Flextime, telecommuting, compressed work week, job sharing, downshifting, and hot desking--these terms are infiltrating our vocabulary at an increasing rate, keeping pace with change in the workplace. Although there is a large body of literature on the changing nature of work and workplace flexibility, there is no handbook that synthesizes the research on all aspects of this topic. Pulling together the vast literature on this subject, Avery and Zabel explain the concept of flexible work, trace the origin and growth of this workplace trend, and review the research on a range of flexible work arrangements.

Workplace flexibility is international in scope. Companies, both in the United States and abroad, have become increasingly interested in implementing flexible work arrangements. The authors include a chapter on companies in North America, Western Europe, and the United Kingdom that have been leaders in implementing flexible work arrangements. They identify areas ripe for additional research, suggest a broad array of resources, and discuss strategies for locating additional information, including relevant databases, Internet resources, organizations, and search terms. This is a valuable handbook for managers, researchers, and students working or studying in the areas of human resource management, industrial/organizational psychology, and the sociology of work.

Controversial social problems currently facing Americans are addressed in these 12 astute bibliographic essays that synthesize the literature on the issues and outline strategies for locating additional information. A few of the issues covered are media and popular culture; public policy and government; law and the administration of the justice system; poverty, welfare, and unemployment; child care and elder care; hunger and nutrition; homelessness; and children and the changing American family. The essays provide thoughtful examinations of the issues, discuss possible resolutions, and present lists of resources for further study. An essential purchase for college and university libraries, this work is also appropriate for high school libraries and medium to large public libraries. It can be used as a supplementary text for sociology, social work, public policy, family studies, education, and nursing courses that involve the study of contemporary social issues, and as a handbook by practitioners i

Contributors provide insights about business librarianship in various types of institutions, explore traditional and non-traditional career paths in business librarianship, and discuss numerous strategies for professional growth (from earning an MBA degree to working abroad). Among the topics covered are the following: recruitment of business librarians (including recent data on the supply and demand of business librarians); the special concerns of early career and mid-career business librarians; the importance of mentoring; leadership development; and business librarians on the job in academic, public, and corporate libraries. This book will appeal to a wide audience: practitioners; directors of public, academic, and special libraries serving the business community; library and information science educators; and those considering business librarianship as a career, including students, generalist librarians, and individuals seeking a career change.

This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship.

Offering a broad overview of consequential changes in the landscape of reference services, this guide also provides practical guidance on how to meet the new challenges they present. For the past decade, librarians have been lamenting the demise of reference services. Encouraging recent research shows that reference librarians are actually in more demand than ever; however, nearly everything about reference has changed-from technologies, tools, and techniques to models of service. What are these changes, and how can the profession respond to and prepare for shifting priorities and user needs? In this volume, business librarians Diane Zabel and Lauren Reiter bring together a host of experts to answer these timely questions. Topics range from the education and training of professionals to meeting the needs and wants of employers. Covered are trends in chat reference, research consultations, do-it-yourself reference, tracking trends with user populations, assessment, and data-driven decisions about reference services. Grounded in the principle that, regardless of the evolutions in service, the user remains at the center of reference, this guide offers readers an exciting look at the future of this important public service. Informs librarians of trends currently affecting the profession and shows how to deal with them Covers a wide array of topics, from those affecting the education of reference services to assessment of services Provides an in-depth look at new models in reference services

More than 30 stellar authors have contributed to these up-to-date essays on public services librarianship, including timely topics such as new service configurations, the impact of e-resources in reference and collection development, and innovative outreach. The roles of reference and public librarians are constantly changing. Today, it's not unusual for librarians to also serve as trend trackers, data analysts, project managers, IT troubleshooters, marketers, and staffing specialists. Academic and public libraries across the country are experimenting with new service models to accommodate new technology, budget constraints, and a clientele with new needs and expectations. Not surprisingly, librarians are assuming revised roles as a result. Reference Reborn: Breathing New Life into Public Services Librarianship is a collection of over two dozen essays on developments and trends in reference and public services librarianship, highlighting some of the best thinking on reference services, outreach initiatives, the migration from print to e-reference collections, staffing 21st century libraries, library school curriculum, and more. This text will appeal to library and information science students and educators, beginning and seasoned reference librarians and managers of public service departments in academic and public libraries. The education and training of reference librarians receives special attention. Over 30 contributors, including established experts and the next generation of leaders in reference and public services librarianship A subject index guides readers to topics of interest

Providing perspectives of early- and mid-career librarians as well as highly seasoned professionals, this book offers leadership advice that will help academic librarians of all experience levels to surmount the issues they face and overcome new challenges. Academic libraries and librarianship have dramatically evolved in recent years—in everything from their collections and facilities to their relationships with faculty and internal and external partners. These changes demand different mindsets and new skills on the part of librarians. This book explains how the quality of leadership is the key component of successfully implementing innovative service and practices—and as a result, of the success of the library itself. To that end, it offers practical guidelines for implementing leadership principles and achieving success in this evolving culture. Coedited by a team of three highly experienced academic librarians, Leading in the New Academic Library gives actionable advice regarding subjects like helping staff gain new competencies, leading from the middle, and succession planning. The content also addresses hot topics such as the academic library's new role, the integration of IT into library organization and infrastructure, making data-driven decisions, renovating a library space to meet changing user needs, and collaborating with internal as well as external partners.

This collection of thought-provoking essays by visionary and innovative library practitioners covers theory, research, and best practices in collection development, examining how it has evolved, identifying how some librarians are creatively responding to these changes, and predicting what is coming next. Rethinking Collection Development and Management adds a new and important perspective to the literature on collection development and management for 21st-century library professionals. The work reveals how dramatically collection development is changing, and has already changed; supplies practical suggestions on how librarians might respond to these advancements; and reflects on what librarians can expect in the future. This volume is a perfect complement for textbooks that take a more traditional approach, offering a broad, forward-thinking perspective that will benefit students in graduate LIS programs and guide practitioners, collection development officers, and directors in public and academic libraries. A chapter on collection development and management in the MLIS curriculum makes this volume especially pertinent to library and information science educators. Provides an up-to-date professional guide that complements traditional collection management texts Identifies current trends and paradigm shifts in collection development and management Illustrates best practices for emerging trends in collection development Features contributions from innovative, informed, and visionary experts in the field