In the changing modern-day library, the area of technical services has undergone radical redesign and reorganization not just once, but many times in the last thirty years. Shrinking budgets, new electronic formats, the advent of the Internet, and technological innovations have drastically changed the face of library technical services departments and presented new challenges, such as finding and hiring qualified catalogers; dealing with the exponentially expanding range of print and electronic formats; reorganizing workflows due to staff reductions; and trying to find answers for organizing and describing information in its many manifestations.

The first part of this book explores the future of technical services through surveys, research essays, and insightful opinion pieces. The second part focuses on redesign and reorganization efforts through a number of fascinating case studies. The majority of these case studies come from academic library technical services departments, highlighting efforts to meet and deal with challenges through a myriad of options. For anyone involved in the day-to-day supervision, management, and future of a library technical services department, this book will provide food for thought, as well as practical lessons.