Describes informal leadership opportunities for library staff. Identifies three key characteristics: vision, courage, and the ability to make things happen through others. Discusses requirements for successfully leading from below; hostile, neutral, and supportive environments; and benefits. (AEF)

Provides background and context for the issue of outsourcing. Illustrates the practice as it exists in libraries. Offers a model for analyzing outsourcing alternatives and a scenario for testing the model, and suggests alternate approaches for management. (Contains 52 references.) (AEF)

Describes the four-step process of designing a library systems office at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC): (1) Collect Data: Why Create a Systems Office; (2) Organize and Present Preliminary Data: Educate and Involve Stakeholders; (3) Identify Actions: Write a Plan; and (4) Implement. Addresses the major problems encountered,…

Presents three articles that discuss customer service in libraries, with a focus on planning for service management, a customer service program for library staff, and a quality improvement process. Highlights include developing and implementing service strategies, dealing with requests, redefining work relationships, coworkers as customers,…

Presents an overview of new trends in library financial support that includes connecting with a new generation of donors, a review of new funding vehicles, and new fund-raising resources. Examines the importance of forming partnerships with donors and working with colleagues in the field of philanthropy. (Author/AEF)

Explores what the library profession can learn from indigenous peoples. Highlights include cooperation, decision making, improving management, using workplace stories to provide reinforcement for success, generosity in service principles, patience, developing information networks, and diversity. (AEF)

Examines how library managers can work with staff to make change initiatives more successful, based on cooperative planning experiences at Duke University Library. Focuses on (1) what the worker wants; (2) barriers to workers getting what they want; (3) technology's liberating influence; and (4) recommendations/predictions. (AEF)

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) for quality programs has seven categories against which organizations are evaluated (leadership, information and analysis, strategic/operational quality planning, human resources, process management, quality/performance results, customer/student satisfaction). A preliminary quality-assessment…

Looks at what makes bookstores so successful today. Examines why exterior and interior spaces are important to libraries; how spaces support the library's mission, goals, and objectives; what libraries can learn from the retail market regarding bookstore merchandising and design; and how this information can benefit libraries. (Author/AEF)

Compares and contrasts the experiences and perceived roles of librarians and architects in the library-design processes of recently completed branch public libraries in three library systems in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia. Discusses the project team, site selection, architect selection, library interiors, and information…

Explain's Duke University Library's change from a hierarchical management structure to one of self-managing teams developed within a total quality management (TQM) framework. Emphasizes the personal views and experiences of a manager responsible for implementing and guiding the process of change. (JKP)

Describes library reorganization at the University of Arizona resulting from fiscal challenges and the need for current technology. Highlights include: the restructuring process and customer focus; team functioning and the learning organization, including training issues, communication, empowerment, and evaluation/assessment; current challenges,…