An exceptional library of any type requires exceptional staff, individuals who are enthusiastic, engaged, and willing to go the extra mile. Identifying, recruiting, and developing exceptional staff are not automatic processes, however, and practitioners often list staff development as a skill they have had to acquire on the job. The Library Staff Development Handbook: How to Maximize Your...

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following people whose support has made writing this book an enjoyable experience: Charles Harmon, Sami Kaplan, and Les Roberts. Sincere thanks also to contributors Yael Chartier, Lori Haight, Samantha Kaplan, S. Rebecca Lubin, Annie Norman, Curtis Powell, Joan Petit, Alena Principato, David Seleb, and Rebecca Vargha for their valuable input.

The organizational mission in any type of library setting likely includes some type of service provision, whether it is patent searches in a special library, teen programs in a public library, or access to research databases in an academic library setting. Therefore, if we consider libraries from the perspective of their organizational purpose, at their core they are service organizations....

The library and information science profession offers a wide variety of settings and engenders a wide array of opportunities for highly fulfilling careers and employment endeavors. As libraries of all types transform and become “less about what they have for people and more about what they do for and with people,” library professionals are increasingly involved in promoting individual...

A successful and thriving organization of any type starts with engaged, motivated, and satisfied employees. The process of finding, hiring, and keeping those individuals can be a challenging one. Dedicating ample time and energy to recruitment of stellar candidates is well worth the effort, however, and reaps tremendous organizational benefits in the long run. This chapter discusses the elements...

This chapter discusses the rewarding and the sometimes challenging aspects of staff engagement, interaction, oversight, and supervision. Different types of personal motivation, such as extrinsic and intrinsic, are discussed, and the less obviously positive aspects of staff interaction are covered, including progressive discipline, the appeals process, and exit interviews.

In this chapter, the term staff development is more specifically employed to designate and describe activities (e.g., orientation, continuing education, and training) that are dedicated to maintaining, increasing, and expanding staff skills and knowledge. In many instances, the term professional development would be used here, but in this case, the broader term is preferred, to be...

Regular performance appraisals (also referred to as reviews, assessments, or evaluations) that enable and allow for objective feedback are an important and integral component of staff support. Although historically such appraisals may have been viewed as a punitive process, they can play a positive role in staff empowerment and motivation as well as identify areas for improvement. Though many...

As budgets become tighter in all types of libraries, alternative funding sources can be an important resource for supplementing regular funding and extending services. Depending on the agency and opportunities, supplemental funds can be used for a wide spectrum of activities, from capital initiatives to specialized programs and technology provision to creating and supporting staff development...

Rapidly changing technologies, combined with unprecedented access to all types of information, are causing myriad societal changes. As these changes are tied to the very heart and mission of libraries, organizationally, libraries are undergoing swift change. Shifts in expectations of what a library is, or can be, are resulting in new ways of service provision as well. As we respond to users and...

Mary Grace Flaherty is an assistant professor in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her PhD from Syracuse University and holds master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. Over the course of her career, she has worked in a variety of library settings, including academic,...

The Medical Library Association (MLA) features books that showcase the expertise of health sciences librarians for other librarians and professionals.