This timely special report from ALA Editions provides a succinct but comprehensive overview of the "privatization" of public libraries. It provides a history of the trend of local and state governments privatizing public services and assets, and then examines the history of public library privatization right up to the California…

Public libraries must operate in a time of increasing change, both within the library community and throughout the larger social and economic environments in which the library must function. This book is a guide to the strategic management of change in community libraries. It addresses the unique circumstances and needs of public libraries and…

This is a handbook of advice for handling the everyday problems encountered in all types and sizes of libraries. It is designed to assist managers before, during, and after crises develop. Organized in an question-and-answer format, it tackles many dilemmas that can occur in the library, then offers solutions drawn from actual experience. The…

Written from the perspective of a working director, this book is a guide to setting fair and appropriate behavior rules and training staff in how to implement them. Policies for exhibit and meeting room use; issues surrounding street people, the mentally ill, and substance abusers; sexual deviancy and parental child abuse in the library;…

This practical handbook focuses on interpersonal skills that will increase the effectiveness of recent library school graduates, paraprofessional librarians, and aides who have assumed the role of managing small public or school libraries. It describes numerous techniques that librarians can use to become better leaders and offers specific…

This handbook offers "how to" guidance on library management and provides a single source for laws, regulations, executive orders, guidelines, and court decisions on employee and employer rights and responsibilities. Detailed information is provided on: recruiting and selecting personnel; the employment relationship; wages and hours;…