Here, we adapt the linker amplified shotgun library (LASL) approach to next generation sequencing by offering an alternate polymerase for challenging samples, developing a more efficient sizing step, integrating a “reconditioning PCR” step to increase yield and minimize late-cycle PCR artifacts. Our optimized linker amplification method requires as little as 1 pg of DNA and is the most precise and accurate available, with amplification biases less than 1.5-fold, even for complex samples as diverse as a wild virus community. While optimized here for 454 sequencing, this linker amplification method can be used to prepare metagenomics libraries for sequencing with next-generation platforms, including Illumina and Ion Torrent.Adapted from the Broad’s LASL Sanger Seq’g Protocol, and optimized for low template work.