Many digital repositories are mostly invisible to online users. Donors and collection managers are often disappointed to find that their collections are not being found by search engines such as Google. While digital collection managers recognize the importance of search engine optimization (SEO), search engines can be a bit of a black box. Practical and experienced guidance is needed. This book represents one of the few resources that focuses on SEO for digital repositories.

The authors explain the differences between black hat and white hat techniques for SEO because search engines are vigilant for dishonest attempts to influence their ranking algorithms and are quick to punish offenders. An introductory chapter explains the basic of search engine indexing and how to improve search results for library websites, which are the wrappers, so to speak, of digital collections.  They describe several methods for optimizing content and metadata so that digital collections are more comprehensible to search engines. A running theme is that digital collection managers need to think of their users, which not only includes online visitors and donors, but also the machine visitors such as index crawlers and spiders.

As to be expected, special attention is given to Google and related resources. The book shows how to use Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools to generate statistics to gauge the effectiveness of SEO efforts. Particular attention is given to Google Scholar and how it differs from Google web search.

The authors stress that SEO is not solely the domain of the IT department, but that it should be an organizational effort. While parts of this book are technical, it will also be useful for archivists, collections managers and administrators at all levels. This book addresses a specific problem, but an important one nevertheless, as the visibility of digital repositories demonstrates their relevance.

This review first appeared in Catholic Library World; December 2013, Vol 84 Issue 2. p.135.

For many library web developers looking for a content management system (CMS), the path of least resistance often leads to WordPress. But given the multitude of customizable options, the blank slate of a fresh installation can be intimidating. This book demonstrates the different ways that WordPress can be used in libraries, broadly as a CMS of course, but also for subject guides, social networks, course management, digital archives, and even blogs (hey, wasn’t that its original purpose?).

In the first half of the book, Jones and Farrington present tried-and-true techniques followed by a catalog of useful plugins. For example, those with Facebook envy can try BuddyPress, which transforms WordPress into a social network. The authors pay particular attention to enhancing the WordPress experience for administrators and content creators. There are numerous screenshots and URLs pointing to additional resources.

The second half of the book features “guest pieces” that range in topic and format. There are a few case studies, an interview, a top-ten list, and some discussions. The examples cover academic, public, and school libraries, and archives. One technical project, “Creating Dynamic Subject Guides,” is a detailed cookbook full of embedded code. Readers who are interested in this project specifically, should consider the available e-book in order to have easier access to the code.

The scattershot approach is one of the book’s strengths, but it can also be a weakness, as some ideas may not be relevant and the topics tend to jump around. While there is a section about installing WordPress, this book is not meant to be a comprehensive technical guide. It’s an idea starter, best placed on a shelf with other WordPress books.

This review first appeared in Catholic Library World; March 2013, Vol 83 Issue 2. p.222.

In an era where every success must be followed by a sequel, ALA TechSource has expanded their set of useful library technology primers, called The Tech Set, from ten books to twenty. If the numbering sequence means anything, then there must be some significance that Breeding was chosen to be the leadoff in both sets, having written #1 Next-Gen Library Catalogs, and now #11 Cloud Computing for Libraries. That’s probably because Breeding can clearly explain library technology to a broad audience without oversimplification.

Cloud computing is a buzzword that is often applied to a wide ranges of services. From simple data storage and web hosting, to software-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service, Breeding differentiates between the services, with general definitions for each type and relevant examples. Many websites and free services are listed. For those that aren’t free, Breeding has the actual costs based on real-world projects.

The best part is the Implementation chapter, which features recipes for specific projects. The projects are arranged from free and simple, such as using Dropbox for cloud-based file storage, to increasingly complex projects, such as using Google for organizational email, or using Amazon S3 to host a library website or multimedia collection. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed for each approach. Generally, the advantage of cloud computing is to free librarians from the routine tasks of maintaining technology infrastructure, and to allow them to focus on services that benefit their patrons.

The wide scope of the projects discussed makes this book useful for libraries of all sizes and budgets and library techies of varying abilities. While the guidelines given should allow librarians to assess their projects practically, as with many technology books, the listed examples become more dated over time. Librarians with dreams of cloud computing are best served starting with this book, sooner rather than later.

This review first appeared in Catholic Library World; December 2012, Vol 83 Issue 2. p.144.