This book on library management presents a contrarian view with a humanities focus that reflects the author's decades of practical experience as a library manager and professor of library science. This collected volume presents the author's thoughts on teaching management to library science students, his management philosophy, and practical advice for library managers. The columns strive to teach students and managers how to discover their strengths and weaknesses, to collect as much objective evidence as possible, to examine both traditional and non-traditional solutions, and to brutally monitor results as a learning experience. The columns delve into subconscious motivation and avoid simplistic solutions that often do not consider the complexity of human behavior. The final section includes columns on common library problems such as budgeting, unions, management perks, promotion, and search committees. The Contrarian Manager presents the collected articles of Robert P. Holley published in the Journal of Library Administration.

Based on the all-day program, 'Marketing to Libraries for the Millennium, ' sponsored by the AAP/ALCTS Joint Committee, leading figures identify and respond to the challenges of maintaining a foot in both print and electronic worlds. Discussion topics include buying consortia; mergers and acquisitions; discussion lists versus traditional review media; on-demand print services; advances in approval plans, blanket orders, and leasing plans; the development of collaborative services; and the omnipresent importance of price. Also included are the questionnaire and results of the 1999 'Third Industry-Wide Survey of Library Marketing Practices and Trends.

The current publishing environment has experienced a drastic change in the way content is created, delivered, and acquired, particularly for libraries. With the increasing importance of digital publishing, more than half the titles published in the United States are self-published. With this growth in self-published materials, librarians, publishers, and vendors have been forced to rethink channels of production, distribution, and access as it applies to the new content. Self-Publishing and Collection Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Libraries will address multiple aspects of how public and academic libraries can deal with the increase in self-published titles. While both academic and public libraries have started to grapple with the burgeoning issues associated with self-published books, many difficulties remain. To develop effective policies and procedures, stakeholders must now tackle questions associated with the transformation of the publishing landscape. Obstacles to self-publishing include the lack of reviews, the absence of cataloging and bibliographic control, proprietary formats for e-books, and the difficulty for vendors in providing these works. General chapters will include information on reviewing sources, cataloging and bibliographic control, and vendor issues. Information addressing public libraries issues will highlight initiatives to make self-published materials available at the Los Gatos Public Library in California and the Kent District Library in Michigan. Chapters on academic library issues will address why self-published materials are important for academic institutions, especially those with comprehensive collecting interests. Several self-published authors focus on how they attempt to make their works more suitable for public libraries. Finally, the book concludes with a bibliographic essay on self-publishing. As the term "traditional publishing" begins to fade and new content producers join the conversation, librarians, publishers, and vendors will play an important role in facilitating and managing the shift.