Managing User Centred Libraries And Information Services

Aims to encourage the development of libraries and information services which meet the needs of the user, and to promote the application of management methods which put users first. This edition has been substantially revised, and also contains practical management advice for other professions.

The authors developed the "How Libraries and Librarians Help (HLLH) Outcome Model," field testing it in six libraries over two years. In this practical reference, they share their findings, step-by-step HLLH methods, and library success stories that bring the process to life with outcomes like, "Empowering Youth" and "Strengthening Community."

This internationally acclaimed text serves as the basic management text in programs of library & information studies throughout the world. It is also used as a ready-reference & for workshop discussions in all types of libraries & information centers. As with previous editions, the authors present the principles of library & information center management in a conceptual framework as it examines the dynamics of organizational missions, goals, policies & programs, & people, as well as in relation to external forces (e.g., users & funding authorities) that encourage change. This current edition features expanded sections on the change process, strategic planning & management, & managing conflict through Total Quality Management (TQM) in a technology intense environment. Charts, diagrams, & appendixes of library policies, procedures, organograms, & other forms are included.

This Gower Handbook is an authoritative guide to both the traditional and newer aspects of library and information management. Edited by Ray Prytherch, it brings together the insight of a range of respected contributors, who offer advice on the management, storage, retrieval, analysis, marketing and delivery of information. The book begins with Part I analyzing the context and trends of the information world. In Part II, Strategy and Planning, the information environment is explored in more detail, with Chapters 3 and 4 presenting the main issues and principles of financial planning and strategic planning. Part III, The Service Infrastructure, looks at customer care, the role of performance measurement and research in service improvement, and the influence of copyright law in the delivery of information products to customers. Part IV, Managing Resources, includes five chapters on strategic management, information auditing, human resource management, preservation and disaster management. The last part of the Handbook, Part V, Access and Delivery, focuses on the potential of electronic systems with chapters on subject gateways and Z39.50, electronic publishing, intranets and new models of access and delivery. Each part of the Handbook begins with an introduction by the editor and the book concludes with a directory of organizations, including useful URLs, and a glossary. Flexibility and adaptability are crucial for information professionals if they are to maintain their skills at the right level to provide the services needed by both information-rich and information-poor. In this one book librarians from all backgrounds, information managers and officers, document and records managers, and network and Web specialists will find answers to a wide range of questions that confront them in their working day. The Handbook will become a standard reference on best practice for professionals and students. It will be of interest to information analysts, knowledge managers, and others, including publishers, involved in information maintenance and provision.

Rapid developments in information technology and media have resulted in increasingly diverse strategies for information retrieval by readers and users. The duty to cope with this phenomenon and to master the situation forms one of the biggest challenges facing libraries. In order to strengthen the awareness of the potential of tools for management and strategic planning, a two-day meeting was held under the auspices of IFLA's Management & Marketing Section in Bergen, Norway in August 2005. Managers of different types of libraries, researchers and educators from five continents shared their experiences with research methods, data collection, evaluation, performance measurement, best practice strategies and policies. This book contains their presentations in the form of full length articles.

This sophisticated primer draws together in an accessible form the principles of management as they need to be understood by library and information professionals. Written by a practising library manager and a management academic, the text introduces and applies the latest management concepts to library management practice. Since most libraries are part of a wider organization, their management practice will be influenced by that organizational setting, whether the setting be a university, a local authority or a business. Responding effectively within this organizational context is a key theme that runs through this text. Library management is concerned with managing collections, people, services, resources, information and finance, but managers also need to work beyond the confines of the library. They need to understand and influence their environment, to respond to the power and politics of a situation, to contribute to strategic direction in arenas related to knowledge management, learning and information, and to promote their own careers. The scene is set through the first two chapters, on management and organizations respectively. The first chapter covers the nature of management, management roles and competencies, and reviews the range and scope of library management. The second chapter focuses on the organizational context in which management is performed. The core of the book is a series of chapters in some of the key areas that constitute the management role: people, and their behaviour and management, marketing and user relationships, quality management, finances and resources, environment and context, and strategy and planning. Each chapter is well illustrated with relevant examples, checklists and models. Chapters conclude with a list of further reading, and a list of review topics, which can be used as the basis for revision for study purposes, or as a prompt to encourage reflection on the content of the book, for the professional reader. Key areas covered: management and managing organizations people in organizations human resource management marketing and user relationships quality management finance and resources environment and context strategy and planning. Readership: This book will be a key text for students of library and information management, designed to introduce them to the practice, experience and theoretical principles of library management. In particular it should prepare them for their first posts as library managers, and alert them to the challenges and rewards of management. Practising library managers will also benefit from revisiting some of the topics covered in the book.

Information Tasks summarizes user research, then presents design sketches of systems that illustrate how design is linked to research. This comprehensive user-centered approach provides an agenda for information research, design and education that challenges many accepted beliefs and suggests new directions for information work.