E-journals, learning skills, Casanova and journal metrics all in the same post. Phew!

E-journal invasion: a cataloguer's guide to survival. By Helen Heinrich.

How the internet has changed the lives of cataloguers.

Learning to learn: a guide to becoming information literate in the 21st century. By Ann Marlow Riedling.

A practical approach, with exercises.

Casanova was a librarian: a light-hearted look at the profession. By Kathleen Low.

Librarians in politics, porn, movies, books and more.

Aslib Proceedings. Vol.59 No.3 2007

'The missing link: journal usage metrics'. This article looks at how we can measure the quality of journals and suggests a move from author to reader centered metrics.

Subject guides, VLEs and PBL

Very selective highlights from the latest library journals .

College & Research Libraries vol.68 No.2 March 2007
Academic subject guides : a case study of use at San Jose State University.

Might be worth a read as we consider the future of our own subject guides. It also made me want to find out more about the research it mentions by Kuhlthau who has apparently identified a gap between the way in which subject guides are traditionally presented and the way in which students work.

Serials. Vol.20 No.1 March 2007
Death of the VLE?: a challenge to a new orthodoxy.

Looks at the history of the VLE, the current state of the market and the effect of several new variables on its future. One of these variables is Web 2.0 with its focus on the web as platform and social, collaborative and frequently informal learning.

The Journal of Academic Librarianship. Vol.33 No.2. March 2007
The impact of problem-based learning on the information behavior and literacy of vetinary medicine students at University College Dublin.

This study found that problem based learning "resulted in students visiting the library earlier, better understanding how to use resources, becoming more discerning regarding information and learning how to integrate information effectively."

Digital literacies and social software

Martin, Allan. Digital literacies for learning. 025.5

A collection of papers exploring the nature of digital or e-literacy and ways in which educators, librarians and technologists can support students in developing it.

Bradley, Phil. How to use web 2.0 in your library. 025.02

Snapfish, Squidoo, CiteULike, Odeo, Gabbly, and Liszen. If you're not sure what they are this is the book to get hold of. As well as being an excellent overview of the social software explosion this book also suggests practical library applications for RSS, blogs, podcasts, social bookmarking, wikis, instant messaging, mashups, photo sharing and more.

Reference services in a changing world

Kovacs, Diane K. The virtual reference handbook. 025.02

An exploration of the blend of technical, communication and reference interview skills required of virtual reference librarians and how these can be developed. Includes learning activities and comments on practical experience from members of the Virtual Reference Librarians Group.

Farmer, Lesley S. J. The human side of reference and information services in academic libraries. 025.5

A look at the impact of technological developments on library reference services without quite as much emphasis on the human side as the title might suggest.

Change and evaluation

Carr, Reg. The academic research library in a decade of change. 027.7

"... the printed book remains one of the key technologies of all time, and belongs right up there with the wheel in antiquity, and the microchip in modern times" begins a case study on the Bodleian Library.

Libraries have to cope with an ever growing array of old and new technologies, and also with social changes. This book concentrates on developments within the last decade with chapters on JISC, the eLib programme, consortia, digital publishing and the change of emphasis towards what library users want, among other things.

Brophy, Peter. Libraries without walls 6 : evaluating the distributed delivery of library services. 021.24

How do you find out how well you're meeting people's needs when more and more of them are accessing your services from a distance? A collection of conference papers on how various libraries have attempted to do this.

Information Commons and One Shot Library Workshops

Beagle, Donald Robert. The Information Commons Handbook. 025.52

A look at what is involved in developing an information commons or social learning space in public and academic libraries. Includes a CD of 'success stories'.

Weldof, Jerilyn. Creating the one-shot library workshop: a step-by-step guide. 025.5

Given that 'one-shot' is often all we get, how can we make the best use of the little time we have? I liked the PAF model (presentation-application-feedback) and the reminder of how tempting it can be to spend too much time on presentation, overloading people with information without giving them enough time to apply it or to clear up any confusion.