1. Everything Old Is New Again: Digital Library Services Sarah Houghton, MA, MLIS e-Services Librarian, Marin County Free Library

2. Books to eBooks Why do libraries offer eBooks? 1.Time, space, and cost savings 2.Reach new people in the community 3.Increase support for the library 4.Available 24/7 when the library isn’t open

3. Text eBooks Presented as: –webpages (HTML) to read online –page images (PDF) to download for portable use

4. Audio eBooks Presented as downloadable digital audio files None are compatible with Apple products (e.g. iPods, Macs) What do they sound like?

5. Popular Subjects for eBooks Popular fiction Travel guides Business Technology Self-improvement

6. What’s Next For eBooks? Apple device compatibility Cheaper and cheaper = affordable for more libraries Smaller files = faster downloads

7. Reference to eReference First we answered questions in person. Then we added the phone. Now….. Virtual Reference: answering questions through an electronic medium e-mail web-based chat instant messaging

8. E-mail Reference Fill out a form online, get an e-mail reply Turnaround time: 24-48 hours usually Detailed and local questions, adults

9. Web-based Chat Reference Fill out a form on a webpage, start chatting Turnaround time: instant! All questions, users w/ higher-end PCs

10. Instant Messaging Reference Uses popular IM programs (AOL, Yahoo) Turnaround time: instant! Homework & business questions, techies, kids, teens

11. What’s Next for eReference? More libraries offering instant messaging reference services Reference via cell-phone text messaging Video and audio reference (webcams)

12. New Publicity Frontier Traditional Library Publicity –flyers –print newsletters –newspaper blurbs –public service announcements The New Frontier –weblogs (blogs) –RSS

13. What’s with the Blogs? Blogs (weblogs) are websites Updated frequently Newer posts show up at the top A “what’s new at the library” Keep patrons informed about events, new materials, online resources, recommended reading, good websites…….

14. Redwood City Library Blog

15. Marin County Free Library Blog RSS feeds

16. RSS: Really Simple Syndication RSS figures out “what’s new” on the website Users choose what they want to read about from different websites (like the library) These feeds of “what’s new” on the site go into an aggregator Can read at your leisure

17. RSS Aggregator: Bloglines Different Sites New Stuff from Site

18. What’s Next for Blogs & RSS? More libraries with blogs RSS feeds from library catalogs (starting already) –new books from favorite authors –new items in your interest areas (DVDs, etc.) –books are due soon

19. Questions? Sarah Houghton shoughton@co.marin.ca.us AIM: LibrarianInBlack http://www.librarianinblack.net