In my earlier posts on library technology planning I wrote about initial steps and examining system support operations. Once these categories have been examined by a technology planning group the next area of focus should be digital services for students and researchers.

These are technologies that impact library users the most directly; therefore, it’s important that a library manages technology in such a way so that it can focus on these technologies. Here’s a list of some of the service-based technologies impacting libraries (not in any particular order):

• Library’s Web site: involves not just the library’s web site but also its compatibility with the university web site, possible integration with a campus portal, as well integration with the university’s learning management system (e.g., Blackboard/WebCT). A significant number of the following technologies also are tied to the library’s web presence.
• OPAC: this warrants a separate category though it is part of the library’s web presence.
• Electronic Reserves: part of integrated system or a standalone product
• electronic document delivery: includes the ILL management system, which also may be part of the integrated system or a standalone product. But also includes not just ILL but also e-document delivery from within the university, between libraries, from off-campus storage, or even from the library’s collection to the user’s desktop
• proxy for off-campus access to electronic resources
• authentication - single sign on is almost always the goal but not necessarily easily accomplished at many universities
• electronic resources: that listing of hundreds of databases available through a library’s web site; manual, homegrown system, or electronic resource management system
• electronic journal web listings: again - manual, homegrown, through a service such as Serials Solutions, or tied into an electronic resource management system
• OpenURL resolver - Decisions about which system to utilize, how to present it to users.
• Federated or metasearch systems
• Virtual reference
• Information/Learning/Knowledge Commons issues (including wireless computing throughout the library, possible laptop lending service)
• Selfcheckout circulation kiosks

Okay, let’s take a deep breath. Those are just among the technologies that most users will have contact with in their daily interactions with the library. What about more specialized technology-based services to consider?

• Electronic theses & dissertations
• institutional repositories - preprints, working papers, etc.
• Digitizing projects relating to special collections and archives
• Metadata and image storage and preservation issues
• Geospatial data and geographic information systems
• Numeric data collections
• digital media centers to work with faculty and students on the creation of digital content
• Technical issues revolving around support and use of digital audio/video content and streaming media
• Supporting development and preservation of university-based electronic journals
• Supporting development and preservation of non-traditional scholarly communication, electronic publishing by faculty

Nothing listed so far is new to the library scene but there’s still are the emerging Web-based service ideas that aim to integrate a library’s electronic resources further into the user’s environment.

Obviously, libraries have a lot to think about when it comes to technology.