Library Technology Buying Strategies, edited by Marshall Breeding

Identifying, selecting, and purchasing technologies for all types of libraries can be a serious challenge, even more so for smaller libraries that do not have deep expertise in library technology. Edited by Marshall Breeding, Library Technology Buying Strategies provides basic information for any librarian responsible for making technology purchase decisions.

The first two chapters describe the traditional request for proposal (RFP) and suggest basic guidelines for writing them. Chapters 3 and 4 are an introduction to resource sharing and the standards that apply to resource sharing systems. Chapters 5 and 6 address the various types of cloud computing and planning for the implementation of cloud computing solutions. Chapter 7 is an introduction to library service platforms and chapter 8 very briefly discusses criteria for selecting e-book platforms, highlighting content, technical specifications, functionality, and business models.

This book is not only edited by Breeding, but five of its eight chapters were written by him. Two chapters were written by Nikki Waller, and one by Mirela Roncevic. Six of the eight chapters were previously published in Library Technology Reports and Cloud Computing for Libraries, one as early as 2003.

While each of the chapters is independently useful, as a collection they are a bit of a hodgepodge rather than a coherent guide to purchasing technology. For example, the two chapters about resource sharing do not specifically address purchasing solutions; rather the first is simply an introduction to various types of resource sharing platforms or methods, and the second is a brief summary of standards related to resource sharing, such as ISO ILL, NCIP, and Z39.50. While it is important to understand standards when making buying decisions, the chapter did not fit well in this book that is intended to address buying strategies. This book has a cobbled-together feel to it; readers would be better off purchasing titles that address their specific need.

Library Technology Buying Strategies. Edited by Marshall Breeding. ALA Editions, 2016, 136 pp., ISBN 978-0-8389-1467-0, $55.00 (paper).

This review was originally published in: Catholic Library World. 2016, Vol. 87 Issue 2, p135-135.