Encyclopaedia of Library Science Today

Technology is changing the nature of libraries and librarians and it continues to exert a major influence on the strategic direction of libraries in society. Today, the library services are transitioning from local traditional collections to global resources provided on demand via the most advanced networking technologies. It is now possible to retrieve information independently of time zones and geographical location and to obtain the most up-to-date information from the form of the library without walls or the virtual library. Libraries of all types are challenged to provide greater information access and improved levels of service, while coping with the pace of technological change and ever increasing budget pressure. As a result professional librarians must be computer literate and knowledgeable about Internet technologies to fully participate in the planning, design and implementation of future library services. The publication will be useful to students, practicing librarians, teachers of library and information science, planners, policy makers in the field.