In his article "The McDonaldization of Academic Libraries?" Brian Quinn explores to what extent and to what effect academic libraries have become "McDonaldized," according to the concept developed by sociologist George Ritzer. Quinn identifies a number of ways in which the four dimensions of…

Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) was an efficiency expert whose concerns were less about avoiding worker fatigue and more about increasing profit margins by any means necessary. Taylor was devoted to finding the One Best Way to carry out a task and then training workers to do that task unvaryingly; attempts by employees to improve their own…

The paper describes the introduction of Web 2.0 techniques and tools at the Yarra Plenty public library in Victoria, beginning with library staff. The author argues that as libraries move from Web 1.0 type delivery systems to the social networking world of Library 2.0 librarians need to deploy and make accessible these radically different systems,…

This second part of an article on sexual harassment and libraries features stories of library workers who have suffered sexual harassment. Highlights include problems from men and women; homosexuality issues; harassment from supervisors, employees being supervised, co-workers, and patrons; and the involvement of Equal Employment Opportunity…

Discusses aspects of a good system for library employee performance appraisal, stressing the importance of treating workers as adults and making the appraisal process a two-way exchange. The role of the line supervisor and how to deal with poor performance are also addressed. (MES)

Discusses four themes related to resolving difficulties in library personnel evaluation: (1) the importance of clearly defining performance evaluation and its goals; (2) negotiation theory for dealing with negative results of personnel evaluation; (3) development of a perspective on conflict management; and (4) assertiveness as a foundation for…

Discusses issues concerning AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) that affect library management. Topics addressed include the need for appropriate information and training for staff; suggestions for establishing a library program; and implications of the Americans with Disabilities Act. (Contains 14 references.) (LRW)

Employees are valuable. The cost of hiring, training, and retaining staff--not just librarians, but all staff--generally makes up the largest part of a library's budget. Since library support staff usually comprise 60-80 percent of the work force, it makes perfect fiscal sense to motivate this segment of employees to stay. There is an even more…

Discussion of care and planning given to the implementation of an automated library system highlights informing the staff in the early stages, project management, involvement of the entire staff, the control log, time and money, where and when to go online, and implementation consultants. (EJS)

Discusses creativity as an essential component of effective library management. Creative organizations are characterized as encouraging staff to take calculated risks and tolerating their failures; structuring work groups to maximize creativity; investing in staff development; providing adequate resources for programs and staff; and hiring highly…

Legislation affecting scientific libraries in Finland is reviewed in the areas of staffing, inter-library cooperation, library financing, qualifications for scientific library posts, economic administration, and planning. (RAO)

Proposes a systematic procedure for analyzing performance problems in the library which is intended to minimize costly misjudgments and guide the manager toward remedial steps likely to resolve the problem(s). The nature of performance discrepancies, skill deficiencies, job descriptions, and personal problems is discussed. (EJS)

Discusses the need for management information and decision support systems in libraries, and identifies inertia and confusion as the main contributors to the lack of successful implementations. An attempt to initiate a decision support system at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is described, and both problems encountered and benefits gained are…

Designing curricula around the standards, with clearly delineated strategies, expectations, and evaluative procedures, is thought to assure that growth in student achievement may be tracked. While this process can sometimes be nebulous, one thing is certain: clearly understanding what is involved in reaching a degree of excellence and determining…

Identifies the tasks that the library administrator must complete if the collection is to successfully withstand censorship. Using an analogy of the construction, arming, and manning of a "citadel," a strategy is presented which is adaptable to the broadest range of attack on collection, acquisition, and dissemination policies of…