Book excerpt: Apple Inc. has sold more than 500 million iPhones, iPads, and iPodTouches. Library patrons are increasingly coming to libraries with the expectation that their Apple devices will work flawlessly with library services—or that they can find an iPad to use at the library if they don’t have one of their own. Libraries and librarians today are expected to be adept with the latest technology and to be able to apply it to popular use as well as scholarly research. Using iPhones and iPads: A Practical Guide for Librarians offers library professionals a clear path to Apple readiness. The authors, a librarian and a software developer at a prominent research library, combine their experience in library public services and mobile technology to provide easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to help you get up to speed on: Ensuring that your library website and online resources are iDevice-friendly Creating a custom app for your library and making it available in iTunes Starting an iPad lending program Using iDevices for librarianship and library work Assessing and advertising iDevice programs Acquiring, configuring, and deploying iDevices to users Recommended apps that can help you and your users Whether you work at a large academic institution or a small public library, this book will show you how to become iDevice-literate quickly and easily.