Conflict Management for Libraries: Strategies for a Positive, Productive Workplace (review)

Jack Montgomery and Eleanor Cook are well-known members of national and regional library organizations and serve on the editorial board of Against the Grain, a publication that discusses the latest issues concerning librarians, publishers, and vendors. This is their first full-length publication, based on an online survey conducted in 2000 of almost 500 respondents from all types of libraries.

This book is a welcome addition for library deans, supervisors, and human resources managers. The cover art of the tide rolling in is a thoughtful metaphor of conflict management within the workplace—fluid, continual, and, if not addressed carefully, disastrous for the organization. Through extensive and detailed research, the authors' goal of providing a practical tool for managing conflict in libraries has been accomplished. The text is well-written and casual, making the reading enjoyable rather than arduous. The pattern of other authors writing on this topic shows that the bulk of the literature stems from models of corporate workplaces; however, Montgomery and Cook present a more complete and expansive viewpoint on this everyday workplace issue within the library. This combination of business models and specifics of the library profession has created a ready reference tool for perspectives, methodologies, case studies, and future planning. The authors provide excellent schemas, and the book is complete with indexes and references, providing easy navigation.

In the first section, the components of workplace conflict and struggle are described. According to Montgomery and Cook, one of the biggest causes of conflict in the organization is the emotional baggage each person brings, which can ultimately lead to conflict. The authors describe, in detail, other ingredients and types of conflict, then tie these elements together with real-life case studies, complete with analysis and suggestions for coping with a similar situation. Many of these "stories from the trenches" are startlingly similar to ones that library professionals see, hear, and deal with on a daily basis. They also reflect current issues and trends surrounding libraries, such as emotional intelligence, organizational culture, leadership, and violence, some of which could be considered controversial but nonetheless important to address. Lastly, the authors seek to equip the reader with armor and tools to face and respond to conflict. By applying self-management, planning, and strong leadership, library professionals can examine their response to the environment and work on developing conflict management skills.

The strengths of this book are its breadth and variety. Perhaps one of its best qualities is that the solutions suggested could be modified to fit any library: public, academic, or special. As library roles are expanded in the future by technology and other advances, new challenges will have to be addressed in the workplace. This reference work should be updated in order to remain current and practical. Future editions would be improved by adding illustrations or graphics to complement and break up the text and by drawing more information from psychological or behavioral research to illustrate the reasons behind conflict.