Improve the delivery of library services by implementing total quality management (TQM), a system of continuous improvement employing participative management and centered on the needs of customers. Although TQM was originally designed for and successfully applied in business and manufacturing settings, this groundbreaking volume introduces strategies for translating TQM principles from the profit-based manufacturing sector to the library setting. Integrating Total Quality Management in a Library Setting shows librarians how to improve library services by implementing strategies such as employee involvement and training, problem-solving teams, statistical methods, long-term goals and thinking, and an overall recognition that the system (not the staff) is responsible for most inefficiencies.Total Quality Management in a Library Setting describes the principles of TQM, its origins, and the potential benefits and barriers to be expected when adopting quality management approaches in libraries. Chapters provide guidelines for planning and implementation to help libraries use total quality management to break down interdepartmental barriers and work on continuously improving library services. The contributors, who have begun to think about using or who are already using TQM in a library setting, present specific planning and implementation issues that can be put to immediate use in libraries. With this innovative book, library managers will learn that by working together on problem solving teams to address specific operational questions, and by developing a shared knowledge of problem-solving tools and techniques, staff members grow personally and gain a larger sense of organizational purpose. Other TQM methods introduced in this book include the concept of the internal customer, which teaches staff to recognize how other staff members use the results of their work, and the principle of continuous improvement, which enables libraries to set measurable goals based on quantitative performance indicators, and to monitor progress toward those goals.

Here is an in-depth book on the process of evaluating your acquisitions and collection management programs. No project, no matter how ingenious or innovative, will be granted support by a funding agency without a solid evaluation plan. Evaluating Acquisitions and Collection Management discusses the reasons evaluation is held in such high regard by administrators. The authors describe a variety of evaluation activities that cover both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The first section of the book covers current trends and the impact on collection development and acquisitions, and how the evaluation of collections can reveal patterns of program support that can then be compared between peer institutions. Other topics include the process of assigning relative value to acquisitions activities, performance appraisal, and methods for improving procedures of acquiring materials. Acquisitions librarians and administrators will find this book extremely helpful in streamlining their acquisitions and collection management programs.

Here is unique volume offering practical advice on weeding and maintaining reference collections. It covers different types of libraries--academic, corporate, public--and problems, and librarians describe in detail methods and criteria used by their libraries in weeding their reference collections. Dr. Pierce has organized the topics of her book into relevant chapters. These chapters, bound to appeal to a variety of needs, address and discuss the problems and management of growing reference collections. As many librarians find weeding reference books a difficult task, most reference departments suffer from a lack of space as a result. Collection growth reduces shelf and seating space, and both books and people are lost in the clutter. In reading this essential book, reference supervisors will come to understand the importance of allowing reference area growth combined with effective weeding to promote an attractive and well-stocked reference area. Heads of reference will find Weeding and Maintenance of Reference Collections full of useful information, from the specific criteria and detailed methods contributed by several librarians who have found success in weeding their reference collections, to the practical hints on planning and evaluating collection contents and organization. Students and faculty of library schools and information studies will gain insight into successful management of increasing amounts of reference material as the Information Age gathers momentum into the 1990s.

A diverse nation from its beginnings, the United States is increasingly faced with the challenge of absorbing new immigrant groups and creating a tolerance for a plurality of cultures. As agencies known to preserve cultural heritage, libraries and their collections must be truly representative of the pluralistic populations they serve. This book overviews cultural diversity in libraries and helps redefine the nature of public and academic libraries in a multicultural society.

Throughout this volume, the authors note that librarians are searching for a more relevant cultural identity for their institutions by asking what the nature of librarianship is, what sort of a library do they work in, what sort of a library should they strive to create in the future, and what sort of a population does their library serve. To address these questions, this book provides an historical overview of the response of libraries to multiculturalism, education and research in multicultural librarianship, the impact of demographic trends on library patrons, and administrative concerns. Several case studies exemplify the discussion.

Most graduate programs offer a course in the management of a library. These courses, cover budgeting, supervising, marketing, providing services and other necessary functions and their related management concepts. Such courses are critical in giving beginning librarians the grounding in the study of management. However, anyone who has ever held any kind of management position, such as managing a program, directing a grant or running the entire library, can tell you that understanding the basics of management is not enough to be successful on the job. Not only do we need to continue our study of management but we also need to understand the unwritten rules, the unwritten strategies, and the unwritten wisdom which is either gained on the job, learned by observing others, or, if the librarian is very fortunate, taught by a mentor. Sometimes this knowledge, finally gained, comes at too high a price or is learned too late. A career inexplicably stalled, a desired position not gained, the failure to thrive in a current position can leave us puzzled, confused and hurt. After all, we worked hard every day.Every day, we concentrated on the job often sacrificing time with family and friends. What went wrong? These are the issues answered in this book. This is not a conventional management text. You will not get, for example, the history of management, the basics of budgeting or personnel and labor laws. Instead the focus is on nuances of behavior, political strategies, common wisdom, mentor-like advice, and the subtle codes, which, when paired with other management skills, will bring increased success on the job and throughout your career. It does not matter what type of library you are in-management is management, wisdom is wisdom. What Every Library Director Should Know is the insider's view of vital actions, behaviors and strategies to succeed in every type of library. The content is based both on the author's direct experience after a long career in several types of libraries but also on the direct observation of other managers. Inset into the book are pearls of wisdom from other directors, managers and observers who are answering the question, what is the one piece of management wisdom that you would give to anyone who wishes to become a library director?This book will help to get you there by explaining and illustrating the wisdom that is mostly unwritten and which mostly moves in subtle communication.

The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), used in 200,000 libraries across 140 countries, has entered a new age, primarily maintained today as a continuously revised electronic system rather than an occasionally updated set of print volumes. Its editors have added newly emerging topics and made it an increasingly faceted, semantically rich, modern system. Simultaneously, the editorial process has become democratised and more responsive to global needs. A Handbook of History, Theory and Practice of the Dewey Decimal Classification System is a comprehensive, practical guide to today’s DDC. Coverage includes: · a brief history of the system, its editors, and its development · specialized examinations of specific parts of the classification · extensive guidance on number building, with many examples · a WebDewey-specific chapter, covering the system’s benefits and features · concise summaries of primary takeaways, a glossary, and extensive bibliography. This book will be an indispensable guide to 21st-century DDC, an essential companion for DDC classifiers, and accessible for students and continuing learners as well.

In this unconventional management book, author Susan Carol Curzon presents a different take on traditional library management tools. Through personal narrative and anecdotes from other working professionals, Curzon presents the many everyday challenges one meets as a library manage.

Volume 8 of the series Creating the 21st-Century Academic Library is focused on new services, directions, job duties and responsibilities for librarians in academic libraries of the 21st century. Topics include research data management services, web services, improving web design for library interfaces, cooperative virtual reference services, directions on research in the 21st-century academic library, innovative uses of physical library spaces, uses of social media for disseminating scholarly research, information architecture and usability studies, the importance of special collections and archival collections, and lessons learned in digitization and digital projects planning and management. Data management services are highlighted in the context of a consortium of smaller liberal arts and regional institutions who share a common institutional repository. Survey research plays a role in a number of chapters. One provides insight into how academic libraries are currently approaching web services, web applications, and library websites. A second survey is used to explore the role of librarians as web designers, and provides detailed information related to job titles, job duties, time percentages related to duties, and other duties outside of web design. Comments of those surveyed are included and make interesting reading and a deeper understanding of this new function in libraries. More generally, is a survey study exploring how librarians feel about the changes that are currently happening within the profession, as well as how these changes have personally affected their job duties and their current job assignments. Case studies are include one that features QuestionPoint in the context of a cooperative virtual reference service; another shows how research and scholarship can be disseminated using social media tools such as blogs, Twitter, ResearchGate and Google Scholar, among others; a other studies explore the importance of user engagement and buy-in before moving forward on digitization; and one shows how information architecture and usability emerge from the redesign of a public library website and whose successful completion involves user surveying, focus groups, peer site reviews, needs analysis, and usability testing. Two chapters deal with the changing legal context: the importance and understanding of copyright and author rights in the 21st-century academic library, and the basics Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). It is hoped that this volume, and the series in general, will be a valuable and exciting addition to the discussions and planning surrounding the future directions, services, and careers in the 21st-century academic library.

The Special Collections Handbook, Third Edition is a comprehensive desk reference providing the essential principles, skills, and knowledge to manage special collections in any setting and covering all aspects of special collections work: preservation; developing collections; understanding objects; emergency planning; security; legal and ethical concerns; cataloguing; digitisation; marketing; outreach; teaching; impact; advocacy, and fundraising. This new edition has been revised and updated to incorporate the many developments in the field, reflecting the growth and dynamism of the sector and the complexity of the environment in which we operate. This will include: Enriched and updated guidance on decolonising collections management and all other elements of special collections work working towards zero-carbon buildings, preservation, and other aspects of special collections work lessons/impact of Covid-19: managing remote access by staff and users, emergency planning, health and safety, risk assessments new legislation affecting special collections, notably in the UK the Data Protection Act 2018 new and revised standards, such as the new British Standards relating to collections care, BS EN 16893 and BS 4971, which replace PD5454 new and emerging technologies in collections discovery, digitisation, digital resource and digital libraries, and how to manage them and build capacity. Particular attention will be paid to the implications of the ‘digital shift’ and the place of special collections in online and hybrid learning. Comprehensive and written in a highly accessible manner, The Special Collections Handbook, Third Edition will be an essential resource for staff working with special collections in a wide range of settings, including academia, public libraries, religious organisations, museums, and at scales from solo librarians to ‘nationals’.

Compliance is one of the component of the widely discussed GRC (governance, risk, and compliance) framework, which integrates three key elements of organizational strategy, the other two being governance and risk. The GRC framework encompasses all aspects of organizational strategy and operations, including those that involve the creation, collection, retention, disclosure, ownership, and use of information by companies, government agencies, and non-profit entities. Information governance develops strategies, policies, and initiatives to maximize the value of an organization's information assets. Information risk management is responsible for identifying, analyzing, and controlling threats to those assets. Information compliance seeks to align an organization's information-related policies and practices with applicable requirements. Academic researchers, legal commentators, and management specialists have traditionally viewed compliance as a legal concern, but compliance is a multi-faceted concept. While adherence to legal and regulatory requirements is widely acknowledged as a critical component of compliance initiatives, it is not the only one. Taking a broader approach, this book identifies, categorizes, and provides examples of information compliance requirements that are specified in laws, regulations, contracts, standards, industry norms, and an organization's code of conduct and other internal policies. It also considers compliance with social and environmental concerns that are impacted by an organization's information-related policies and practices. The book is intended for compliance officers, information governance specialists, risk managers, attorneys, records managers, information technology managers, and other decision-makers who need to understand legal and non-legal compliance requirements that apply to their organizations' information assets. It can also be used as a textbook by colleges and universities that offer courses in compliance, risk management, information governance, or related topics at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level.

Focusing on the management of serials in libraries and the role of serials in scholarly communications, this book combines descriptive and prescriptive approaches to illuminate major serials management issues. Unlike other works on the subject, this text emphasizes collection management issues-serials evaluation/selection criteria, cancellation, weeding, document delivery, budgeting, decision models, use studies, journal ranking, and the application of citation analysis (including use of the Journal Citation Reports and Bradfordian distribution). The author also discusses the implications of the Internet and World Wide Web for serials management. Other topics include types of serials, serials history, serials automation, electronic journals, technical services processing, and copyright issues. Appendixes list and annotate relevant World Wide Web sites, pertinent bibliographies, and sources of statistical data about serials. Significant research is often cited. There are extensive footnotes, and bibl

An interdisciplinary volume of essays identifying the impact of technology on the age-old cultural practice of collecting as well as the opportunities and pitfalls of collecting in the digital era. Seminal to the rise of human cultures, the practice of collecting is an expression of individual and societal self-understanding. Through collections, cultures learn and grow. The introduction of digital technology has accelerated this process and at the same time changed how, what, and why we collect. Ever-expanding storage capacities and the accumulation of unprecedented amounts of data are part of a highly complex information economy in which collecting has become even more important for the formation of the past, present, and future. Museums, libraries, and archives have adapted to the requirements of a digital environment, as has anyone who browses the internet and stores information on hard drives or cloud servers. In turn, companies follow the digital footprint we leave behind. Today, collecting includes not only physical objects but also the binary code that allows for their virtual representation on screen. Collecting in the Twenty-First Century identifies the impact of technology, both new and old, on the cultural practice of collecting as well as the challenges and opportunities of collecting in the digital era. Scholars from German Studies, Media Studies, Museum Studies, Sound Studies, Information Technology, and Art History as well as librarians and preservationists offer insights into the most recent developments in collecting practices.

This is "ALAO"'s first nation specific volume. It represents part of an effort to further internationalize the journal's contents and interests. The volume's papers describe the Library & Information Science community in Finland, outline the history of Library & Information Science in the country and reviews the scientific achievements of its Library & Information Science scholars. These papers deal with some universal themes and topics in Library & Information Science research and practice and demonstrate the unique Library & Information Science contribution Finnish scholars/practitioners bring to these problems and issues. This book series is available electronically at website.

This book discusses an archival turn in the work of contemporary Caribbean writers and visual artists across linguistic locations and whose work engages critically with various historical narratives and colonial and postcolonial records. This refiguration opens a critical space and retells stories and histories previously occluded in/by those records, and in spaces of the public sphere. Through poetics and aesthetics of fragmentation largely influenced by music and popular culture, their work encourages contrapuntal ways of (re)thinking histories; ways that interrogate the influence of colonial narratives in processes of silencing but also centre the knowledge found in oral histories and other forms of artistic archives outside official repositories. Discussing literature and selected artwork by artists from Britain, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, Memory and the Archival Turn in Caribbean Literature and Culture demonstrates the historiographical significance of artistic and cultural production.

Without question, reference collections have changed. We are in the midst of a paradigm shift where publishers are focusing on a future with electronic content and full-text interfaces; classic reference sources are being transformed into online interactive products; and the use of print continues to decline. Despite this relentless shift, some libraries cannot afford a complete transformation to e-reference and depend on print and free Web-based sources for added support. Students, however, are turning to search engines and Wikipedia as starting points for their research, leaving vetted content out-of-sight, and consequently, out-of-mind. E-Reference Context and Discoverability in Libraries: Issues and Concepts consists of over 20 informative chapters by librarians, publishers, and other industry professionals that propose new ideas for reinventing reference collections and interfaces to fit the needs of today s researchers. The chapters examine the issues of reference context and discoverability in school, public, and academic libraries, as well as within the reference publishing community. Librarians, publishers, and those studying library and information science are the book s primary audience, but others in the information industry, particularly those with an interest in reference, will find significant value here as well. View the brochure now to learn more

This volume comprises papers prepared for the 8th World Conference on Continuing Professional Development (Bologna, Italy, 18-20 August 2009). Within the broad theme of creating a positive work environment for a multi-generational workforce in library and information organizations, the conference addresses managing between and across generations, mentoring and coaching, attracting people to the profession and developing a new generation of leaders, re-skilling and transferability of skills, succession planning and passing on knowledge.

One of the characteristics of the final decade of this century is the treatment of information as a commodity. As the world becomes increasingly dominated by information and its technology, in all its facets, librarians must learn to integrate all the new developments into daily practice. "It is to the extent to which we shall succeed in developing powerful information networks through efficient information transfer that we shall succeed in contributing to the betterment of health throughout our nations". It is this challenge which medical librarians from some 34 countries set for themselves in convening the Third European Conference of Medical Libraries in Montpellier, France, in September 1992. All aspects of medical information were addressed - the technical aspects of transfer, ethical and legal issues, costs, benefits, rights and responsibilities, quality assurance, guidance systems, communications technology, education and training both of information professionals and end-users were discussed and debated in depth in Montpellier. This volume presents an accurate account of a conference which has made a significant contribution to the development of medical librarianship in Europe and the wider world.

Dirty data is a problem that costs businesses thousands, if not millions, every year. In organisations large and small across the globe you will hear talk of data quality issues. What you will rarely hear about is the consequences or how to fix it. Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data draws on classification expert Susan Walsh's decade of experience in data classification to present a fool-proof method for cleaning and classifying your data. The book covers everything from the very basics of data classification to normalisation and taxonomies, and presents the author's proven COAT methodology, helping ensure an organisation's data is Consistent, Organised, Accurate and Trustworthy. A series of data horror stories outlines what can go wrong in managing data, and if it does, how it can be fixed. After reading this book, regardless of your level of experience, not only will you be able to work with your data more efficiently, but you will also understand the impact the work you do with it has, and how it affects the rest of the organisation. Written in an engaging and highly practical manner, Between the Spreadsheets gives readers of all levels a deep understanding of the dangers of dirty data and the confidence and skills to work more efficiently and effectively with it.

This volume includes a series of papers designed to help administrators meet the challenges of running organizations in an ambiguous climate. All of the articles address real management problems from a research perspective. The volume leads with a bibliometric study designed to help us understand the development of library science and higher education as disciplines and follows with a piece on the importance of place for libraries, a study of interactive services and professional culture within librarianship and then pieces on staff development and mentoring. Then we look at the work processes of research librarians and management education for librarians. Finally, we look at service programs aimed at the Hispanic population and provide a location analysis of public libraries in Calcutta. As in past volume, this edition of ALAO includes an eclectic collection of strong papers that convey the results of the kind of research that managers need, mixing theory with a good dose of pragmaticism. The resulting volume adds significant value to our literature as the essays it contains treats classic problems in new ways.
*Includes papers designed to help library administrators meet challenges in the profession
*Mixes theory and pragmatics to provide a valuable resource
*Essays treat classic problems in new ways

From the Forward by Michael Lesk: Google has now developed services far beyond text search. Google software will translate languages and support collaborative writing. The chapters in this book look at many Google services, from music to finance, and describe how they can be used by students and other library users. Going beyond information resources, there are now successful collaboration services available from Google and others. You can make conference calls with video and shared screens using Google Hangouts, Writing documents with small numbers of colleagues often involved delays while each author in sequence took over the writing and made edits. Today Google Docs enables multiple people to edit the same document at once. An ingenious use of color lets each participant watch in real time as the other participants edit, and keeps track of who is doing what. If the goal is to create a website rather than to write a report, Google Sites is now one of the most popular platforms. Google is also involved in social networking, with services such as Google+ Other tools view social developments over time and space. The Google Trends service, for example, will show you when and where people are searching for topics. Not surprisingly, searches for "swimwear" peak in June and searches for "snowmobile" peak in January. The Complete Guide to Using Google in Libraries, Volume 2: Research, User Applications, and Networking has 30 chapters divided into four parts: Research, User Applications, Networking, Searching. The contributors are practitioners who use the services they write about and they provide how-to advice that will help public, school, academic, and special librarians; library consultants, LIS faculty and students, and technology professionals.

This is the first book to consider the development of all three cultural heritage institutions - libraries, archives, and museums - and their interactions with society and culture from ancient history to the present day in Western Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The text explores the social and cultural role of these institutions in the societies that created them, as well as the political, economic and social influences on their mission, philosophy, and services and how those changed throughout time. The work provides a thorough background in the topic for graduate students and professionals in the fields of library and information science, archival studies, and museum resource management, preservation, and administration. Arranged chronologically, the story begins with the temple libraries of ancient Sumer, followed the growth and development of governmental and private libraries in ancient Greece and Rome, the influence of Asia and Islam on Western library development, the role of Christianity in the preservation of ancient literature as well as the skills of reading and writing during the Middle Ages, and the coming of the Renaissance and the rise of the university library. It continues by tracing the gradual division between archives and libraries and the growth of governmental and private libraries as independent institutions during and after the Renaissance and through the Enlightenment, and the development of public and private museums from the "cabinets of curiousities" of private collectors beginning in the 17th century. Individual chapters explore the further growth and development of libraries, archives, and museums in the 19th and 20th centuries, exploring the public library and public museum movements of those centuries, as well as the rise of the governmental and institutional archive. The final chapter discusses the growing collaboration between and even convergence of these institutions in the 21st century and the impact of modern information technology, and makes predictions about the future of all three institutions.

The 27th volume of the Educational Media and Technology Yearbook describes current developments and trends in the field of instructional technology. Prominent themes for this volume include e-learning, collaboration, the standards reform movement, and a critical look at the field in its historical context. The audience for the Yearbook consists of media and technology professionals in schools, higher education, and business contexts, including instructional technology faculty, school library media specialists, curriculum leaders, business training professionals, and instructional designers. The Educational Media and Technology Yearbook has become a standard reference in many libraries and professional collections. Examined in relation to its companion volumes of the past, it provides a valuable historical record of current ideas and developments in the field.

Emerging Human Resource Trends in Academic Libraries presents the collective wisdom of human resource librarians and administrators who have been in the forefront of practicing and applying the human resource principles in academic libraries. The book is divided into five Parts: Part I focuses on the present academic library environment and the unique human resource challenges that can be found there. Part II looks at the role of LIS education in preparing Masters level librarians to work within academic libraries and beyond. Part III examines how human resource departments in organizations can continue education beyond the degree for professionals and other staff. Part IV is concerned with how academic libraries show their value to the parent institution. Part V focuses on the library staff roles, how they have changed, and how they are valued in relation to faculty and professional positions. These chapters within each Part represent the emerging trends within academic libraries that impact how librarians are educated, mentored and given the ability to obtain professional development training as incumbent librarians as changes occur in the field. Each chapter is written by a practitioner in HR who has experienced related problems and sought solutions.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the information profession. The series IFLA Publications deals with many of the means through which libraries, information centres, and information professionals worldwide can formulate their goals, exert their influence as a group, protect their interests, and find solutions to global problems.