When discussing NextGen concerns, common problems are faced in talking about any difference. These include the perception that pointing out differences is exclusionary; the misunderstanding that talking about the issues facing NextGen's means those issues are exclusive to that group; and the problem that people's interaction with individuals tends…

In this article, the author recounts her experience in 2005 as a library director at the Mount Laurel Library in New Jersey. She thought her people at the library were in fairly good shape in terms of the professional staff's understanding of the confidentiality rules governing their customer information. However, she was wrong. This was driven…

From the ascendance of the reference database and web sites offering endless opportunities for cyber-promotion to the crowds swarming through the doors to avail themselves of new computers, the Internet has transformed the way public libraries do business. That is not news. What is exciting, though, is how the Internet continues to change public…

When a challenge gets difficult, it's hard to believe that people challenge instructional materials because they care. It's even harder to remember that educators want the general public, legislators, taxpayers, and parents to care about education. Library media specialists and administrators have the same lens of stress that all adults have,…

Pennsylvania public libraries began receiving increased allotments of state aid in 2000. In the first two years of enhancement aid, total state aid received by Pennsylvania libraries more than doubled. This reversed the trend of little growth in the years preceding 2000. The enhancement aid program also redesigned certain categories of state aid…

Despite a number of savvy strategies, it was a tough year at the polls for libraries. Both building and operating referenda had the lowest passage rates this decade, with only 52% of capital referenda and 57% of operating referenda finding success. In fact, in the 18 years since Library Journal has been tracking these votes, 2005 had the lowest…

The most elemental identifier of a book is the international standard book number (ISBN). It allows publishers, booksellers, and libraries to label works in a consistent way and to distinguish not only among different titles but also among different versions of the same title, such as newer editions, various bindings, audio products, and…

Libraries need to weigh the benefits, usage, and cost-effectiveness of owning collections against seeking alternatives to deliver the information needed by customers. The University of Arizona Library investigated different approaches for meeting the research needs of East Asian Studies faculty and students under great pressure of physical space…

This discussion of potential uses of mediation as a management and communication tool focuses on the library setting. The nature of conflict is considered, and the concept, basic principles, and applications of mediation as a form of conflict resolution are presented. The four steps in the mediation process are then described: (1) Introduction,…

A general criticism of the management by objectives approach is given, the relevant research is detailed, and the possibilities for management by objectives in the academic library are explored. (Author/PF)

A successful experiment was designed to put administrative matters in the hands of non-librarians in order to free librarians for collection development, instruction of students, and involvement with faculty in other university programs. (LS)

This article discusses the background of the controversy in library personnel administration, the theory of compensation, and current practices in 200 libraries (academic, public, government, special). (JAB)

Fiscal austerity in libraries has forced some administrators to consider alternatives such as computerized reference services or non-professional staff at the reference desk for reducing the cost of professional reference service. (JAB)

A response to the editorial "Pitt and the Pendulum" by John Berry, an article concerned with the problems of research libraries in this time of change and uncertainty. (Author/KP)