Traditional budgeting starts with the previous year's budget, but zero base budgeting demands that each activity be justified from "scratch," and establishes a number of increments for each unit, in order of priority. Given the set of increments and the money available, management can determine what activities to finance. (Author)

Discusses the development of a management technique that combats the impact of organizational retrenchment and its practical applications within special libraries and as an aid to survival of the parent organization. Five major classes of strategies are outlined--resource development, productivity, economy measures, interorganizational…

Describes power and its sources, and identifies factors that can contribute to the organizational powerlessness of special librarians: nature of work; contributions difficult to measure; underdeveloped utilization of expertise; removal from circle of management elite; and small staff. This situation can be mitigated by awareness, planning, and…

Discusses several pitfalls that face corporate special librarians, including: defining the library role; management control; decentralization; budgeting; user expectations; purchasing control; organizational propaganda; reporting; clerical staffing; and end-user searching. (five references) (MES)

Describes a continuing education course which addresses the dollar value of access to information and the mechanics of how to charge fees within an institution or as an entrepreneur. The significance of the topic, characteristics of students taking the class, and the course outline are reviewed. (MES)

Examines issues of special library management and the emphases in SLA (Special Libraries Association) continuing education courses dealing with these issues. Five courses taught for SLA are described, including one-day courses on management communications, delegation, and effective supervisory skills, as well as seminars dealing with human…

Discusses two ways that perceptions concerning effectiveness of special libraries and information centers can be changed--change methods used to account for library financially and change provision of services to better meet users' needs. Seven steps for increasing real and perceived value of library to organization are proposed. (11 sources) (EJS)

As technology permeates the special library, new requirements will emerge to integrate staff, equipment, and systems and establish connections between information resources and people. Being library managers in special libraries of tomorrow means mastering fundamentals of cost accounting, strategic planning, technological change, and behavioral…

Explores problems in the design and evaluation of programs by which special libraries market their services, and identifies potentially useful approaches and quantifiable measures for market structure analysis, design decision-making, and marketing program evaluation. Eleven references and a list of nine use studies with survey instruments are…

Discusses the collection by library managers of demand and use data from their own libraries on a regular basis as a means of answering management questions pertaining to the "cost" of information, staff productivity, and levels of service. Examples of statistical records and recommendations for collecting data are presented. (Author/JL)

This discussion of the importance of the law library as a laboratory for anyone involved in a legal proceeding focuses on the role and function of the law school library. Library staff, facilities, new technologies, budget, and evaluation are noted. (EJS)

The manager of a corporate library describes five strategies for special libraries to increase services and resources without increasing staff or budgets: automation, reorganization, using temporarily available employees, using in-house services, and participatory management. (Author/EM)

Emphasizes the importance of good management for libraries and need to train librarians as managers. Difficulties librarians have faced in becoming managers, types of education being offered to librarians both in library schools and continuing education programs, and useful teaching methods for management study are highlighted. Twenty-seven…