How to Thrive as a Solo Librarian

How to Thrive as a Solo Librarian is a compilation of chapters by librarians offering advice to colleagues who must work alone or with very limited help. The contributors come from schools and colleges, special and corporate archives, public libraries, and seasoned LIS faculty across the United States and abroad who are familiar with the vigor, dedication, and creativity necessary for solo librarians. As noted in the Foreword, "In many ways, solo librarianship demands more communication and collaboration than librarians might experience in larger multi-employee libraries." Despite the fact that most of the authors are currently working alone in their library or archives, they do not work in a vacuum. These chapters aim to help librarians thrive in the demanding environment that exists for the solo librarian. Topics covered include time management, community involvement, public relations and marketing, professional development, internet-based ideas, administrative tasks, assessing and moving collections, and general overviews. How to Thrive as a Solo Librarian will be useful for all professionals and students in the field of librarianship.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Time Management 1. Solo Librarians as Jugglers - Roxanne Myers Spencer 2. Survive and Thrive as a Solo Librarian - Barbara Fiehn Part II: Community Involvement 3. Building Partnerships - Julie A. Evener 4. A Guide to Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers of All Ages - Tatum Preston 5. Simple Programming Strategies to Enhance Libraries - Cassandra Jackson-Ifie 6. The Solo School Librarian: Creating a Constellation of Community Support - Jess deCourcy Hinds 7. Teen Volunteers to the Rescue! - Cindy Welch Part III: Public Relations and Marketing 8. Advertise the Library? Horrors! - Laurie Selwyn 9. Public Relations: Promoting Yourself and Library Resources When No One Else Will - Andrea Wilcox Brooks 10. Public Relations as Relationship: Saying Yes! - Rhonda Taylor 11. Customer Service Tips for Solo Librarians: Dealing with Patron Problems - Sandra O. Stubbs Part IV: Professional Development 12. Continuing Professional Development - Eva Hornung 13. Professional Growth for the Solo Librarian - Kimberly Mitchell Part V: Internet-Based Ideas for Librarianship 14. Double Your Staff With Instructional Videos - Claudia J. Dold 15. The New Coconino Community College Library: A Librarian, Collaborative Library Services and an Online Library - Estelle Pope 16. No Budget? No Problem! - Eileen Boswell Part VI: Administrative Tasks 17. From Solo Librarian to Super Librarian - Jenny Ryun Foster 18. Oh, Those Dreaded Annual Reports - Virginia L. Eldridge 19. Security Tips for the Solo Librarian - Jonathan Frater 20. Supervision Made Simple: Running a School Library Alone - Rebecca Marcum Parker Part VII: Assessing, Weeding and Moving Collections 21. Placing One Foot in Front of the Other: Learning How to Assess the Collection - Stephanie Renne 22. The Lonely Librarian: A Guide to Solo Weeding - Lara Frater 23. Moving a Library - Holly Lakatos Part VIII: Library Overviews 24. Making a Career-College Library Relevant - David Castelli 25. The One-Man Band: The Solo Librarian Supervising Circulation, Cataloging, Collection Development, Reference and Equipment - Lois Kuyper-Rushing 26. Working as a Solo Librarian in a Large Organization: Running the Labriola National American Indian Data Center - Joyce Martin About the Authors Index

About the Author :
Carol Smallwood has worked as a public library systems administrator and consultant, and in school, academic, and special libraries. She has authored, co-authored, edited, and co-edited several books, including Writing and Publishing: The Librarian's Handbook (2010) and Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook (2010). Her articles have appeared in numerous journals, including American Libraries. Melissa J. Clapp is the Coordinator of Instruction & Outreach at Humanities & Social Sciences Library West, University of Florida. Her most recent publication appears in Collaborative Librarianship.

Review :
With firsthand knowledge of the trials and tribulations of working as a lone librarian, this reviewer appreciates this helpful primer aimed at those flying solo and seeking means to survive and thrive. Smallwood and Clapp have gathered information on a wide range of topics that are enlightening for solo librarians of all types. Each of the 26 chapters in How to Thrive as a Solo Librarian is written in straightforward prose by experienced library practitioners, and each is approximately 10 pages in length. Among the main subjects that warrant multiple chapters are marketing, community involvement, and professional development. Numerous thoughtful tips abound for the solo librarian in this specialized volume. A useful resource for those practicing or considering careers as solo librarians. Smallwood (editor, Librarians as Community Partners), a veteran of public library administration, here oversees another practical book for librarians in the field. With Clapp (Humanities & Social Sciences Lib. West, Univ. of Florida), she presents a collection of pieces by various practitioners who must do it all. The contributed chapters cover time management, community involvement, public relations and marketing, professional development, administrative tasks, and assessing and weeding collections. The work is at times informative and practical....VERDICT Intended primarily for special librarians, who often function alone, and very small public libraries. The audience for this book—librarians who are working alone, or nearly alone—may be larger than many of us suspect. And once again Carol Smallwood has done what she does so well—present a guide, written by a variety of experienced professionals, full of common sense, nuts and bolts advice, and step-by-step instruction. Pragmatic and to the point, the articles contained in How to Thrive as a Solo Librarian are useful for librarians working at libraries of all types and sizes. The book is also a great starting point for those librarians about to embark on major tasks which lie outside of their comfort zone. A wealth of solid, practical advice, this anthology provides essential how-to articles that speak directly to the needs of those solo librarians who do it all. Time and money are often in very short supply for the one person library. This book will give the solo librarian what is most needed—timely, practical advice presented in a concise and readable manner. You're not alone anymore! How to Thrive as a Solo Librarian, written by your fellow solo colleagues, is here to guide and help you. It covers the many facets of solo librarianship including collection development, moving your library, time management, PR & marketing, administrative tasks, as well as the much-needed advice on professional development. You are one amongst many; learn from your experienced friends. In these tough economic times, where so many librarians find themselves wearing several different hats and taking on additional responsibilities, How to Thrive as a Solo Librarian not only offers helpful advice for the solo librarian, but useful ideas for those of us with reduced library staffs and budgets. How to Thrive as a Solo Librarian presents the distilled knowledge of practicing solo librarians in an accessible, helpful way. It will be invaluable on the front lines. This book contains a wealth of practical information and tips on how to manage a one-person library. They cover topics such as prioritization and planning, managing time and workloads, using technology, networking and learning, using volunteers, and marketing. This book is recommended for all types of libraries and library schools Together the editors have found a wealth of knowledge within their contributors, using it to create a practical toolkit that helps professionals overcome the challenges of managing day-to-day library work as well as major projects, while at the same time seeking opportunities to justify funding through public relations and effective fiscal management. While recommended for solo practitioners or those considering careers as solo librarians, the advice in this work suits not only solo librarians but also librarians managing departments (both small and large) within large library organizations. This book is also a great starting point for those librarians about to embark on tasks that may lie outside their comfort zone and is an excellent toolkit for students of librarianship.