This Gower Handbook is an authoritative guide to both the traditional and newer aspects of library and information management. Edited by Ray Prytherch, it brings together the insight of a range of respected contributors, who offer advice on the management, storage, retrieval, analysis, marketing and delivery of information. The book begins with Part I analyzing the context and trends of the information world. In Part II, Strategy and Planning, the information environment is explored in more detail, with Chapters 3 and 4 presenting the main issues and principles of financial planning and strategic planning. Part III, The Service Infrastructure, looks at customer care, the role of performance measurement and research in service improvement, and the influence of copyright law in the delivery of information products to customers. Part IV, Managing Resources, includes five chapters on strategic management, information auditing, human resource management, preservation and disaster management. The last part of the Handbook, Part V, Access and Delivery, focuses on the potential of electronic systems with chapters on subject gateways and Z39.50, electronic publishing, intranets and new models of access and delivery. Each part of the Handbook begins with an introduction by the editor and the book concludes with a directory of organizations, including useful URLs, and a glossary. Flexibility and adaptability are crucial for information professionals if they are to maintain their skills at the right level to provide the services needed by both information-rich and information-poor. In this one book librarians from all backgrounds, information managers and officers, document and records managers, and network and Web specialists will find answers to a wide range of questions that confront them in their working day. The Handbook will become a standard reference on best practice for professionals and students. It will be of interest to information analysts, knowledge managers, and others, including publishers, involved in information maintenance and provision.

This standard text has been fully revised and updated for its fourth edition to reflect continuing technological changes, as well as issues such as social inclusion, lifelong learning and European employment legislation. Chapter 1 on the working environment has been completely rewritten. The present environment brings problems of staff motivation, de-professionalization and the loss of control: Chapter 2 reminds readers of basic motivation theories, now presented in a more logical sequence, and how to deal with such problems. Chapter 3 on workforce planning has been retitled Human Resource Planning and revised to take into account the modes of staffing appropriate for today's turbulent environment. Effective human resource planning requires excellent selection and recruitment procedures: best practice and developments in this area are explored in Chapters 4, Job Descriptions and Person Specifications, and 5, Recruitment and Selection of Staff. In Chapter 6 on staff appraisal more attention has been given to multi-rating approaches, such as 360° whereby different aspects of work can be assessed by different groups of people, and to appraisal of junior by senior staff. The last decade has seen increased emphasis on training and development to deliver high quality services in a climate of constant change. Chapter 7 has therefore been reordered and expanded in order to reflect new approaches and changes in this area. In Chapter 8, Staff Supervision and Interpersonal Skills, recent emphasis on leadership and counselling skills are reflected, as is the growing need to do more with less through enhanced time management and stress management techniques. With this new edition, this core guide brings professionals involved in managing library and information staff up to date with how to cope with the most pressing problems and challenges in today's fast-changing environment.

Information management embraces the strategies and technologies of acquiring, organizing, retrieving and exploiting information in any context. In corporate environments, the efficient handling of data can give competitive edge. This book analyzes/discusses information science sources.

This handbook aims to be an integral text for students of library and information science and a ready-reference for information professional practitioners. The chapters provide a construct through which any information professional may learn abut the major challenges facing them in the early part of the 21st century.

This Handbook was the first APM Body of Knowledge Approved title for the Association for Project Management. Over the course of five editions, Gower Handbook of Project Management has become the definitive desk reference for project management practitioners. The Handbook gives an introduction to, and overview of, the essential knowledge required for managing projects. The team of expert contributors, selected to introduce the reader to the knowledge and skills required to manage projects, includes many of the most experienced and highly regarded international writers and practitioners. The Fifth Edition has been substantially restructured. All but two of the authors are new, reflecting the fast-changing and emerging perspectives on projects and their management. The four sections in the book describe: ¢ Projects, their context, value and how they are connected to organizational strategy; ¢ Performance: describing how to manage the delivery of the project, covering scope, quality, cost, time, resources, risk and sustainability ¢ Process: from start up to close down ¢ Portfolio: the project and its relationship to the organization The discrete nature of each chapter makes this Handbook a wonderful source of advice and background theory that is easy to consult. Gower Handbook of Project Management is an encyclopaedia for the discipline and profession of project management; a bible for project clients, contractors and students.