ITAL Information Technology and Libraries (E-Journal)
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Enhancing Visibility of Vendor Accessibility Documentation
Get PDFWith higher education increasingly being online or having online components, it is important to ensure that online materials are accessible for persons with print and other disabilities. Library-related research has focused on the need for academic libraries to have accessible websites, in part to reach patrons who are participating in distance-education programs. A key component of a library’s website, however, is the materials it avails to patrons through vendor platforms outside the direct control of the library, making it more involved to address accessibility concerns. Librarians must communicate the need for accessible digital files to vendors so they will prioritize it. In much the same way as contracted workers constructing a physical space for a federal or federally funded agency must follow ADA standards for accessibility, so software vendors should be required to design virtual spaces to be accessible. A main objective of this study was to determine a method of increasing the visibility of vendor accessibility documentation for the benefit of our users. It is important that we, as service providers for the public good, act as a bridge between vendors and the patrons we serve
ITAL Editorial Board Thoughts. Halfway Home: User Centered Design and Library Websites
No full textOur Library Website has now gone through two major redesigns in the past five or so years. In both cases, a User Centered Design approach was used to plan the site
The Provision of Mobile Services in US Urban Libraries
Get PDFTo determine the present situation regarding services provided to mobile users in US urban libraries, the authors surveyed 138 Urban Libraries Council members utilizing a combination of mobile visits, content analysis, and librarian interviews. The results show that nearly 95% of these libraries have at least one mobile website, mobile catalog, or mobile app. The libraries actively applied new approaches to meet each local community’s remote-access needs via new technologies, including app download links, mobile reference services, scan ISBN, location navigation, and mobile printing. Mobile services that libraries provide today are timely, convenient, and universally applicable
Letter from the Editor (June 2018)
No full textIn the current (June 2018) issue, we continue our celebration of ITAL’s 50th year with a summary of the articles published in the 1970s, the journal’s first full decade of publication. The 1970s are particularly pivotal in library technology, as it marks the introduction of the personal computer, as a hobbyist’s tool, to society. The web is still more than a decade away, but the seeds are being planted
Letter from the Editor (September 2018)
No full textThis September 2018 issue of ITAL continues our celebration of the journal’s 50thanniversary with a column by former Editorial Board member Mark Dehmlow, who highlights the technological changes beginning to stir the library world in the 1980s. The seeds of change planted in the 1970s are germinating, but the explosive growth of the 1990s is still a few years away
Current Trends and Goals in the Development of Makerspaces at New England College and Research Libraries
Get PDFThis study investigates why and which types of college and research libraries (CRLs) are currently developing Makerspaces (or an equivalent space) for their communities. Based on an online survey and phone interviews with a sample population of CRLs in New England, the investigator found that more than two dozen (26) CRLs had or were in the process of developing a Makerspace in this region. In addition, a number of other CRLs were actively engaged in promoting and diffusing the Maker ethos. Of these libraries, most were motivated to promote open access to new technologies, literacies, and STEM-related knowledge
It is Our Flagship: Surveying the Landscape of Digital Interactive Displays in Learning Environments
Get PDFThis paper presents the findings of an environmental scan conducted as part of a Digital Exhibits Intern Librarian Project at the Edmonton Public Library in 2016. As part of the Library’s 2016–2018 Business Plan objective to define the vision for a digital exhibits service, this research project aimed to understand the current landscape of digital displays in learning institutions globally. The resulting study consisted of 39 structured interviews with libraries, museums, galleries, schools, and creative design studios. The environmental scan explored the technical infrastructure of digital displays, their user groups, various uses for the technologies within organizational contexts, the content sources, scheduling models, and resourcing needs for this emergent service. Additionally, broader themes surrounding challenges and successes were also included in the study. Despite the variety of approaches taken among learning institutions in supporting digital displays, the majority of organizations have expressed a high degree of satisfaction with these technologies
Digitization of Text Documents Using PDF/A
Get PDFThe purpose of this article is to demonstrate a practical use case of PDF/A file format for digitization of textual documents, following recommendation of using PDF/A as a preferred digitization file format. The authors showed how to convert and combine all the TIFFs with associated metadata into a single PDF/A-2b file for a document. Using open source software with real-life examples, the authors show readers how to convert TIFF images, extract associated metadata and ICC profiles, and validate against the newly released PDF/A validator. The generated PDF/A file is a self-contained and self-described container which accommodates all the data from digitization of textual materials, including page-level metadata and/or ICC profiles. With theoretical analysis and empirical examples, PDF/A file format has many advantages over traditional preferred file format TIFF / JPEG2000 for digitization of textual documents