Management Basics for Information Professionals

The recipient of rave reviews from far and wide (Journal of Hospital Librarianship deemed it "a librarian's dream ... very forward-thinking"), since its initial publication this text has served as an essential resource for both LIS students and practitioners. The new fourth edition offers an updated, comprehensive examination of the myriad of basic skills effective library managers must exercise throughout their careers. Throughout, Evans and new co-author Greenwell pay close attention to management in "new normal" straitened economic conditions and the pervasive impact of technology on a library manager's role. This book's coverage includes a new focus on how being in the public/nonprofit sector influences the application of management basics such as planning, accountability, trust and delegation, decision making, principles of effective organizational communication, fostering change and innovation, quality control, and marketing; the managerial environment, organizational skill sets, the importance of a people-friendly organization, and legal issues; key points on leadership, team-building, and human resource management; budget, resource, and technology management; management ethics, with a lengthy discussion of why ethics matter; and tips for planning a library career, with a look at the work/life debate. This book, to quote Australian Library Journal, is "a recommended text for library science students, but is also an excellent source of information for career librarians wanting to refresh their knowledge of library management in a fast-moving information services environment."

About the Author :
G. Edward Evans, PhD, is a semi-retired, award-winning author and Fulbright Scholar. He holds several graduate degrees in anthropology and library and information science (LIS). Throughout his career, he has been an administrator, researcher, teacher, and writer. As a researcher, he has published in both anthropology and librarianship. He held a Fulbright Fellowship in librarianship as well as a National Science Foundation Fellowship in archaeology. His teaching experience has also been in both fields in the United States and the Nordic countries. Of note, he completed the faculty ladder (assistant to full professor) while teaching at the Graduate School of Librarianship and Information Science at the University of California, Los Angeles. Evans has extensive administrative experience in private academic libraries such as Harvard University and Loyola Marymount University. He retired from full-time work as associate academic vice president for libraries and information resources at Loyola Marymount University. Evans spends his semi-retirement years volunteering at the Museum of Northern Arizona, serving on the Foundation board for the Flagstaff City- Coconino County Library System, and doing professional writing. Stacey Greenwell, EdD, has served the University of Kentucky Libraries since 2001 in several roles, including associate dean for academic affairs and research, head of the Information Commons, and head of Desktop Support. Recently she began working with the information literacy and assessment department to provide instructional design support, teach, and work on research projects. Dr. Greenwell is a Fellow of the Special Libraries Association and has held numerous leadership roles in the organization including chair of the Information Technology Division and founding chair of the Academic Division. She is a standing committee member for the Education and Training Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and is a standing member of the Programme Committee for the European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL). She is a frequent conference presenter and has taught an academic libraries course for the iSchools at Syracuse University and the University of Kentucky.

Review :
The volume provides ample bases for classroom discussion and can serve as a guide for best practices for those in the profession ... Supporting both MIS and MLS curricula, this book will be useful to managers of libraries and related organizations. -- "CHOICE" The work is positioned as a recommended text for library science students, but is also an excellent source of information for career librarians wanting to refresh their knowledge of library management in a fast-moving information services environment and with a goal of moving into higher management and leadership positions ... The contributions by the advisors is not presented as best practice but instead illustrates what can and does happen in libraries in reality. The two principal authors have professional experience in a variety of roles and organizations, and this is very evident in the attention to detail they bring to the subject. -- "Australian Library Journal"