In December 2006, the Missouri River Regional Library (MRRL) in Jefferson City, embarked on a journey. They had been watching the Public Library of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), NC, on its adventure through the wilds of Web 2.0, and they decided to follow the trail it had blazed. What PLCMC had done was pretty revolutionary. The library…

Public libraries must operate in a time of increasing change, both within the library community and throughout the larger social and economic environments in which the library must function. This book is a guide to the strategic management of change in community libraries. It addresses the unique circumstances and needs of public libraries and…

Librarianship has undergone a radical change in recent years, which will be continued in the future. Whereas previously the administration of media was most important, nowadays an ever increasing willingness to provide a service is required. In addition to the essential restructuring of libraries, a generational change is taking place within the…

In the first edition of this book, the concepts of marketing and planning library and information services were presented as effective managerial strategies. Several paragraphs from the introduction to the first edition are reproduced, with author commentary, in this edition as an affirmation that the message is still true. In this second edition,…

Identifies research topics related to outcomes assessment in a networked environment and discusses issues affecting these topics. Proposes a framework to relate traditional evaluation components and terminology to the networked environment and identifies factors in the networked environment that affect assessment methods. Suggests outcomes…

Addresses the students' perspective of library employment. Discusses a study conducted at the University of Virginia (1987) on student attitudes and library employment practices, and provides 12 recommendations for better management. Also notes the implication of part-time work, the importance of using performance measures, and the benefits of…

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,…

Discusses the ancient library at Alexandria and describes plans for the development of the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The administrative organization is discussed; the building design is explained; international cooperation between Egypt, UNESCO, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), and the library community is described; and future…

Users Council has proven itself to be a critically important element in the Online Computer Library Center's (OCLC) organizational structure. In fulfilling its combined roles, Users Council has provided a national forum for articulating member library interests to OCLC as well as a training ground for preparing individuals with library expertise…

Discusses the National Science Foundation (NSF)/United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)/National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) Research in Digital Libraries Initiative (DLI). Highlights include benefits of digital libraries; the Federal High Performance Computing and Communications Program (HPCC); and program…

School library media specialists (SLMSs) in the Rochester (Michigan) Community Schools decided it was crucial to come to a consensus about key roles of SLMSs in successful school library media programs. They identified the following roles: information specialist, instructional partner, and program administrator. To educate administrators, staff…

Shifts in networked technologies have removed the need to store information geographically close to students, staff, and faculty on college campuses. This shift has put libraries on the offense to remain vital to the campuses they serve. As the library of the future emerges, new models for decision making that place an emphasis on the teaching and…

Designed as a simple how-to guide, this revised handbook presents guidelines for setting up a church or synagogue library or revitalizing an existing one. The first section, "Begin with a Purpose," advocates preparing a statement of purpose. The second step, "Be Prepared," discusses the importance of the planning process.…

This guide demonstrates strategic ways of developing and implementing successful library media programs and offers step- by-step strategies for achieving a balance between leadership and collaboration. The book is divided into two parts. Part I: "The Environment" addresses the components of the school environment--the students, curriculum and…

This guide presents practical information about planning a school library media center budget in consideration of the goals and objectives of the district, the school, and of the particular programs involved, both for the year under consideration, and for the future. Three chapters are devoted to discussions of initiating a budget, the Iowa budget…