Solutions to the unique problems of academic libraries in urban and metropolitan areas are provided in this professional handbook. Issues faced by the administrators of these libraries can differ markedly from those encountered by their counterparts in residential college towns, with service demands emanating from both the surrounding community and their own academic community. Written by experienced urban university librarians, each chapter addresses issues unique to the in-city academic library.

Reaching out to their communities to establish links with business, industry, and other...

Individual librarians and their personal leadership are contributing to changes in the library profession and the expanding career opportunities available to academic librarians. Not long ago many librarians saw their careers as limited to the confines of their library's four walls. There is a growing range of opportunities for librarians to hold influential positions outside of the library.

Libraries have been an integral part of American higher education since 1636, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony's college at Cambridge was founded and then, two years later, took the name...

The public library director needs information that helps in understanding what is involved in planning for a public library building project. This applies whether the subject is a free standing independent building, a branch library, a joint-use facility with a museum, a senior academic library, a community or junior college library, or a school library. Reading this book will not turn a reader into a qualified specialist on library buildings, but it will help librarians and others learn what should be known about a project so that they may function effectively as part of the planning...

This collection of 22 highly informative essays offers important insight into current activities in the area of building planning. Written by recognized building experts from the United States and Australia, the essays discuss critical planning issues from a management perspective.

Topics include space design; collection marketing; furniture selection; landscaping; accommodating different age groups; hosting activities and events; seeking support from the community; and more. Technology is given a high priority. A bibliographic essay provides an abundance of suggested titles...

Very often in the operation of two-year and other small academic libraries there are common issues and concerns. Librarians working in such institutions take the opportunity to share current thinking on such topics as managing change, accreditation standards, auxiliary roles and responsibilities on the campus, marketing library services, collection development, personnel issues, cooperation with other institutions, coping with technology, and a host of unusual problems.

The flat hierarchy in two-year and other small academic libraries does not always avail front-line librarians a smooth...

Just beginning to enter the workplace, Millennials have never known a world that wasn't connected by email, instant messages, text messages, and the Internet. For libraries, the challenge is clear: how do we serve older and more established clientele, yet sustain progress? How do we welcome this new generation into our professional midst?

These 18 chapters explore the pervasiveness of change: in personnel selection and training; budget planning; marketing and promotion; fund raising; health issues for staff and clientele; retirement and recruitment; staying current; inter-library and...

Gerard McCabe's "Operations Handbook for the Small Academic Library" fills a real need. It should be of substantial benefit to many librarians working in such settings. The editor has done a good job of identifying the issues, finding a range of skilled practitioners to write intelligently and succinctly about those issues, and arranging and presenting the material in a straightforward fashion. . . . The information and advice is consistently sound and reliable, which makes this a text that can be recommended as a solid manual for those responsible for the management of small academic...

Libraries are becoming increasingly automated. Many libraries have already become automated, and librarians have had to confront a new set of problems in their jobs. Many other libraries are not yet automated, but will soon be acquiring new technology and new problems. This book provides detailed techniques for coping with the problems inherent in automation. While other works offer thorough coverage of the library automation process, this volume provides case studies of the personal experiences of librarians who have had to solve problems related to automation. Included are case studies...

At the end of the 20th century, college and university libraries face enormous challenges and opportunities. As campuses move into the information age, the mission and role of the library is being redefined. While the amount of information libraries need to acquire continues to increase, the resources available to do so are insufficient. Moreover, administrators need to assess the relationship between the library and the computer center, as both fight for limited resources.

This book offers academic administrators and librarians a better understanding of the issues facing the library...

As advertised, the book offers a source of strategies and practical solutions to vexing and recurrent problems which readers can tailor to their individual needs. By and large, the authors eschew the theoretical and anecdotal extremes in favor of applied, first-hand experience with good effect. The book is carefully edited, well indexed, has a serviceable binding, and clear sharp type. It is highly recommended as an important resource that belongs in the professional collection of every small academic library.

"Journal of Academic Librarianship"

"The Smaller Academic Library," which...