsuitable for adaptation for the visually impaired,” said Regina Koury and Heidi Hanson, co-chairs of the committee.  “Ms. Doerksen’s paper illuminates the challenges and controversies surrounding this complex topic, and explores the possibilities inherent in emergent assistive technologies.”

The award will be presented at the LITA Awards Ceremony on Sunday, June 30, 2013 during Sunday Afternoon with LITA at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Brewster Kahle has been named the winner of the 2013 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award for Outstanding Communication in Library and Information Technology.

Emerald Group Publishing Limited and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) sponsor the award that recognizes outstanding individuals or institutions for their long-term contributions in the area of Library and Information Science technology and its application.

After graduating from MIT in 1982, Brewster Kahle developed a system for publishing, distributing and searching information on the Internet, known as the Wide Area Information Server (WAIS), which was a precursor to the World Wide Web. In 1996, he founded the Internet Archive and began archiving and indexing Web pages and other digital content, preserving it for posterity and making it freely and openly accessible. One popular feature of the Internet Archive is the Wayback Machine, which enables users to search and retrieve over 280 billion archived web pages.

Michael Witt, LITA/Hi Tech Award Committee chair, said, “When Brewster started the Internet Archive, he used the analogy of Library of Alexandria to explain what he was attempting to do, and he took the title of Digital Librarian for himself. His goal of enabling universal access to all knowledge speaks directly to the mission of libraries.”

Kahle has been an important advocate for digitization and increasing access to information electronically. He was instrumental in the creation of the Open Content Alliance and the Open Library that provides more than 1 million free e-books online. He has served on advisory boards for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the Library of Congress. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and National Academy of Engineering. In 2012, Kahle was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.

The Library and Information Technology Association and Emerald, the publisher of Library Hi Tech, are pleased to present the 2013 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award to Brewster Kahle for his outstanding contributions to communication in library science and technology.  The award will be presented during Sunday Afternoon with  LITA on Sunday June 30, 2013, at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

LITA has announced Barbara Tillett as the 2013 winner of the  Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology. The award, which is jointly sponsored by OCLC, is given for research relevant to the development of information technologies, especially work that shows promise of having a positive and substantive impact on any aspect(s) of the publication, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information, or the processes by which information and data is manipulated and managed. The awardee receives $2,000, a citation and travel expenses to attend the award ceremony at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, where the award will be presented on June 30, 2013.

Dr. Barbara Tillett is recognized for her outstanding leadership in library metadata standards, technology integration and international standards in cultural heritage and information institutions. As the chief of the Cataloging Policy and Support Office in the Library of Congress, Dr. Tillett led the work of metadata standards exploration and research for 18 years.

Dr. Tillett is the current chair of the Joint Steering Committee for the Development of Resource Description and Access and is a leader internationally in the world of metadata. She obtained her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles and her dissertation research, titled “ Bibliographic Relationships: Toward a Conceptual Structure of Bibliographic Information Used in Cataloging,” helped transform the library community’s view of bibliographic metadata and emerging models of records and relationships. This work is still resonating in the field with her leadership in RDA design and adoption.

Dr. Tillett’s long and distinguished career has included work with the Library of Congress, University of California, San Diego, The University of Hawaii and the University of California, Los Angeles.  She has been both a leading practitioner and researcher in library and cultural heritage metadata and has helped influence the profession through service with numerous IFLA and JISC organizations, including RDA and the FRBR working group.  In 1999, Dr. Tillett received the Library of Congress Distinguished service award, as well as the Library’s Meritorious Service Award in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Notified of the award, Dr. Tillett said:  “I’m especially thrilled about this award, as I have worked with LITA and OCLC since the 1970′s and have a great appreciation of the significance of this recognition by my professional colleagues. Thank you so very much.”

Members of the 2013 Frederick G.  Kilgour Award committee are: Brett Bonfield, chair; Nancy Roderer,  past chair; Rene J. Erlandson; Erik Mitchell; David King, LITA board liaison; and Roy Tennant, OCLC liaison.  The award will be presented during Sunday Afternoon with  LITA on Sunday June 30, 2013, at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.