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Fialkoff, Francine. (2003). Donđt Take This Market for Granted. Library Journal, 128(5), p.72.

While this article is more of a warning to publishers, it holds great interest for librarians. Public use of libraries in Great Britain seems to be dwindling, and while the reverse is true in the United States, which does not necessarily mean that it cannot change in the next few years. With this fact in mind, publishers are warned not to take the current prosperity for granted and to continue to make serious efforts to attract library purchases. Publishers are advised that marketing to librarians is necessary as they account for approximately ten percent of all sales. Publishers such as Random House have been very successful because they work with libraries to attract sales. [4]

Zarzuela

Sutton, R. (2002). Why these ideas work, but seem weird. Weird ideas that work: 11 ? practices for promoting, managing and sustaining innovation. (pp. 3-22). New York, NY: The Free Press.

According to Sutton, "to innovate, companies must do things that clash with accepted management practices, with common but misguided beliefs about the right way to manage any kind of work." He suggests that in order to produce new results from employees, new strategies from management may need to be implemented. Since routine work requires routine management, creative work will require creative management. In order to produce this book, Sutton lectured and interviewed across the country to a variety of audiences in to devise a list of creative management practices, that while unconventional are essential to success. According to Sutton, no company can ever be successful forever by doing the same old thing all the time. Even large corporations like McDonald?s or Disney spend a substantial amount of money and staff resources on developing new ideas for future products. Sutton states that it is about approaching the same problem in a new way that produces creative results, "I offer these ideas not as immutable truths, but as methods that have helped other companies produce beautiful and profitable mutations?" [5]

Acadia

This chapter discusses the inspiration and innovation that failure can bring to an organization. Sutton quotes a wide variety of figures that comment on failure, including Thomas Watson Sr, the founder and former CEO of IBM, "If you want to succeed, double your failure rate." Sutton suggests that inaction is far more dangerous than failures, as failures can and will finally lead to success. Sutton suggests that managers should evaluate their staff, examining those with a low failure rate. Are they taking enough risks, are they attempting new things, are they trying to come up with a new way to do the ordinary? He suggests monitoring, rewarding, and intelligently analyzing failures so they can produce effective results. While the author spends much of this chapter discussing evaluating personal failures, he also briefly emphasizes the need to think about other?s failures too. This could be a successful way to bring about change, with less cost to the company. According to Sutton, "When we think about others? failures rather than our own, we are less likely to get defensive, engage in denial, or try to convince ourselves that the failure was really a success." [5]

Acadia

Carlson, M. (2002). Defining clear goals and objectives. Winning grants, step-by-step: The complete workbook for planning, developing, and writing successful proposals. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (pp. 26-33).

This chapter of this nonprofit management book, discusses the importance of writing goals and objectives that are very clear and well defined. Once an organization has decided upon the need that is going to be met by a grant, it is important for them to develop goals that give those reading the grant a clear idea of what will happen as a result of this new project. Some important suggestions about this step in the grant writing process include: connecting the goals and objectives directly to the statement of need, allow enough time for the objectives to be accomplished, and use phrases in objectives that suggest a clear purpose, like to reduce, to expand, to decrease, and to increase. The author also recommends determining a way to truly measure an change that you have discussed. This is an important step for determining if a project is successful or not, which is very important to those who will fund a grant. At this close of this chapter, Carlson uses a variety of worksheets and guideline questions to help write goals and objectives that are clear and well defined. [5]

Acadia

Stueart, R. D. & Moran, B. B. (2002). The human element of the organization. Library and information center management, 6th ed. (pp. 320-347). Greenwood Village, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Motivation is an internal force and may be different for each employee. Managers need to provide a variety of inducements for employees to be motivated to perform their work. When employees are motivated to exert more effort in job performance, organization goals are met and the employee?s needs are satisfied. Several content models and process models of human motivation in general and worker motivation specifically were discussed. These included Maslow?s Hierarchy of Needs, Herzberg?s Two-Factor Theory, McLelland?s Need Theory, Vroom?s Expectancy Theory, Skinner?s theory of behavior modification, and Locke?s goal setting theory. Katzell and Thompson have summarized the various studies into seven imperatives for managers: 1) ensure that motives and values are consistent with the employee?s position; 2) make jobs attractive; 3) define clear, attainable, challenging goals; 4) facilitate employee effectiveness; 5) allow supportive social environments; 6) reinforce performance; 7) combine all of these requisites into a ?consistent sociotechnical system.? [5]

Storygirl

Wolf, T. (1999). Sustainability and leadership. Managing a nonprofit organization in the twenty-first century (pp. 311-342). New York: Simon & Schuster.

In the twenty-first century it is particularly difficult to adapt to changes and sustain a non-profit organization. Sustaining an organization is an ongoing process that requires an examination of the constituency, the effectiveness of the work processes and the leadership, the accountability of boards and staffs for performance, and the abilities of leadership. Many organizations look to endowments to keep them afloat when their profitability suffers. If endowment money is used to sustain an organization through financial difficulties, the decision must be made carefully and a sensible plan must be endorsed to repay the money. Size also affects an organization?s sustainability. Each organization must decide on the best size to meet the scope of the organization. Other popular methods for adapting to changes include national and regional consortiums for fund-raising, programs and events, or office functions. Many non-profit organizations have found it easiest to adapt to current market changes by adopting activities and practices consistent with profit-making organizations. [5]

Storygirl

Wolf, T. (1999). Making things better. Managing a nonprofit organization in the twenty-first century (pp. 345-354). New York: Simon & Schuster.

No organization is run perfectly. Non-profit organizations need to create an opportunity for assessment, evaluation, and change to continue improving management practices. Employees and board members are good resources for an internal evaluation, or the organization may choose to hire an outside company to make a neutral evaluation. The evaluation process should consider the organization?s strengths, weaknesses, problem areas, and opportunities for improvement. The evaluation criteria should include the mission statement, image, board, staff, volunteers, financial management, activities and programs, resources, positioning, and planning and evaluation procedures. [5]

storygirl

Reference:

vSteele, V., & Elder, S.D. (2000). Becoming a fundraiser: The principles and practice of library development (2nd ed.). Chicago: American Library Association.

The first chapter examines fundraisers' skills and attitudes towards fundraising. Skills needed for fundraising are not necessarily the same skills needed to be a successful librarian. Some librarians experience a sense of fear when engaged in fundraising activities - fear of failure, fear of rejection, or fear of appearing to be a beggar. Donors will respond to someone who is committed to a valuable cause. Librarians must believe in their cause and communicate their vision. Leadership, in a fundraising project, requires three functions: 1) Pathfinding (vision, purpose, and mission), 2) Problem solving (planning and analysis), and 3) Implementing (changing and doing). Personality plays a large role in fundraising activities. Some fundraisers enjoy discussing fundraising opportunities over meals; others prefer to discuss issues at a business meeting; while others shine at one-on-one encounters. Librarians, who want to participate in fundraising activities, must understand their own strengths and weaknesses. [5]

Hiker Mom

Reference:

Steele, V., & Elder, S.D. (2000). Becoming a fundraiser: The principles and practice of library development (2nd ed.). Chicago: American Library Association.

In the second chapter, the science of fundraising is discussed. The science of fundraising identifies specific patterns and cycles in the fundraising process. Basically there are three types of donors: 1) Annual (typically those who give between $50 and $100), 2) Middle range ($100 - $10,000), and 3) Major (those who give $10,000 or more). The authors use the word "MAGIC" to help assist fundraisers with identifying potential donors or prospects. M is for means (can the prospect afford to donate?). A is for age (major donors are typically between fifty and sixty with no heirs). G is for giver (does the person appear to be a giver?). I is for involved (is the person involved with your organization?). C is for contacts (do you have contacts who know this person?). A six step process in the development of potential donors is provided: 1) Identification, 2) Involvement, 3) Cultivation, 4) Solicitation, 5) Stewardship, and 6) Resolicitation. [5]

Hiker Mom

Reference:

Steele, V., & Elder, S.D. (2000). Becoming a fundraiser: The principles and practice of library development (2nd ed.). Chicago: American Library Association.

In addition to the science of fundraising, the second chapter provides understanding to the art of fundraising. The art of fundraising involves good instincts and understanding donor psychology. Donors' reasons for giving are unique and complex. Overall donors give because of what the act does for them. The reasons for giving may include: a sense of belonging to an organization, recognition for the contribution, desire to feel valuable or important, moral obligation to give back to the community, or a belief that the more they give, the more they will get back. The main reason that a donor gives to one organization as opposed to another is a strong belief in the organization's mission. The most important, yet simple, idea presented in this chapter is that donors give if asked to give and generally do not give if not asked. [5]

Hiker Mom

Siess, Judith A. (2002). Strategic planning. Time management, planning, and prioritization for librarians (pp. 121-157). Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press.

In Chapter 4 of this book, the importance of thinking about and planning for the future is discussed. In laying out the rationale for planning, librarians are criticized for generally failing to plan. Instead, there is a tendency to react to what others have decided for libraries, such as budgets and staffing, and to react to those decisions. The reason for strategic planning is that it means gaining control because it saves time, fights uncertainly, tends to force a person to focus on goals, and is a critical component of efficiency. There are four cornerstones to strategic planning: predict the future, deicide what you want your future to look like, analyze the results, and implement the plan. It is important to remember that even the best plans may fail but above all, it is imperative for the good manager to attempt to gain some control over the future. [4]

Dobe

Siess, Judith A. (2002). Prioritization. Time management, planning, and prioritization for librarians (pp. 159-177). Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press.

In this chapter, prioritizing is defined as identifying the appropriate value and order of events. In other words, no one can do it all so we must make choices about what is most important and act upon those priorities. One of the most helpful hints in this section is the suggestion to simplify decision making by creating a rule or procedure to handle routine decisions that come up repeatedly. There are several steps to effective prioritization: decide what to do, decide when to do it, decide how to do it, and periodically reevaluate your priorities. Finally, simply saying no to favors, phone calls, and other demands can be the best way to save time and maintain priorities. [4]

Dobe

Coyle, K. (2002). Make sure you are privacy literate. Library Journal, 127 (16), 55-56.

This article defines privacy literacy as knowing what personal information resides on our computer systems. Library directors must become privacy literate and be sure that staff members are likewise. In the post 9/11 world, it is important for the library manager to consider his responsibility in protecting the rights of library users while balancing the desire to be a good citizen. First is to review and update privacy policies in accordance with current law. Another step is the system audit, which is a large task that should be broken into manageable pats. This procedure ensures that we have only the information that is essential to library operations and nothing more. Several other resources and suggestions are offered through the rest of the article. These are all important and meaningful however, the guiding principal must be to adhere to the law while maintaining the expectation of privacy for patrons. [5]

Dobe

Johansen, R. & Swigart, R. (1994). Problems with fishnet organizations. Upsizing the individual in the downsized organization: Managing in the wake of reengineering, globalization, and overwhelming technological change (pp. 37-44). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Part II of this enlightening book comprises 9 chapters grouped under the title, ?Damage Assessment,? and summarized as ?What would be: Why this emerging organizational structure won't work in the future."

Chapter 7 takes on the "fishnet" concept described in the first part of the book, and describes reported problems in organizations that have experienced the initial phases of downsizing into a fishnet-like structure. When organizations cut costs by eliminating middle management positions (as is happening in my library this year), the resulting fishnet structure is fraught with instability as remaining employees attempt to carry on. Whereas the previous layered structure provided elements of tradition, support, and direction, the front-line employees in the new structure inevitably feel "out of the loop," wonder who's in charge, and have the sense that they are out on a limb, alone, without a safety net, as they make decisions and take action. Most will have a difficult time adapting to the fluid and independent nature of their new work, but those who can learn to nimbly adjust to their ever-shifting responsibilities and working conditions will survive and thrive. Unfortunately, the nature of the "looser" structure also makes cooperation, coordination, and collaboration more difficult and less successful within the organization, and between different organizations attempting to collaborate on projects. [5]

Rainey

Johansen, R. & Swigart, R. (1994). Rewards, loyalty, and commitment. Upsizing the individual in the downsized organization: Managing in the wake of reengineering, globalization, and overwhelming technological change (pp. 45-51). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Chapter 8 addresses problems created by the removal of such traditional loyalty-building elements as insurance benefits, a promotional "ladder," and job security. Downsized organizations often rely on two approaches to getting work done -- contracting with specialists from outside the organization to work on limited duration projects, and creating ad hoc teams of employees and contractors. Neither approach stimulates employee commitment to the organization, which leads to major problems down the road. In the case of self-directed teams, the authors attribute this to poorly developed (if they exist at all) team-based reward systems, the transient and individually competitive nature of team membership, and the absence of leaders to coordinate efforts between teams and assess team members' participation and effectiveness. The issue of contractors' loyalty only to themselves seems almost too obvious to mention. As individual contractors hustle their services and fulfill the requirements of their contracts, their only interest in the ongoing success of the organizations they serve is in their potential to provide more contract work (I know ... I'm married to an erstwhile contract employee who mourned the good old days of lasting relationships and emotional investment in the organizations he worked for). [5]

Rainey

Johansen, R. & Swigart, R. (1994). Media mismatch. Upsizing the individual in the downsized organization: Managing in the wake of reengineering, globalization, and overwhelming technological change (pp. 53-56). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

This brief chapter efectively summarizes the present chaotic situation in business communications media. The technology itself is still relatively primitive for replacements for traditional face-to-face, telephone, and "snail mail" interaction, especially in "dispersed" office environments. In addition, rules (both regulatory and social) for use of cell phones, email, voice mail, video conferencing, and the like are still evolving. Meanwhile, communication that might be effective, appropriate, and accceptable in traditional settings may appear confusing, incomplete, or outright rude when delivered "remotely." These observations apply as well to the often-confusing and equally pioneering world of distance education! As we struggle to adapt to frequent changes in course delivery systems and strategies, here's a paragraph worth remembering: "No one predicted the rise of desktop publishing, or the fax machine, or CNN, or the VCR. Nobody yet knows which communications media are suitable for which business purposes. Under such circumstances, all our assumptions about the use of the new media in business will most certrainly be wrong, or at best, misguided." [5]

Rainey

Levine, M., Caplan, M., Epps, J., Frothingham, A., Kolbell, E., Martin, D., et al. (1996). Stopping backstabbing among subordinates. In S. M. Pollen & M. Levine (Eds.), Lifescripts for managers (pp. 31-34). New York: Macmillan.

The key to addressing backstabbing is investigation and verification because it is difficult sometimes to pinpoint whom really is the one responsible; an employee may try turning the tables on his/her enemy by alleging backstabbing, when he/she may be the actual one causing it. To verify the complaint, the manager should solicit general feedback from staff about the problem- not naming names- to penetrate through the discomfort employees may have about discussing the situation with management. Many people should be interviewed to protect their anonymity and to encourage honest responses. Once the interview is initiated, the manager should refer to exact incidents to identify a specific individual in the cause. Once the backstabber is identified, the manager should speak with the employee privately, explain that it has been verified that he/she is the problem, and give a specific action that will be taken if the backstabbing happens again. [5]

East Coast

Levine, M., Caplan, M., Epps, J., Frothingham, A., Kolbell, E., Martin, D., et al. (1996). Handling a subordinate's personal use of equipment. In S. M. Pollen & M. Levine (Eds.), Lifescripts for managers (pp. 91-94). New York: Macmillan.

Sometimes managers look the other way when highly valued employees sometimes use office equipment or supplies for personal use; however this encourages other associates to do the same. Managers must confront the issue before it becomes a real problem. The manager should approach it in a direct but understanding way since many associates easily rationalize it as a job perk- for example, making personal copies for free. When approaching associates about this issue, the author suggests meeting with them at the end of the day so they can reflect on the discussion; it also eliminates the possibility of complaining to other employees throughout the day. The manager should give examples as to the abuse of equipment for personal use, explain that it is costing the organization money, state that the behavior is to stop, and explain the consequences to the actions if it persists. [5]

East Coast

Levine, M., Caplan, M., Epps, J., Frothingham, A., Kolbell, E., Martin, D., et al. (1996). Asking if a subordinate is a victim of domestic abuse. In S. M. Pollen & M. Levine (Eds.), Lifescripts for managers (pp. 95-98). New York: Macmillan.

Approaching an associate that a manager suspects is being abused is a very sensitive issue. If a manager suspects abuse and feels the need to get involved, the author recommends that a manager first read books on the signs of domestic abuse and gather referral information prior to asking the associate about this. The meeting with the associate should take place early in the day, so if the associate decides to seek help after the discussion, there is time to make calls and set up a support system. The author gives several approaches and script examples demonstrating how to handle the different reactions an employee might have if approached about this- ranging from denial, self-blame, reluctance, and anger. In all cases, the manager is understanding, gives examples as to why he/she suspects the abuse, says he/she is concerned, and offers the associate information about counseling, giving some referrals/resources. [5]

East Coast

Stueart, R. D. & Moran, B. B. (2002). Leadership. Library and information center management, 6th ed. (pp. 349-377). Greenwood Village, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

A leader is someone who has the power to influence the behavior of others in order to accomplish desired goals and objectives. An effective leader has two roles: 1) to exercise power wisely and efficiently and 2) to provide a vision that others will want to follow and emulate. The study of leadership has moved through three phases. Studies of leadership traits, the first phase, were inconclusive because each study produced a different set of skills, abilities, and personalities. The second phase of research studied behaviors associated with successful leadership, which include democracy, consideration, and an employee-centered approach. Studies of leadership styles include Likert?s four systems of management, the leadership grid developed by Blake and Mouton, Burn?s transformational/transactional leadership theory, Fiedler?s leadership contingency model, and House?s path-goal leadership theory. [5]

Storygirl