Middle Management in Academic and Public Libraries (review)

Tom Diamond, the editor of Middle Management in Academic and Public Libraries, is head of reference and collection development services at Louisiana State University Libraries in Baton Rouge. Some of his previous works include The Economic and Political Aspects of the Tobacco Industry: An Annotated Bibliography and Statistical Review 1990-2004 (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2005), the Association of Research Libraries Spec Kit 280, Library User Services (Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, 2004), and, as co-editor, Reference Assessment and Evaluation (New York: Haworth Information Press, 2006).

The topics covered in Middle Management include managing people and change, leadership and management skills development, collaboration, and cross-departmental cooperation. Early on we get the definition of a middle manager and a discussion of the big picture view of the organization. The narrative narrows its focus as you progress through the book and concentrates on specific tasks of the middle manager, such as project management and performance accountability. It also discusses the larger view, involving a look at the institution and how it encompasses and impacts other segments of the organization, as well as how the organizational parts strategically align within the institution. Examples are provided of how departments, units, or other group clusters share mutual interests or efforts; also, how these mutual interests or efforts can go a long way toward the successful completion of collaborative projects. A clear example of the value of such cooperative relationships is the necessity of collaboration between public services and technical services and how librarians are successfully addressing this issue. As the book points out, in the 1990s the professional literature noted that public and technical services had begun to form effective partnerships and meld differing viewpoints and divergent styles.

Middle Management in Academic and Public Libraries is clearly written in a manner that anyone can enjoy. It offers up examples and provides information helpful to public and academic libraries (including those with tenure-track librarians). Its strength is the use of research data to support the topic of responsibility and authority, and the inclusion of sample guides and charts for use by supervisors. An additional strength is how it begins with broad, big picture topics and moves toward equally important but more narrowly focused subject matter, such as performance management, hiring and firing, and project management. Also, there is a clear demarcation of topics as you read from one author to the next and yet the book maintains a seamless continuity. The writers provide broad perspectives and share their experiences and knowledge, demonstrating that the solutions suggested have been tested in workplace situations.

This book highlights the range of talent and organizational insight that exists among middle managers and the operational challenges they face. New supervisors will gain a great deal from this book. It focuses both on the competencies required by middle managers and accurately portrays them as a critical link in the overall library operations. The experienced manager will also obtain new ideas and gain different perspectives and insights by reading how others are dealing with the same or similar challenges. Responsible for the management of staff from multiple generations (and the challenges associated with increased use of technology and social media), middle managers serve as the critical link between the organization and its front line workers. Experiencing the stresses of day-to-day workplace demands, they must decide which of the multiple pathways leads to the resolution of these issues. The experienced middle manager is described as the one in the best position to maintain the organizational history.

Generally speaking, books of this nature are written to teach and inform. This publication goes a step further by serving as a hands-on tool for conducting the day-to-day business of the library manager. I highly recommend it for both academic and public libraries.