This book, first published in 1991, presents a variety of insightful perspectives on how proper human resources management strategies can provide library staff members at all levels with the skills needed for libraries of the future. The shift of the concept of management from control to development means that library administrators must adapt to a more inclusive definition of the human resources field. In addition to such administration activities as recruitment, wage and payroll management, and benefits, human resources management now encompasses all activities that promote greater job satisfaction and support the development of individuals within the context of the workplace. This valuable book examines some of the procedures that can help library managers identify the human resources in their organizations; design and implement programs, policies, and procedures to address these issues; and commit the necessary resources to support the full development of all library staff.

The services provided by the twenty-first century medical library are evolving, from circulating print materials, interlibrary loan, and traditional reference desk services to services like in depth literature searches, systematic reviews, and research impact studies. To support these changing services, the medical library must re-evaluate, reassess and redeploy its staff, providing them with new opportunities to grow and develop in new areas to support the evolving needs of the library. However, staff cannot be expected to embrace new roles without buy in, training and without developing a plan for assessing whether or not they are successful in their new roles. Transforming Medical Library Staff for the Twenty-First Century focuses on how the medical library can redeploy its staff to support these new services through actively engaging and empowering them in the process. This book shares best practices in developing and motivating staff to accept and welcome the changing priorities of medical libraries.

Workplace culture refers to conditions that collectively influence the work atmosphere. These can include policies, norms, and unwritten standards for behavior. This book focuses on various aspects of workplace culture in academic libraries from the practitioners' viewpoint, as opposed to that of the theoretician. The book asks the following questions: What conditions contribute to an excellent academic library work environment? What helps to make a particular academic library a great place to work? Articles focus on actual programs while placing the discussion in a scholarly context. The book is structured into 14 chapters, covering various aspects of workplace culture in academic libraries, including: overview of workplace culture, assessment, recruitment, acclimation for new librarians, workforce diversity, physical environment, staff morale, interaction between departments, tenure track/academic culture, mentoring/coaching, generational differences, motivation/incentives, complaints/conflict management, and organizational transparency. - Includes the most current best practices and models in academic libraries - Represents the viewpoints of both the employee and manager - Focuses on the academic library as workplace rather than as a service provider

Creating Research Infrastructures in the 21st-Century Academic Library: Conceiving, Funding, and Building New Facilities and Staff focuses on research infrastructures, bringing together such topics as research and development in libraries, dataset management, e-science, grants and grant writing, digital scholarship, data management, library as publisher, web archiving, and the research lifecycle. Individual chapters deal with the formation of Research & Development teams; emerging scholarly forms and new collaborative approaches to knowledge creation, dissemination, and preservation; managing small databases requiring the same level of support as large databases: metadata, digital preservation and curation, and technical support. Motivation for such services is provided in a chapter that considers how assessment and data now drive decisions and new services in higher education in general and academic libraries in particular and how statistical data can help to tell stories, make decisions, and move in new directions. Conceptualization of the research process also receives attention through the presentation of a research lifecycle in the university environment with the library as an integral partner and leader. Also, a topic that is increasingly important: the library as publisher, with new institutional repositories tied to journal creation, curation, and management is examined with a discussion of the workflow and expertise necessary for the library to be successful and responsive to the research needs of its institution, and become a leader in providing publishing services to its faculty. A related topic, Web archiving in libraries is explored in a chapter that includes discussions on the process of establishing buy-in and legal permission, the policies and procedures, and the technology necessary for its success. All of these efforts require funding and chapters are included that address this need: finding funding outside of the university for support of the library is now a necessary and vital part of academic libraries: guidelines and steps for how to write a grant and be successful at obtaining outside funds. A second chapter deals with the problem of developing a grant-seeking culture in the library, what some of the barriers are to the grant-writing process and how to create a reward system for a grant-writing culture. The volume concludes with two case studies related to implementing research data management services at two liberal arts colleges. They demonstrate that the integration of data management services for undergraduate and faculty research in liberal arts colleges is just as important as it is for the large research universities, and that new service models should be incorporated so that all librarians and library staff participate in this integration in their duties and responsibilities. It is hoped that this volume, and the series in general, will be a valuable and exciting addition to the discussions and planning surrounding the future directions, services, and careers in the twenty-first-century academic library.

This book helps readers explore how public librarians have reinvented the ways they bring people and information together to meet 21st-century challenges. Public Libraries in the 21st Century provides an up-to-date picture of what the public library is today, what the public librarian needs to know, and how to apply that knowledge. The book offers a thought-provoking exploration of the social, political, economic, cultural, and technological influences that determine the role of the public library in our society. It also looks at ways in which that role continues to change to meet new challenges, while always keeping true to the mission of bringing people and information together. Beginning in the latter half of the 20th century, the library reinvented and repositioned itself to be a force for people and their interaction with information. To illuminate that process, the book outlines the history and purpose of the public library. Issues of leadership, planning, decision making, organizing, and staffing are discussed, as is the impact of technology on how the library is managed and how it serves the community.

Libraries of all types have undergone significant developments in the last few decades. The rate of change in the academic library, a presence for decades now, has been increasing in the first decade of this century. It is no exaggeration to claim that it is undergoing a top to bottom redefinition. Cataloging and reference remain central to its new role, and the circulation of books is still high though declining. Among the changes is the architecture of the library: when new libraries replace old or where renovation is occurring; the role of technology at every stage and in every library application; the management of serials – selection, shelving and budgeting; and in a gradual but irrevocable move to digital forms, altered allocation of resources including larger portions of the budget diverted to preservation, not only of aging books, a theme in the latter part of the last century, but of digital files – cultural, historical, personal. In brief, the academic library is dramatically different today than it was only ten years ago. And with it, the profession of the academic librarian is also undergoing significant changes. Managing digital resources in all its forms, from telecommunications to storage and access devices, is central to its new roles. Creating, curating and preserving digital information is also key to the new librarianship. And what about services to its clients? Here also we see dramatic change, particularly but not exclusively with guiding library users in the effective use of networked knowledge. Information literacy is a key term and skill in using the new tools of digital literacy: reading and writing, searching and extracting; and the new technologies that drive social networking – the Iphone, Ipad, and Ipod and its many imitators. We can’t expect the redefined academic library to assume its final shape any time soon, if ever, but the transformation is well underway. This series: Creating the 21st-Century Academic Library, will explore this topic from a number of different perspectives. Volume 1, Visionary Leadership and Futures, will begin the discussion by examining some of the new roles and directions academic libraries are taking.

This unique volume gives a truly international overview over the modern history and development of libraries and library technology in selected countries of the world. The careful selection of countries achieves good representation of library work on all continents, covering examples of both the developed and the developing world. A further volume with further national profiles is planned for 2012. This multivolume work represents an excellent contribution to international librarianship and allows comparative studies both at graduate and professional level. Many of the contributors are well-known authors; closely involved in the work of IFLA or their own national library associations.

Librarianship is both an art and a science. Librarians study the science of information and how to work with clients to help them find solutions to their information needs. They also learn quickly that there is an art to working with people, to finding the answers to tough questions using the resources available and knowing which information resources to use to find the information being sought in short order. But, what technical skills do librarians need to be successful in the future? How can library managers best develop their staffs for success? Developing Librarian Competencies for the Digital Age explores questions such as: What is the composition of a modern library collection? Will that collection look different in the future? What are the information sources and how do we manage those? What are the technical skills needed for a 21st century librarian? How will reference services change and adapt to embrace new ways to interact with library patrons or clients? What kinds of library skills are needed for the librarian of today to grow and thrive, now and into the future? How will service models change to existing clients and how will the model change going into the future of librarianship? What kinds of budgeting challenges are there for libraries and the administrators who oversee these libraries? What do the library professional organizations see as the core skills needed for new graduates and those practicing in the profession going into the future? In answering those questions, the book identifies specific digital skills needed for success, ways of developing those skills, and ways of assessing them.

This collection of enlightening and stimulating articles, written by some of the most important figures in school librarianship, demonstrates how teacher-librarians, classroom teachers, and administrators can work together to create a 21st century school library media program. With topics that emphasize student success, leadership, partnerships, curriculum design, collaborative planning and teaching, literacy, 21st century skills, emerging technologies, and so much more, this compendium brings together the best of the best discussions. The practicing teacher-librarian, as well as the student seeking to expand his or her knowledge of the field, will find this compilation especially beneficial in providing an overview of the most critical issues related to the role the teacher-librarian plays in their school. The articles, previously published in the peer-reviewed Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals with several included from the magazine VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates, reveal how school libraries and teacher-librarians are moving forward to meet the challenges of this new century.