Creating Cyber Libraries: An Instructional Guide for School Library Media Specialists

By Kathleen W. Craver

As prices of traditional library materials increase, and space to house them shrinks, savvy school library media specialists are creating cyber libraries, or school libraries on the Internet. These libraries offer students and their parents 24-hour access and are invaluable for providing up-to-date information in a way traditional materials cannot. This guide outlines the steps library media specialists can take to create a cyber library, provide content and policies for use, and maintain it for maximum efficiency.

Craver justifies the need for cyber libraries in the 21st century, and how they can help librarians to meet the standards in Information Power (1998). She explains the different types of cyber libraries available, along with their advantages and disadvantages. She discusses how to construct them using portals or by acquiring fee-based cyber libraries, and what policies should be in place to protect both the school and its students. Also included are instructions for establishing remote access to subscription databases, creating cyber reading rooms, and providing instructional services to student users. Once a cyber library is created, it must be maintained and evaluated to keep it useful and current, and this book provides guidelines to do so. Finally, there is a chapter on promoting the cyber library, so the school community is aware of its features and participates in its growth process. No school library should be without this volume

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0313320802
• ISBN13: 9780313320804
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A comprehensive, "user friendly" and highly recommended text

Creating Cyber Libraries: An Instructional Guide For School Library Media Specialists by Kathleen W. Craver (Head Librarian, National Cathedral School, Washington, D.C.) is the latest title in the outstanding "Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides in School Librarianship" series. Creating Cyber Libraries is organized into ten major sections: Cyber Library Guidelines; Cyber Library Policies; Constructing Web Libraries; Using Portals; Acquiring Fee-based Cyber Libraries; Establishing Remote Access To Subscription Resources; Creating Cyber Reading Rooms; Providing Cyber Library Instructional Services; Managing Evaluating Cyber Libraries; and Promoting Cyber Libraries. Enhanced with a six-page bibliography, a twelve-page "Links Citation List", and an extensive index, Creating Cyber Libraries is a comprehensive, "user friendly", and highly recommended text for library staff members charged with the responsibility for developing, expanding, maintaining, and updating a cyber library with its attendent and evolving technology, as well as an essential, core addition to any academic Library Science reference shelf.