The Complete Guide to Using Google in Libraries

Instruction, Administration, and Staff Productivity

Edited by Carol Smallwood

Hardback - £100.00

Publication date:

26 February 2015

Length of book:

322 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442246898

Carol Smallwood's The Complete Guide to Using Google in Libraries, Volume 1: Instruction, Administration, and Staff Productivity explores how Google's suite of tools, from Google Docs (now Google Drive), Google Scholar, Hangout, Forms, and others made freely available to the Internet Community can be used by libraries to expand the role of digital operations in the management of library materials, to communicate with their patrons and collaborators, to exploit the resources on the Web, and many others. The book has 29 chapters organized into sections that focus on ways that Google’s suite of tools can be applied to address problems in a specific area of library concern. The section headings are: Library Instruction for Users; Collaboration within and among libraries; Library Administration; Collection Management; and Library Productivity. In each topical area, the chapters show how librarians are taking advantage of these tools to change the way that their library works. All of this without the burden of an additional bill to pay. Through these carefully selected case studies from real libraries, you will be able to learn about the surprising and powerful potential that exists through Google tools to improve library operations.

The first in a two-volume set edited by Smallwood covers library instruction for users, collaborators, and library administration along with collection management and library productivity . . . The material is meant for librarians working in a variety of settings. . . .Chapters are arranged thematically and can be read in any order. Some of them provide basic technical information about various Google products, whereas others connect these tools to larger issues (e.g., collaborative writing). Many chapters are relevant to several of the thematic categories, so it is worth perusing the chapter titles rather than relying solely on the section headings. For instance, several segments in 'Library Instruction for Users' are relevant to a much broader audience. VERDICT Librarians looking for an introduction to a variety of Google applications and their potential utility in the workplace should consult this text, especially if their budget is tight.