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Implementing and maintaining effective technology services in a perennial challenge for libraries; for small to medium-sized libraries, it can be overwhelming. Not a techie? Not a problem. A librarian and technical expert have joined forces in this thorough and easy-to-understand primer. For any librarian wanting a comprehensive overview, Technology Made Simple offers clear answers to over-coming libraries' tech challenges.

A technology guide for librarians, library staff, and administrators working at small and one-person libraries serving populations of 15,000 or less, who have little experience managing or implementing technology but have a desire to do so. This guide provides basic, practical information on a variety of technology-related topics and will be useful to those working in libraries with limited resources.

As libraries depend more and more on technology to provide essential services, they need to create a comprehensive response and recovery plan in the event of floods, fire, or other natural-- or man made-- disasters. This guide includes lessons learned from successful efforts in providing digital continuity and recovering from a variety of situations.

This concise guide will help you choose and implement the techniques and best practices used by today's forward-thinking libraries to create the best possible patron experiences.

This concise guide will help you choose and implement the techniques and best practices used by today's forward-thinking libraries to create the best possible patron experiences.

The alignment between a firm’s business and information technology (IT) strategies continues to be important for research and practice. Prior research investigating the performance consequences of strategic IT alignment (SITA) has produced inconsistent results. This paper distinguishes between two roles of SITA: (1) as a state of congruence between business and IT, which is the primary focus of empirical studies, and (2) as reflecting a capability that may enable or inhibit the leveraging of IT investments, as has been discussed theoretically but not examined empirically. Based on the resource-based view (RBV), IT investment (ITI) is explicitly included as the resource that SITA as a capability can inherently help leverage. Also based on RBV, we argue that environmental uncertainty, which is examined in terms of dynamism, complexity, and munificence, moderates the effect of SITA on the relationship between ITI and firm performance. The research model is tested through panel-data analyses of data from 1999–2008, including 758 firm-year observations from 242 firms. This study is the first to find that SITA as a state directly improves firm performance even when considering ITI and its interaction with SITA. Moreover, the effect of the interaction between SITA and ITI on firm performance increases with an increase in environmental dynamism or complexity and with a decrease in environmental munificence. We also find that the effect of the interaction between SITA and ITI can be negative under some environments. Specifically, the results suggest that (1) in dynamic, complex, and hostile environments, SITA does reflect a capability that enhances the positive effect of ITI on firm performance, but (2) in stable, simple, and munificent environments, SITA reflects a rigidity that reduces the positive effect of ITI on firm performance. The results are robust under a variety of statistical specifications and estimations.

PurposeThis study explored the different artificial intelligence (AI) applications used in academic libraries and the key factors and impediments related to their implementation.Design/methodology/approachThe author applied quantitative research methods in the form of a questionnaire, using both open and closed questions. A total of 472 valid questionnaires were received from academic librarians.FindingsThe author sought responses from librarians who had implemented AI applications and those who had not, identifying the types of AI applications implemented, key factors relating to their implementation, and impediments to promoting AI. Gaps were identified between the level of support for AI applications and the negative effect of the impediments. Furthermore, the more extensive the individual and organizational knowledge activities performed by the librarians and libraries held, the more positive the attitude was librarians' attitude toward AI applications in their libraries. However, librarians recognized that AI applications are inevitable, but indicated that the difficulties of in execution have hampered the adoption of AI.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample data were collected in Taiwan; therefore, the data may only represent the views of Taiwanese academic librarians on AI applications. The results of this study may not apply to librarians worldwide; however, they may provide a useful reference.Practical implicationsThe results revealed the top four AI applications that libraries would most likely implement in the near future. Therefore, AI application developers and suppliers can prioritize the promotion of these products for to academic libraries. This study revealed that funding and costs related to AI implementation were discovered to be key factors relating to implementing AI applications. Some impediments to the implementation of AI applications relate to technological problems. Several librarians suggested that managers should invest more resources at an early stage rather than reducing cutting back on human resources initially. Although worries regarding privacy and ethics were mentioned expressed by some respondents, most academic librarians did not regard these to be major concerns.Originality/valueThis study provides the perspectives of librarians who have implemented AI applications and of those who have not. In addition, it explores the advantages and disadvantages of AI applications, and the level of support for and impact of AI applications and promotions. This study also included a gap analysis. Moreover, individual and organizational knowledge activity scales were adopted to examine AI awareness and the perceptions of academic librarians.