Leading Libraries How To Create A Service Culture

Quality leadership is integral to the very future of our profession. And it doesn't only come from the top down. Effective leadership is customer-focused and collaborative, fostering a service culture that invites the involvement of individuals in every part and at every level of the organization, as the authors persuasively demonstrate in this practical new book. Drawing from case studies as well as the literature of business and social sciences, the authors provide guidance on how to apply the values of service leadership to both public and academic libraries. Through the use of examples, exercises, and tools for development, this book walks readers through the steps needed to create a sustainable, service-oriented model by Explaining how a service culture reaches beyond the individual leader with positional authority and extends to all individualsShowing ways to build rapport and trust within an organization, and how to balance encouragement with accountabilityDetailing strategic thinking and planning methods that will lead to improvements in customer service, human resources, organizational development, and trainingHelping library leaders create a sustainable service culture through codifying their organization’s values, with advice on policies and procedures such as recruitment, performance evaluation, compensation, and succession planningDiscussing the environment of change in libraries, showing how a library’s organizational culture is at the center of being responsive and staying relevantThis valuable resource gathers the principles and best practices of leadership, and points the way towards creating a service culture that makes every staff member a library leader.

As libraries move into the 21st century, quality management has become a key focus of the effort to create a service culture that meets - and indeed exceeds - customer requirements. The language of customer service has become common in the library and information sector, as have many of the techniques associated with the provision of customer-focused services. However, there is a danger that customer service may be seen as a 'bolt on' to existing core provision in the form of feedback mechanisms, information leaflets and customer-training sessions. One of the challenges facing managers is to go beyond the acknowledgement of the importance of a customer focus, and to develop an understanding of how this focus can be embedded in the culture of their services via strategic and operational management. This new management guide addresses this challenge. Contributed by LIS professionals with extensive experience in the management of public and academic services, each chapter presents a good practice guide to an element of strategic or operational management with the customer placed at centre stage: the users' perspective; planning and policy making; leadership and management; human resource planning; marketing as a tool for LIS managers; assuring quality; planning buildings for customers and services; developing a service culture through partnerships; virtual service. Readership: This book is essential reading for managers of library and information services from senior to team managers, and also for all those involved in devising strategy and policy for staff and service development. It is relevant to libraries and information services in any area of the world.

The LITA Leadership Guide from the American Library Association division charged with information technology brings together three important professional development topics -- leadership, entrepreneurship, and technology -- in one volume, uniting theory, practice, and case studies from experienced colleagues in the field. Topics include: cultivating creativity, career pivots, forecasting and planning for change, keeping tech and leadership skills ahead of the curve, and incorporating lessons and knowledge from across sectors. Additional concepts include: professional development, evaluating risk, overcoming barriers to innovation, and seeding success in your career and organization. The book will help librarians at every level of the career ladder and will supplement leadership and skill-based training workshops. Library leadership teams interested in the development of their staff as a means of improving their organizational performance will find this book to provide context for growth, training, and collaboration. This book provides big-picture concepts that affect the many stages of a librarian’s career: •“Librarian as Leader”, • “Librarian as Entrepreneur”, and •“Librarian as Technologist” and thus is suitable for staff development, discussion groups, or courses. This LITA Guide will help librarians understand how to chart their career development across these three foundational platforms, and become familiar with how peers have successfully created positive change for themselves, and their libraries, as leaders, entrepreneurs, and technologists

Borrowing winning techniques from the business world, this book examines ways you can make library service more personalized, focused, and solutions-oriented for your patrons. When it comes to delivering the quality, personalized service your patrons expect, the staff is the most important resource in the library. It only follows then, that by empowering staff, breaking and fixing rules, cultivating creativity, and focusing on results, your library can meet and exceed patron expectations. To help you accomplish that and more, this book presents the "yes" model for customer service and explains how to use the model to build morale and grow a loyal, engaged, and highly satisfied community. The book shows how techniques borrowed from successful retail models can be applied to every part of library service—from reference, circulation, and technology services to children's and adult services. Beginning chapters describe the role of staff in transforming a culture of "no" into one of "yes." Next are explanations of tools administrators can use to support changes that will lead to a more contented customer base. Finally, the book addresses how to eliminate "no" through personalized service and by defining and tearing down obstacles that often block use of library products and services. This approach not only will make for happier patrons but will build staff morale, foster support, and ensure that your library remains relevant for years to come.

Issues for Nov. 1957- include section: Accessions. Aanwinste, Sept. 1957-

Workplace culture refers to conditions that collectively influence the work atmosphere. These can include policies, norms, and unwritten standards for behavior. This book focuses on various aspects of workplace culture in academic libraries from the practitioners’ viewpoint, as opposed to that of the theoretician. The book asks the following questions: What conditions contribute to an excellent academic library work environment? What helps to make a particular academic library a great place to work? Articles focus on actual programs while placing the discussion in a scholarly context. The book is structured into 14 chapters, covering various aspects of workplace culture in academic libraries, including: overview of workplace culture, assessment, recruitment, acclimation for new librarians, workforce diversity, physical environment, staff morale, interaction between departments, tenure track/academic culture, mentoring/coaching, generational differences, motivation/incentives, complaints/conflict management, and organizational transparency. Includes the most current best practices and models in academic libraries Represents the viewpoints of both the employee and manager Focuses on the academic library as workplace rather than as a service provider

Fully a third of all library supervisors are “managing in the middle:” reporting to top-level managers while managing teams of peers or paraprofessional staff in some capacity. This practical handbook is here to assist middle managers navigate their way through the challenges of multitasking and continual gear-shifting. The broad range of contributors from academic and public libraries in this volume help librarians face personal and professional challenges by Linking theoretical ideas about mid-level management to real-world situations Presenting ways to sharpen crucial skills such as communication, productivity, delegation, and performance management Offering specific advice on everything from supervision to surviving layoffsBeing a middle manager can be a difficult job, but the range of perspectives in this book offer strategies and tips to make it easier.