Librarians are the ultimate information workers, with little they can count as done at the end of the day. Staying productive and motivated when there are no finished items that you have created at day's end can be difficult. For just this reason, David Allen, author and productivity expert, has proposed an information-worker-centric theory of…

The economic crisis has caused districts throughout the United States to cut resources and limit spending, particularly with regard to staff. However, the requirements for maintaining safe, efficiently functioning schools and for remaining in compliance with state and federal regulations have not decreased; in many cases, those responsibilities…

Two of the most time-consuming jobs in the library are taking inventory and keeping track of in-house uses of library material. Librarians have long been searching for more efficient solution for these two activities. New technology can be the answer to creating efficiency for libraries. In fact, if one is a SirsiDynix library, there is an easy…

The recession of 2008-2009 and the continuing decline in local, state, and federal funds available to support higher education have resulted in serious budget cuts and belt-tightening. Given that faculty constitute an institution's most costly resource, it was not surprising, though it is nonetheless disheartening, to learn of the University of…

Presents a critique of Taylor's scientific management theory and the negative consequences of work simplification. Compares this method with Maslow's, Herzberg's, and Thorsrud's theories of motivation, and contrasts the experiences of General Motors' application of Taylor's model and General Foods' application of Thorsrud's. (SK)

Discusses job discretion (the degree of worker autonomy) and the American "work ethic" in a historical context and in regard to the current shift from a manufacturing economy to one based on information services and new technologies. (ML)