Facet Publishing have announced the release of Visual Literacy for Libraries: A practical, standards-based guide.

The importance of images and visual media in today’s culture is changing what it means to be literate in the 21st century. Digital technologies have made it possible for almost anyone to create and share visual media. Yet the pervasiveness of images and visual media does not necessarily mean that individuals are able to critically view, use, and produce visual content.

This book provides you with the tools, strategies, and confidence to apply visual literacy in a library context. You will learn ways to develop students’ visual literacy and how to use visual materials to make your own teaching more engaging.

Ideal for the busy librarian who needs ideas, activities, and teaching strategies that are ready to implement, this book:

• shows how to challenge students to delve into finding images, using images in the research process, interpreting and analysing images, creating visual communications, and using visual content ethically
• provides ready-to-use learning activities for engaging critically with visual materials
• offers tools and techniques for increasing one’s own visual literacy confidence
• gives strategies for integrating, engaging with and advocating for visual literacy in libraries.
With this book’s guidance, you can help students master visual literacy, a key competency in today’s media-saturated world, while also enlivening your teaching with visual materials.

Visual Literacy for Libraries will be essential reading for librarians, information professionals and managers in all sectors, students of library and information science, school and higher education teachers and researchers.

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Press and review copies contact:

James Williams, Marketing Manager, Facet Publishing
Tel: +44 (0)20 7255 0597
Email: james.williams@facetpublishing.co.uk

Notes:

Visual Literacy for Libraries: A practical, standards-based guide | April 2016 | 208pp | Paperback; 9781783301447; £54.95

About the authors:

Nicole E Brown is the Multidisciplinary Instruction Librarian at New York University, where she teaches research workshops to a variety of user groups and works to expand and strengthen the teaching role of librarians.

Kaila Bussert is the Foundational Experiences Librarian at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo where she leads a foundational information literacy program.

Denise Hattwig is Curator of Digital Collections at the University of Washington Bothell Library, where she collaborates with faculty and students on digital scholarship projects, facilitates digital collection and repository development, and teaches archiving and interdisciplinary image use.

Ann Medaille is the Assessment Librarian at the University of Nevada in Reno where she coordinates library assessment efforts, teaches information literacy and research skills, and serves as the library liaison for education, art, anthropology, theatre, and dance.

The book is published by Facet Publishing and is available from Bookpoint Ltd | Tel: +44 (0)1235 827702 | Fax: +44 (0)1235 827703 | Email: facet@bookpoint.co.uk | Web: www.facetpublishing.co.uk. | Mailing Address: Mail Order Dept, 39 Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4TD. It is available in North America from the American Library Association.

LearningExpress Announces PrepSTEP™ High School Edition
~ Helps Students Build College and Career Readiness ~

IPSWICH, Mass. — May 19, 2016 — In response to the urgent need for high schools to improve the college and career readiness among students, LearningExpress, an EBSCO company, introduces PrepSTEP™ High School Edition. The online learning platform helps high school students build the skills that prepare them for success in college, in a career, and beyond.

PrepSTEP High School Edition is a unique and extensive collection of academic, college preparation and career-related resources that supports college-, career- and military-bound students. It includes SAT®, ACT® and Advanced Placement® (AP) test preparation; skill-building in English, math and science; computer skills development; a college search tool; career exploration; occupational test preparation; information about military careers, workplace skills development and more.

The easy-to-use platform features interactive tutorials, practice tests, flashcards, factsheets, useful articles and e-books that students can access online anytime, anywhere, from any device with an internet browser. With the secure personal portfolio feature, students can save their work and track their progress. The self-directed tools are designed for independent use by students, which makes PrepSTEP a perfect supplement to coursework for instructors, a valuable resource for summer study and skills improvement for students, and powerful college and career planning support for students, parents, and guidance counselors.

PrepSTEP High School Edition is developed by LearningExpress, an award-winning educational SaaS software provider and an EBSCO company. It is the latest addition to the popular PrepSTEP product line which includes platforms for 2- and 4-Year Colleges. The PrepSTEP High School Edition with academic resources aligned to the Common Core State Standards includes more than 460 tests, tutorials, e-books, flashcards, articles and computer courses. There is also a version of the platform with academic resources that are not tied to the Common Core standards.

The national high school graduation rate is improving and is currently over 80 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education, yet studies show that fewer than 40 percent of 12th graders were ready for college level work. PrepSTEP High School Edition is designed to help students achieve readiness by providing self-directed skills improvement that strengthens the fundamental skills for success.

LearningExpress’ General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, Kheil McIntyre, says, “PrepSTEP High School Edition is a great way for high schools to help their students succeed—whether college-, career-, or military-bound—with supplemental academic skill-building resources and college preparation and career exploration tools. Additionally, it allows schools to offer valuable SAT® and ACT® test preparation at no cost to students and their families.”

About LearningExpress
LearningExpress is an award-winning educational technology company and recognized leader in providing online workforce skills, academic, and career content for the public, school, and college library markets. Founded in 1995, it became an EBSCO company in April 2015 and is part of EBSCO Information Services. Visit LearningExpress at www.learningexpressllc.com. For more information about LearningExpress, call (800) 295-9556.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide, with more than 10,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals and books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than
57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 800,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.

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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com

DUBLIN, Ohio, May 18, 2016—The White Rose Libraries, a long-standing collaboration among the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York, have selected OCLC Sustainable Collection Services to assist in developing a regional shared-print collection.

The White Rose Libraries (WRL) will work with Sustainable Collection Services (SCS) to make informed group-level decisions around the libraries’ physical collections. WRL will focus first on protecting scarcely-held materials and identifying opportunities for shared retention commitments. More broadly, SCS tools will help the group better manage monographs based on usage and holdings of other libraries in the UK and globally.

WRL will use the SCS GreenGlass decision-support application for real-time modeling of retention scenarios and collection visualisations, enabling participating libraries and groups to better understand their shared collection and to share responsibility for retention.

“We are excited to begin this new project with our White Rose partners and OCLC,” said Heidi Fraser-Krauss, Director of Information Services, University of York. “The data provided by the GreenGlass tool will give us new insight into our collections, enabling us to plan strategically and collaboratively. The potential for this tool to revolutionise collections’ management is very exciting.”

“My colleagues and I are delighted to be working on what will be an important strategic development for each of the White Rose Libraries,” said Stella Butler, University Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection, University of Leeds. “By using GreenGlass, we will be able to safeguard the value and heritage within our individual holdings, while taking advantage of the efficiencies that come from collective management of print collections.”

“This represents the latest instalment of the White Rose Libraries innovation with regard to collaborative collection management,” said Anne Horn, Director of Library Services and University Librarian, University of Sheffield. “We have a long history in working collaboratively in changing the shape of our collections. I am delighted to see this being taken to the next level using a data driven approach and sophisticated collection analytics.”

Sharing print collections will make it possible to free up valuable library space and local resources for the development of high demand and specialised collections, while ensuring each WRL library retains access to the widest possible range of resources available.

“OCLC is extremely pleased to be working with WRL, helping these libraries develop the best regional shared-print collection possible,” said Eric van Lubeek, Vice President, Managing Director, OCLC EMEA & APAC. “The group functionality within GreenGlass is built expressly for the purpose of informing and facilitating decision-making among shared print partners. For WRL, this means GreenGlass can help clarify outcomes and provide proof-points for collaborative collection development, while minimizing any of the associated risks of managing down low use items.”

SCS services use WorldCat, the largest aggregation of library data in the world as well as the world's largest library resource sharing network, to inform which titles should be kept locally, which can be discarded, and which can be considered to be kept in shared collections.

About the White Rose Libraries
Since 1997 the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York have built on their individual strengths by collaborating through the White Rose University Consortium to add value from partnership activity in research, enterprise, innovation and learning and teaching. The White Rose Libraries is a collaboration between the Library Services of the three partner institutions of the Consortium. Taking advantage of the geographic proximity of the universities, their similar strategic and operational focus as large research libraries, and the existing links between their researchers, students, and staff, the White Rose Libraries have worked together since 2004 on a number of initiatives that have allowed them to pool resources and expertise.

About OCLC
OCLC is a nonprofit global library cooperative providing shared technology services, original research and community programs so that libraries can better fuel learning, research and innovation. Through OCLC, member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services. Libraries gain efficiencies through OCLC’s WorldShare, a complete set of library management applications and services built on an open, cloud-based platform. It is through collaboration and sharing of the world’s collected knowledge that libraries can help people find answers they need to solve problems. Together as OCLC, member libraries, staff and partners make breakthroughs possible.

EBSCO Health and the American Medical Association Partner to Give All AMA Members Access to DynaMed Plus®

Partnership gives AMA members access to DynaMed’s next-generation clinical information resource and expands reach of JAMA Network Journals

IPSWICH, Mass. – May 16, 2016 – EBSCO Health and the American Medical Association (AMA) are expanding their partnership to give all AMA-members complimentary access to DynaMed Plus®, the evidence-based, clinical information resource that is designed to provide the most useful information to healthcare professionals at the point of care.

The expanded partnership opens access to DynaMed Plus as a member benefit for AMA physicians, as well as for JAMA Network registered users. EBSCO Health is already distributing JAMA Network content through the EBSCO e-journal program.

In addition, thousands of images from The JAMA Network® journals will be incorporated into DynaMed Plus – allowing physicians seeking evidence-based answers for clinical decision-making to view highly relevant images in the same location, and make the most useful content from The JAMA Network more fully accessible at the point of care. Additionally, both organizations will expand continuing medical education (CME) initiatives, which are required in many states for physicians to maintain licensure.

EBSCO Health Senior Vice President of Medical Product Management Betsy Jones, says that DynaMed Plus is focused on answering clinical questions at the point of care, but it also provides a wealth of evidence-based information for those doing research or in medical training. “We can now bring our insights to AMA members more easily, especially for medical residents who consistently show the highest demand for evidence-based medicine, which is the hallmark of DynaMed Plus. Increasing the adoption of tools like this at the point of care has the potential to enhance patient care quality.”

DynaMed Plus provides clinicians with the ideal blend of evidence and expertise to help them determine the optimal care for their patients through a real-time, digital clinical reference resource. With DynaMed Plus, AMA members and other clinicians can quickly find evidence-based clinical decision support for treatment decisions at the point of care, using any device.

“This partnership with DynaMed Plus extends the reach of JAMA Network content deeper into hospitals and practice settings, getting the best medical evidence into the hands of the physicians who need it most,” says Tom Easley, Publisher of The JAMA Network. “Just as important, it provides AMA members and JAMA Network users a state-of-the-art clinical resource, one we think young physicians will find exceptionally valuable.”
DynaMed Plus content is supplemented with full-color images, is optimized to the way physicians work and is designed based on ethnographic studies to provide the fastest time-to-answer in busy clinical settings. Moreover, DynaMed Plus gives insight into the reliability of evidence-based outcomes data with unbiased, at-a-glance evaluations, and clear ratings of evidence and recommendations.
Current AMA Members and JAMA Network registered users can sign up for access by visiting DynaMedPlusAMAoffer.com.

About EBSCO Health
EBSCO Health, part of EBSCO Information Services, is a leading provider of clinical decision support solutions, healthcare business intelligence, and medical research information for the healthcare industry. EBSCO Health users include professionals in medicine, nursing, and allied health. Flagship products include CINAHL®, DynaMed Plus®, Nursing Reference Center™ Plus, clinical e-books and e-journals, EBSCO Discovery Service™, licensed databases (such as MEDLINE®), plus EBSCONET®. EBSCO databases are powered by EBSCOhost®, the electronic resource favored by libraries around the world.

About the American Medical Association and The JAMA Network
The JAMA Network® brings JAMA® together with eleven specialty journals to offer enhanced access to the research, reviews, and perspectives shaping the future of medicine. The American Medical Association is the premier national organization dedicated to empowering the nation’s physicians to continually provide safer, higher quality, and more efficient care for patients and communities. For more than 165 years, the AMA has been unwavering in its commitment to using its unique position and knowledge to shape a healthier future for America.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
EBSCO Information Services
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com

Elizabeth Solaro
AMA/JAMA Network
Director, Brand Marketing
312-464-4812
elizabeth.solaro@ama-assn.org

Co-published by Facet Publishing, ALA and CLA, RDA Essentials is the new concise guide to cataloguing with RDA (Resource Description and Access) and is essential reading for those seeking a simplified path to creating basic RDA records.

Useful as a quick reference source, author Thomas Brenndorfer describes the key RDA concepts and vocabulary and distils RDA instructions, matching them to cataloguing practice in easy-to-follow language. The guide is fully up-to-date with the latest revisions to RDA, making it an excellent introduction whilst also serving as a bridge to more complex cataloguing.

RDA Essentials is an ideal resource for:

• small libraries that require standard cataloguing
• LIS students who need an introduction to cataloguing
• professionals seeking a ready reference source to RDA
• experienced cataloguers needing a quick summary of RDA practice.

A handy access point for solo and part-time cataloguers, Brenndorfer’s guide also supports training and classroom use in any size institution. It will be useful reading for cataloguers and metadata specialists, systems librarians, user services managers, electronic resources librarians, and digital library project managers and students on cataloguing, information management and digital library courses.

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Press and review copies contact:

James Williams, Marketing Manager, Facet Publishing
Tel: +44 (0)20 7255 0597
Email: james.williams@facetpublishing.co.uk

Notes:

RDA Essentials | April 2016 | 256pp | Paperback; 9781783300563; £69.95

Thomas Brenndorfer began his career in cataloguing at the National Library of Canada in 1990. While working at the Guelph Public Library in 1997 he learned about FRBR, which had been presented at a conference on the future of AACR2 in nearby Toronto. He followed the development of FRBR to its full incorporation into a draft of RDA ten years later in 2007. Having seen the importance of FRBR for the future of catalogs he began giving presentations introducing FRBR and RDA concepts to cataloguers (and others eager to learn) at conferences hosted by the Ontario Library Association and Canadian Library Association.

The book is published by Facet Publishing and is available from Bookpoint Ltd | Tel: +44 (0)1235 827702 | Fax: +44 (0)1235 827703 | Email: facet@bookpoint.co.uk | Web: www.facetpublishing.co.uk. | Mailing Address: Mail Order Dept, 39 Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4TD. It is available in North America from the American Library Association.