We are well into the twenty-first century and many libraries, large and small, are dealing with the ever-evolving subject of discovery. This book does an excellent job of covering the many discovery interfaces and platforms available and their impact at various libraries. Discovery is, to quote a statement given in chapter 10 of this book, “enabling people to pick out what they need from an otherwise unmanageable mass of information” (120). Given the changing roles of libraries, as well as the multitude of different media types with which libraries must now deal and must make accessible to patrons, discovery is more important than ever before. Thus, this growing need for discovery that is user-friendly, all encompassing (or nearly so) and fairly intuitive on the back end has given birth to a plethora of options, all of which have their benefits and drawbacks. As not every library or collection is identical, so can be said for the various discovery platforms explored in this work.
Fast-paced change in technology, particularly the origin of ICT and social, political, economical change forced to managerial change in Libraries and Information Centres (LICs) is necessary for LICs to survive in the twenty-first century. In this context, managerial change towards structure, technology, task, people, library policies, objectives, and functions of information systems and processes of managerial change in LICs are discussed, and the chapter concludes that “Change Management” is the only feasible solution to overcome all the difficulties and problems created in the ever-changing environment for the overall development and progress of LICs in the ICT era.
Book Review: Exploring Discovery: Exploring Discovery: The Front Door to Your Library’s Licensed and Digitized Content