From deciding on new construction, analyzing the site, to working with architects, evaluating the process and assessing the building's effectiveness, Managing Your Library's Construction Project is an inspirational and comprehensive must-have reference.

Written from the perspective of staff members who worked in the Williamsburg Regional Library system during four years of multiple construction projects, this fresh and straight-on text covers both new construction and renovation and additions. The results at Williamsburg are exemplary (one patron commented, "The building is a wedding of books and light, which gives wings to the spirit"). As the Williamsburg staff relates their experiences, the reader is guided through the construction. The book, a collaborative effort of the library's staff, shares directly with the reader the knowledge gained in the process: the reality of costs in choosing priorities, working with architects, contractors, and project managers, patron considerations, and technology upgrades. Also included are ideas for celebratory events, fundraising, and interaction with boards of directors and local government in building a "team." Appendices conclude the work with a summary timeline, technology specifications, and useful charts.

Designed as an introductory text the authors cover all core strategies in the application of modern recombinant DNA technology. The first chapters directly address the applications of polymerase chain reaction to a variety of problems in DNA cloning that are, or have been, extremely challenging using more traditional approaches and technologies. These include cDNA cloning and transcript mapping, mutagenesis as well as the cloning of very long transcripts and protocols using limiting amounts of total RNA. Further chapters describe approaches to subtractive cloning technologies as well as novel specialized expression cloning and library screening strategies. The handbook contains detailed step-by-step protocols and extensive hands-on advice.