The daily administration of an academic library often leaves you needing quick advice on the topic at hand. Nelson, an experienced administrator writing from first-hand knowledge, delivers such advice in 30 topical chapters. Each chapter begins with an “Assertion,” a one-sentence summary allowing you to rapidly scan the book and find what you need. When you’re on the job you can dip into this guide for ready-to-use guidance on the full range of administrator responsibilities, such as How to think and act politically Preparing staff for safety and security procedures Influencing student and faculty's perception of the library as a basic component of education Fostering librarians' professional identity as teachers Communicating effectively, from email messages to meetings Assessment and systematic collection of data Commentary sections in each chapter offer observations and interpretation, with abundant examples of useful advice. If you want to dig further into a topic, a Readings section points you to resources. Packed with insight about the day-to-day operations of the academic library, Nelson's guide will be invaluable to new and experienced administrators alike.

The daily administration of an academic library often leaves you needing quick advice on the topic at hand. Nelson, an experienced administrator writing from first-hand knowledge, delivers such advice in 30 topical chapters.

For many of us, the drive to affect positive change--however vague or idiosyncratic our sense of this might be--has guided our work in higher education. We champion the pursuit of a college degree because few endeavors can match it in terms of advancing a person's economic mobility (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner, and Yagan; 2017). Despite recent debates about the value of a college degree (Pew Research Center, 2017), the opportunities and financial stability awarded to those with college degrees remain apparent when they are compared to peers who have only graduated high school (Pew Research Center, 2014). And while more Americans have a college degree than ever before (Ryan and Bauman, 2016), access to a formal, post-secondary education continues to be elusive for some. Indeed, over the last ten years, analysts have projected that the cost of attending college would keep 2.4 million low-to-moderate income, college-qualified high school graduates from completing a college degree (Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, 2006). During that same period, college students in the United States saw expenses related to tuition and fees increase by 63 percent, school housing costs (excluding board) increase by 51 percent, textbook prices increase by 88 percent (Bureau of Labor, 2016). Because few students can afford a college education by salary alone, 44.2 million Americans have sought financial aid via student loans. As a result, total student loan debt is now topping $1.45 trillion in the United States (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2017), and student loan delinquency rates are averaging 11.2 percent (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2017). The burden of a student's financial decisions extends beyond the mere individual: society will inevitably carry the weight of this debt for years to come.

Academic libraries are in the midst of significant disruption. Academic librarians and university administrators know they need to change, but are not sure how. Bits and pieces of what needs to happen are clear, but the whole picture is hard to grasp. Reimagining the Academic Library paints a simple straightforward picture of the changes affecting academic libraries and what academic librarians need to do to respond to the changes would help to guide future library practice. The aim is to explain where academic libraries need to go and how to get there in a book that can be read in a weekend. David Lewis provides a readable survey of the current state of academic library practice and proposes where academic libraries need to go in the future to provide value to their campuses. His primary focus is on collections as this is the area with the greatest opportunity for change and is the driver of most library cost. Lewis provides an accessible framework for thinking about how library practice needs to adjust in the digital environment. The book will be useful not only to academic librarians, but also for librarians to share with presidents and provosts who a concise source for understanding where and how to focus their expenditures on libraries.

The associate university librarian is tasked with running the various services and workflows of academic research libraries, allowing the head university librarian to focus on the acquisition of resources through fundraising and external public relations. Although the positions of assistant or associate university librarians and deans are considered a training ground for upward movement in the profession, there are surprisingly few mentoring experiences available. The Associate University Librarian Handbook: A Resource Guide looks to change that. Bradford Lee Eden has brought together a variety of helpful topics for university librarians. The first section provides a broad overview of the field and what it means to be an associate librarian. A section on managing change, a topic endemic to the academic library in these times, follows. The next section deals with the question of funding the library enterprise and managing resources, with chapters on how best to handle budget reductions, cultivating donors and donor relations, and managing a research function. The fourth section covers career management, and includes chapters on navigating the transition to university librarian. A concluding section deals with leadership and defining the future. Intended for both those in the position of associate university librarian and for those aspiring to get there, The Associate University Librarian Handbook will be a valuable tool and guide.

Best practices developed by the profession in capturing and emphasizing academic libraries' contributions to student learning, success, and experience.