20190318 10992 editor


Letter from the Editor Kenneth J. Varnum 
 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND LIBRARIES | MARCH 2019 1 
https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v38i1.10992 

 

The	current	(March	2019)	issue	of	Information	Technology	and	Libraries	sees	the	first	of	what	I	
know	will	be	many	exciting	contributions	to	our	new	“Public	Libraries	Leading	the	Way”	column.	
This	feature	(announced	in	December	2018)	shines	a	spotlight	on	technology-based	innovations	
from	the	public	library	perspective.	The	first	column,	“The	Democratization	of	Artificial	
Intelligence:	One	Library’s	Approach,”	by	Thomas	Finley	of	the	Frisco	(Texas)	Public	Library,	
discusses	how	his	library	has	developed	a	teaching	and	technology	lending	program	around	
artificial	intelligence,	creating	kits	that	community	members	can	take	home	and	use	to	explore	
artificial	intelligence	through	a	practical,	hands-on,	approach.			

If	you	have	a	public	library	perspective	on	technology	that	you	would	like	to	share	in	a	
conversational,	1000-1500-word	column,	submit	a	proposal.	Full	details	and	a	link	to	the	proposal	
submission	form	can	be	found	on	the	LITA	Blog.	I	look	forward	to	hearing	your	ideas.		

In	addition	to	the	premiere	column	in	this	series,	the	current	issue	includes	the	LITA	President’s	
column	from	Bohyun	Kim	to	update	us	on	the	2019	ALA	Midwinter	meeting,	particularly	on	the	
status	of	the	proposed	ALCTS/LLAMA/LITA	merger,	and	our	regular	Editorial	Board	Thoughts	
column,	contributed	this	quarter	by	Kevin	Ford,	on	the	importance	of	user	stories	in	successful	
technology	projects.	

Articles in this issue cover the topics: improving sitewide navigation; improving the display of 
HathiTrust records in Primo; using linked data to create a geographic discovery system; 
measuring information system project success; a systematic	approach	towards	web	
preservation; and determining textbook cost, formats and licensing.	

I	hope	you	enjoy	reading	the	issue,	whether	you	explore	just	one	article,	or	read	it	“cover	to	cover.”	
As	always,	if	you	want	to	share	the	research	or	practical	experience	you	have	gained	as	an	article	
in	ITAL,	get	in	touch	with	me	at	varnum@umich.edu.	

Sincerely,	

Kenneth	J.	Varnum,	Editor	
varnum@umich.edu	
March	2019