What Every Library Director Should Know
Book Details
Author(s)Susan Carol Curzon
PublisherRowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN / ASIN0810891875
ISBN-139780810891876
AvailabilityNot yet published
Sales Rank1,337,171
CategoryPaperback
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
Most graduate programs offer a course in the management of a library. These courses, cover budgeting, supervising, marketing, providing services and other necessary functions and their related management concepts. Such courses are critical in giving beginning librarians the grounding in the study of management.
However, anyone who has ever held any kind of management position, such as managing a program, directing a grant or running the entire library, can tell you that understanding the basics of management is not enough to be successful on the job. Not only do we need to continue our study of management but we also need to understand the unwritten rules, the unwritten strategies, and the unwritten wisdom which is either gained on the job, learned by observing others, or, if the librarian is very fortunate, taught by a mentor. Sometimes this knowledge, finally gained, comes at too high a price or is learned too late. A career inexplicably stalled, a desired position not gained, the failure to thrive in a current position can leave us puzzled, confused and hurt. After all, we worked hard every day. Every day, we concentrated on the job often sacrificing time with family and friends. What went wrong?
These are the issues answered in this book. This is not a conventional management text. You will not get, for example, the history of management, the basics of budgeting or personnel and labor laws. Instead the focus is on nuances of behavior, political strategies, common wisdom, mentor-like advice, and the subtle codes, which, when paired with other management skills, will bring increased success on the job and throughout your career.
It does not matter what type of library you are in—management is management, wisdom is wisdom. What Every Library Director Should Know is the insider’s view of vital actions, behaviors and strategies to succeed in every type of library. The content is based both on the author’s direct experience after a long career in several types of libraries but also on the direct observation of other managers. Inset into the book are pearls of wisdom from other directors, managers and observers who are answering the question, “what is the one piece of management wisdom that you would give to anyone who wishes to become a library director?â€
This book will help to get you there by explaining and illustrating the wisdom that is mostly unwritten and which mostly moves in subtle communication.
However, anyone who has ever held any kind of management position, such as managing a program, directing a grant or running the entire library, can tell you that understanding the basics of management is not enough to be successful on the job. Not only do we need to continue our study of management but we also need to understand the unwritten rules, the unwritten strategies, and the unwritten wisdom which is either gained on the job, learned by observing others, or, if the librarian is very fortunate, taught by a mentor. Sometimes this knowledge, finally gained, comes at too high a price or is learned too late. A career inexplicably stalled, a desired position not gained, the failure to thrive in a current position can leave us puzzled, confused and hurt. After all, we worked hard every day. Every day, we concentrated on the job often sacrificing time with family and friends. What went wrong?
These are the issues answered in this book. This is not a conventional management text. You will not get, for example, the history of management, the basics of budgeting or personnel and labor laws. Instead the focus is on nuances of behavior, political strategies, common wisdom, mentor-like advice, and the subtle codes, which, when paired with other management skills, will bring increased success on the job and throughout your career.
It does not matter what type of library you are in—management is management, wisdom is wisdom. What Every Library Director Should Know is the insider’s view of vital actions, behaviors and strategies to succeed in every type of library. The content is based both on the author’s direct experience after a long career in several types of libraries but also on the direct observation of other managers. Inset into the book are pearls of wisdom from other directors, managers and observers who are answering the question, “what is the one piece of management wisdom that you would give to anyone who wishes to become a library director?â€
This book will help to get you there by explaining and illustrating the wisdom that is mostly unwritten and which mostly moves in subtle communication.
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