In this unconventional management text, author Dr. Susan Carol Curzon presents a different take on traditional library management tools. Through personal narrative and anecdotes from other working professionals, Curzon presents the many everyday challenges one meets as a library manager: • The unwritten rules, strategies, and bits of wisdom only learned on-the-job • Behavioral nuances • Political strategies • Mentor-like advice • Subtle communication codes Regardless of the professional setting, management is management and wisdom is wisdom. What Every Library Director Should Know is the insider’s view of vital actions, behaviors, and strategies needed to succeed in every type of library.

In this unconventional management book, author Susan Carol Curzon presents a different take on traditional library management tools. Through personal narrative and anecdotes from other working professionals, Curzon presents the many everyday challenges one meets as a library manager: • The unwritten rules, strategies, and bits of wisdom only learned on-the-job • Behavioral nuances • Political strategies • Mentor-like advice • Subtle communication codes Regardless of the professional setting, management is management and wisdom is wisdom. What Every Library Director Should Know is the insider’s view of vital actions, behaviors, and strategies needed to succeed in every type of library. This second edition has been significantly revised to emphasize diversity, inclusion, remote work, and virtual services.

New public library directors quickly learn what seasoned directors already know: running a library means you’ve always got your hands full—balancing the needs of staff, patrons, facilities, library boards, and other stakeholders with professional responsibilities like community interactions, legal and financial requirements, and whole lot else that wasn’t exactly in the job description. Whether you are considering becoming a public library director, are brand new to the role, or have settled in but find yourself thinking “there’s got to be a better way,” authors Hall and Parker are here to help. This book walks you through the core components of getting up to speed and then provides templates, sample documents, checklists, and other resources that will make your job easier. Gleaned from their own decades of experience in library leadership positions, in this toolkit they - cover such key topics as employees, trustees, finances, legal issues, library policies, emergency planning, and technology; - discuss strategic planning and share advice on keeping up with trends; - offer nearly two dozen ready-to-use resources, including a Director’s Report Template, a Social Media Policy, an Employee Exit Questionnaire, a Library Cleaning Checklist, a Vision Statement worksheet, and more; and - suggest additional learning opportunities in each chapter to help you continue your learning journey. Public library directors can steer clear of common pain points by relying on the expert guidance and organizational aids in this toolkit.

Library computer users are often novices and may not be aware that even seemingly innocuous information supplied to Web sites can be mined by government agencies, unscrupulous businesses, and criminals. Even the donated computers that libraries accept and pass on to otherwcan reveal confidential information like social security numbers. The recent discovery that online service providers have been supplying vast quantities of data to government agencies without the public's knowledge dramatically brought this threat to light. This book will help you, as a librarian, understand the threats and pitfalls of electronic privacy and develop a solid plan to protect the privacy of your patrons.

"Included are insights from working library managers at different levels and in various types of libraries, addressing a wide range of management issues and situations. Not to be missed: comments from library staff about the qualities they appreciate - and the styles and attitudes they find counterproductive - in their own bosses."--Jacket.

While new directors learn how to manage and lead museums as part of their professional training and career development, the skills and knowledge required to work with boards—which are instrumental to a museum director’s work—must somehow be acquired on the job as one’s career progresses. What Every Museum Director Should Know about Working with Boards is designed to empower new and aspiring museum directors by equipping them with the skills and knowledge to work with boards. What Every Museum Director Should Know about Working with Boards uses museum-based vignettes of all-too-true situations encountered by new museum directors to illustrate what museum directors need to understand about their work with museum boards, so that they have the skills and knowledge to identify, assess, and successfully navigate the common issues they will inevitably encounter as a director. Following the vignette, analysis of the situation and strategic guidance are offered. A new director’s understanding of how boards are structured and operate, how they will interact with the board, and what areas they will work on with the board are all critical to a new museum leader’s success. However, busy new directors often do not have time to access the many widely dispersed resources about working with boards or to ascertain what parts of board operations will most affect their daily work. Consequently, What Every Museum Director Should Know about Working with Boards outlines how boards are organized, discusses the common points of contact between the director and the museum’s board, and examines the kinds of challenges museum directors will likely encounter in working with their boards. Given the importance of museum boards to the success of museums and a director’s understanding of boards to their own career development, What Every Museum Director Should Know about Working with Boards is an essential resource for new and aspiring museum directors.

"Provides information about librarianship as a career, including types of libraries, types of jobs within libraries, professional issues, and educational requirements"--Provided by publisher.