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This article reviews five free online email design platforms that libraries can use to create visually appealing and engaging email newsletters and other email communications. The five platforms reviewed in this article – Beefree, Mosaico, Smore, Stripo, and Tabular – are assessed according to ease of use, the availability of pre-designed templates, and other features, such as the ability to add collaborators. This review begins with a summary of the library and marketing literature on email communications, including best practices, and ends with a brief overview of email marketing platforms and services.

Open access textbooks (OATs) and educational resources (OERs) are being lauded as a viable alternative to costly print textbooks. Some academic libraries are joining the OER movement by creating guides to open repositories. Others are promoting OATs and OERs, reviewing them, and even helping to create them. This article analyzes how academic libraries are currently engaged in open access textbook and OER initiatives. By drawing on examples of library initiatives across the United States, the author illustrates how libraries are facilitating the adoption and implementation of these affordable resources.

Since the early 1990s, the Lloyd Sealy Library, where all four of this article's librarian-authors work in various capacities, has been providing the students and faculty of John Jay College of Criminal Justice with extensive electronic access to books and journals. In early 2009, the librarians at Lloyd Sealy decided to test a recent electronic innovation--portable ebook readers or e-readers--to see if this technology would be advantageous for use by the college community. They also wondered if the e-readers could provide a cost-effective alternative to the traditional acquisition of books. Lightening the burden of overflowing library shelves and overstuffed student backpacks has always been a prime consideration for them. Initially, the project was to compare Amazon's Kindle and Sony ebook readers, the two main portable readers on the market at that time. However, the Kindle could not be purchased and used without maintaining a credit card account. The authors instead decided to concentrate on Sony's offerings. They acquired four Sony e-readers--two PRS-505 models and two PRS-700 models. Funding for the project came from a student technology fund. After studying the results, the authors have justified this marked preference with the fact that younger people are very comfortable using technology and would prefer e-readers as a practical convenience when the devices are just handed to them. Another reason that students might prefer e-readers is that today's students associate new technology with the ability to cut and paste, adding to the ease of writing papers. Though there is no doubt that ebooks will be an expanding part of information delivery in libraries, the dedicated e-reader has not yet reached a point where the technology is worth investing in, particularly in these tough economic times. For the short term, until technology can match delivery, librarians should focus on finding ways to provide ebooks through available and existing means, including standard computers, PDAs, and other mobile devices. For now, at least, software that can more easily and inexpensively be adapted to existing technology (such as the Kindle app for iPhones) appears to be a better solution for an academic library than the adoption of e-reader hardware itself. (Contains 2 figures.)

This article outlines how libraries can quickly map library information such as location and service updates using the free version of CARTO, an online mapping platform that provides both free and subscription-based accounts. Institutions with multiple library locations and different COVID-19 site reopening statuses can quickly map which library locations are open, partially opened, or closed and indicate what services are currently available. Mapping this data requires minimal technical expertise and time. The map itself can be helpful for patrons, librarians, and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction It is fascinating to view job postings for librarian positions. Over the past ten years, it seems that more job postings are asking for librarians to be able to [...]

Determined to keep up with the ever-changing instructional trends, academic libraries have been quick to adopt emerging teaching and learning technologies. Recent literature features many examples of technologies that have found a place in libraries' instructional programs: learning management systems, clickers, online tutorials, reference chats, and mobile devices, to mention the most popular ones. Curiously enough, despite their popularity in business and K-12 contexts, interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are rarely discussed in the context of academic libraries' efforts to embrace innovative teaching methods. This article addresses this omission. Present-day IWBs have evolved to include features that accommodate a variety of teaching strategies, including those appropriate for distance learners, providing a tool to encourage student engagement and participation. This case study shows how IWBs meet the varied needs of library instruction while offering librarians an opportunity to reshape and expand their teaching methods. By providing sample lesson plans and activities developed to incorporate the interactive features of IWBs, this article illustrates the versatility of this underutilized technology. To further encourage academic librarians to consider working with IWBs, we argue that incorporating IWBs, and thus fostering active learning strategies, into classes and workshops has allowed our library to meet new institutional priorities that emphasize effective teaching and student engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of open government data. It outlines what it is, provides examples, and summarizes library engagement with these data. The professional and academic literature and other web sources were examined along with government policies and portals. Open government data is a fairly recent and evolving phenomenon that promotes government transparency and invites citizen participation and innovative reuses of public data. Libraries have been responding to this release of data in a number of ways including offering data literacy instruction and special services and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the responsibilities and challenges faced by academic librarians whose major responsibilities include the overall promotion of the library. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was sent to seven library listservs asking respondents to describe their work duties, promotional activities, academic background, and professional challenges and concerns. Findings – This study garnered 215 responses. Respondents who completed the questionnaire identified as academic librarians whose major responsibilities include the overall promotion of the library. Librarians who promote face a plethora of challenges, including time restraints, lack of funding and limited support for their promotional efforts. These barriers place a strain on promotional work in academic libraries. Practical implications – The paper illustrates the roles and responsibilities of librarians who promote and the challenges and obstacles they deal with on an institutional and departmental level. Originality/value – This study provides a unique snapshot of marketing initiatives across various academic libraries, in the midst of a global economic recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]