Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

 

Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever.

Despite technologies, many basic library activities still lend themselves to analysis and improvement. Author Richard Dougherty provides numerous examples and easy-to-apply tools and techniques that can be used to analyze what libraries are doing, how they are doing it, and how much time is required to do it. These tools include block diagrams, check sheets, flow process charts, work-flow diagrams, flow charts, through-put analysis, self-administered diary studies, and work sampling techniques. Specific examples from all areas of library operations are presented to illustrate how techniques can be applied to analyze what occurs at critical service areas.



Streamlining Library Services provides detailed information on how to diagnose problem areas using such tools as Pareto and fishbone charts; use techniques such as brainstorming and focus groups; organize a work flow study; and build and present cost studies. Special emphasis is placed on activities that should occur after the analysis is concluded, including data analysis as well as reporting study results and making recommendations to management, and guidelines are provided for managers and staff as they strive to streamline activities. The final two chapters should be of special interest to managers. The first chapter is devoted to implementation issues and strategies that must be addressed as new workflows and services are introduced, and the latter chapter focuses on organizational change issues and strategies for building staff support toward change.


Richard M. Dougherty is the founding publisher and editor of the Journal of Academic Librarianship, was the Director of Libraries at the University of Michigan and the University of California at Berkeley, was on the faculty at Syracuse University and the University of Michigan, and served as President of ALA. He has served as a consultant to numerous libraries striving to introduce organizational change and conducted many workshops on change management.


# Paperback: 272 pages

# Publisher: Scarecrow Press (February 2008)

Over 600 exemplary policies, forms, and procedures for college and university libraries



Rebecca Brumleys Public Library Managers Forms, Policies, and Procedures Handbook (Starred Review, Library Journal) revolutionized the way public libraries create their policy and procedures manual. Now Brumley brings her winning formula to the academic library with this invaluable collection of expertly vetted sample policies, forms, and procedures for the college or university environment. This new handbook and CD-ROM package is divided into three parts Student and Faculty Services, Administrative Policies, and Collection Maintenance. Coverage includes:
Borrowing policies for students, faculty, alumni, visiting researchers, and university staff
Guidelines for interlibrary loan, reserves, holds, and recalls
Procedures for reference staffing, services, and resource sharing
Policies for computer workstation and Internet usage
Administrative documents for facilities maintenance, fund raising, exhibits and displays and more


The companion CD-ROM reproduces all 600+ forms, procedures, and policies, which can be used as is or customized for a specific library. This time- and labor-saving tool will find great use in college and university libraries of all sizes.



Hardcover: 425 pages

Publisher: Neal Schuman Pub; Har/DVD edition (August 15, 2007)

Aimed at professionals within the Library and Information Science field, this book aims to provide library managers with the requisite skills to utilize the case study approach as an effective method for problem solving and deliberation. The first chapter discusses the case study as a research tool. The second chapter outlines the processes involved in conducting a case study. An actual case model is presented in the third chapter. The succeeding chapters include case studies written by library management students at Valdosta State University in the USA. The chapters include discussion questions, analyses, and alternative scenarios to provoke further thought and discussion. Key Features: 1. Written from a practitioner's perspective 2. Draws on the author's wide-ranging practical experience as a library director 3. Draws on the experience of library and information science students 4. Guides the reader though the case study process 5. Suggests strategies for establishing and maintaining appropriate political, ethical, and interpersonal relationships for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data and reporting the case study.


Editor: Ravonne Green is an Assistant Professor at Valdosta State University in the MLIS program where she teaches library management courses.


Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Chandos Publishing (Oxford) Ltd (March 26, 2007)

Significantly updated and expanded, the 6th edition of this classic text reflects the many changes that have recently taken place in libraries and library management. Students will acquire important knowledge about the complex and interrelated functions common to all organizations: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. The book introduces new thoughts and techniques alongside those that have stood the test of time and trial. Contemporary examples are given to illustrate discussions on such themes as strategic planning and total quality management. The text exposes students to the technology and the political, economic and social environments that are powerful forces which influence the planning for information services today. At the same time, it outlines new knowledge, skills, and techniques that are required by staff members at every level of an organization's operations. An essential resource and professional guide, this book is a standard text in library management courses

The latest edition of this management classic sports a fresh new look to complement its updated content. It continues to cover all of the important functions involved in library management and development. New chapters on marketing, team building and ethics have been added; thought provoking mini-cases and other activities introduced or expanded; and more international materials referenced than ever before. A perennial favorite in the classroom, an invaluable reference source for information managers everywhere.



About the Author

ROBERT D. STUEART is International Consultant on Strategic Planning for Information Services and for Educational Program Development in Information Management. He is Dean and Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts. He has received ALA's Melvil Dewey Medal, the OCLC-Humphrey's Award for International Librarianship, and the Beta Phi Mu Award. BARBARA B. MORAN is Professor, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.



Paperback: 550 pages

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited; 7 edition (June 30, 2007)

Wikis, podcasts, mashups... Does everyone seem to know what they mean, except you? Or are you reasonably well informed but wondering what challenge to take on next? Following on the success of her "Technology for the Rest of Us", the author has assembled some of the most forward looking thinkers in the library world to describe the next generation of online tools. Each contributor introduces his or favourite technology, outlines its use and discusses its potential in today's library environment.




Table of Content:

Preface Steven Bell
Chapter 1: Web 2.0 and Library 2.0: What Librarians Need to Know (Elizabeth L. Black)
Chapter 2: Library Catalog 2.0 (Michael Casey)
Chapter 3: The Wonderful World of Wikis: Applications for Libraries (Chad Boeninger)
Chapter 4: Podcasting in Libraries (Chris Kretz)
Chapter 5: Handheld Computers in Libraries (Christopher Strauber)
Chapter 6: Mashups and Web Services (Eric Schnell}
Chapter 7: Online Social Networking (Brian S. Mathews)
Chapter 8: Folksonomies and User-Based Tagging (Ellyssa Kroski)
Chapter 9: up,up,down,down,left,right,left,right,a,b,select, start: Learning from Games and Gamers in Library 2.0 (David Ward)
Chapter 10: Library 2.0 and Virtual Worlds = Innovation + Exploration (Lori Bell, Tom Peters, and Kitty Pope)
Chapter 11: Digital Storytelling, Libraries, and Community (Karen Diaz and Anne M. Fields)
Suggested Readings
Index
About the Editor and Contributors

NANCY COURTNEY is Coordinator of Outreach and Learning at the Ohio State University Libraries. Since 2004, she has received two LSTA grants to fund technology training seminars for librarians in Ohio and has tried to make it her personal mission to provide opportunities for non-IT librarians to become familiar with technology topics. She has a B.A. in Classics from Northwestern University and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois.


Paperback: 164 pages

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited Inc.,U.S. (30 Jun 2007)

Addressing the host of challenges and changes facing information service professionals in the coming years, Evans and Ward provide an extensive collection of valuable research and recommendations for the current and future leaders. Arranged in three sections, their book offers background followed by an important section on the development of leadership skills and, finally, real-world experiences drawn from survey responses and conversations with colleagues. The writing is thoughtful, well organized, and straightforward. Each chapter opens with a list of items it will cover and closes with a list of references. "Check This Out" boxes scattered throughout the text cite additional readings, and other text boxes contain tips, definitions of terms, and more. Up-and-coming information professionals will gain insight and knowledge from this inspirational work on the art and science of leadership.



# Paperback: 272 pages

# Publisher: Scarecrow Press (February 2007)

Managing 21st Century Libraries is primarily concerned with creating the circumstances in which people can maximize the use of their talents and generating the opportunities for people to work with others in ways that engage all of the abilities of everyone involved. It is about developing an organization that is an interesting, stimulating, provocative, and effective place to work. Above all, the book is about the ways in which library managers and staff can develop systems for managing contemporary library services, and thus take advantage of the unique combination of circumstances that provide the potential for innovative organization development in the library services of today. It relates important issues in people management to the characteristics of libraries that deal significantly with both digital and printed material.


Paperback: 232 pages

Publisher: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. (January 28, 2005)

Libraries enter into strategic planning by a variety of routes, from dynamic technology and rising costs to budget cuts and pressure for change. In this book, Joe Matthews guides library managers towards a greater understanding of the role and attendant responsibilities of strategic planning. Academic, public, and special librarians alike will benefit from Matthews' cogent explanations, real-life examples, and time-tested recommendations. In the process, Matthews addresses such intrinsic questions as: Why is it important that I add strategic thinking to my managerial arsenal? How will strategic planning benefit my library, and is there more than one way to go about it? What is the best way of monitoring and updating our strategic plan for maximum effect? In each case, he debunks false impressions, attends to the goal of providing good service, and identifies at least one new way to communicate the library's strategic importance in the lives of its customers. Academic, public, and special librarians alike will benefit from Matthews' cogent explanations, real-life examples, and time-tested recommendations.



About the Author

JOSEPH R. MATTHEWS is an internationally renowned expert on library automation and information systems, and president of Matthews & Associates in Carlsbad, California. Titles currently in print include Library Information Systems (with Thomas R Kochtanek, 2002), The Bottom Line (2002), Measuring for Results (2003), and Technology Planning (2004), all with Libraries Unlimited.



Paperback: 168 pages

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited (May 30, 2005)

Both organizational patterns and management strategies have changed significantly in recent years, yet little in the library administration literature takes up new trends and strategies. Social, economic, political, and especially technological influences on the ways that libraries are staffed, organized, and financed are in flux. Effective Library Management is both a practical hands-on guide and an exceptionally well-researched examination of todays results-oriented library management strategies. Evans and Layzell Ward, two of todays most respected library management experts, look at how external forces as diverse as globalization, OCLCs recent marketing decisions, mergers of specialist software houses, new document delivery services, and the growth of electronic archives and virtual libraries affect libraries and how library managers can respond. The ways that all of this change influences communications and work patterns between library colleagues, long-and short-term planning, and organizational models are examined from various angles. New developments are considered both in the collaboration among and the competition between the public and private information delivery services. Other hot-topics treated include making career plans in an age of discontinuity, motivating staff in difficult economic times, and performing effective needs-analyses. An extensive list of additional reading and password-protected access to the books own continually updated Web site is also included.



Paperback: 347 pages

Publisher: Neal-Schuman Publishers (November 2003)

Meet the challenge of operating a successful art library!



The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian examines the unique challenges and vital administrative issues that are at the forefront of current art librarianship. Librarians working in a variety of settings (art, academics, architecture, visual resources, and museums) address professional change and technological challenges, including inadequate staffing and the need to wear multiple hats to cope with day-to-day responsibilities. The book focuses on common practices in the field as well as the individuals who work in art libraries and the collections they maintain.



Instead of the standard primer on art librarianship, this book is an insightful look at how art librarians are unique in terms of the clientele they serve, their subject knowledge, and the variety of environments in which they work. The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian examines pressing everyday issues, including operational management, staff recruitment and training, managing collections, public service and patrons, and developing a personal care plan.



The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian also addresses setting-specific topics, such as:



* developing staffing standards at all levels

* working solo in small art museum libraries

* integrating digitization into visual resource libraries

* handling special collections in architecture libraries

* how culture and mission distinguish academic art libraries from their museum counterparts

* and much more!



The Twenty-First Century Art Librarian provides library professionals and academics with a unique look at current trends in art, architecture, and visual resources librarianship.


# Paperback: 110 pages

# Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (Nov 6 2003)

Ever wonder how major league lobbies (e.g., conservationists, gun owners, seniors, anti-tax groups, and health care industry) gain legislator's attention? How grassroots groups get started? Would you like to learn how to increase credibility and clout with your communities, boards, local officials, and state legislators? If so, look no further, for here is the first comprehensive lobbying handbook for advocates of public and school libraries and information services.


Among the topics covered: an overview of public interest and library lobbying from 1808 to the present day; the lobbying activities of major organizations and pioneering advocates; detailed advice on planning, organizing, and building legislative agendas; game plans for waging and winning political support; how to organize a library legislation day, posting and publicizing voting records; campaign war chest contributions; the preparation and delivery of testimony; and the proper handling of communications with newspapers and the electronic media. Also included are field reports from successful school and public library activists, and a listing of thirty critical issues facing library and information services in the 21st century.


An essential guide for all citizen activists and professional librarians who want to defend, protect, and improve library and information services during economic downturns as well as during "boom" times.



Richard S. Halsey was a library school dean from 1980 until 1993, and served as secretary of New York State Common Cause, executive director of the Citizens' Library Council of New York State, and chair of the Committee for the New York State Library.

Serving the customers is a key concern for all library managers. This collection of original articles offers a practical and strategic approach to developing a customer-service culture. Chapters cover customer satisfaction, staff training and planning, customer services in traditional and virtual libraries. Different from other management texts because it considers core aspects of management from the viewpoint of customer concerns, rather than from the operational requirements of the service, this unique guide is important reading for managers at all levels.



Published by FACET the imprint of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (formerly the British Library Association).

This fully revised and updated edition provides current information on automation and technology and on advocacy to help small public libraries strive to make available the same basic services as larger libraries. This book is written for the directors of these honest-to-goodness small libraries, providing both a philosophical as well as a common sense basis for decision making. Appendices provide sample documents for a librarys Statement of Purpose, worksheets for job descriptions and personnel policies, a volunteer application form, ALA documents (Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics), a list of discount book dealers, and a sample meeting room policy.



About the Author


Sally Gardner Reed, executive director of Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA) is the editor of Creating the Future: Essays on Librarianship in an Age of Great Change (1996) and author of Library VolunteersWorth the Effort! A Program Managers Guide (1994). She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<


Paperback: 178 pages

Publisher: McFarland & Company; 2nd edition (May 2002)

Written by a librarian who has also been a professional fundraiser and by a library fundraiser who is also a public relations professional, this revised and updated book offers an original perspective on the neglected subject of raising money for libraries.


Paperback 138 pages (June 2000)

Publisher: ALA Editions (American Library Association)