Administration and Management in Health Sciences Libraries

Citation

Anagnostelis, B. (2004), "Administration and Management in Health Sciences Libraries", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 78-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330330410519251

Administration and Management in Health Sciences Libraries is the last of the multi‐volume series, Current Practice in Health Sciences Librarianship, which continues the principles first established by the four editions of what was previously the Handbook of Medical Library Practice. This latest edition of the series contains eight separate volumes, which, in addition to the present volume, cover the areas of reference and information services; educational services; information access and delivery; collection development and assessment; acquisition; bibliographic management of information resources; and health sciences environment and librarianship. Published by the Medical Library Association (MLA), it is perhaps to be expected that all Advisory Committee members, as well as the authors, are MLA members and based in the USA.

The volume consists of seven chapters, intended to give a “balanced overview of the key tasks faced by the manager”. Although it may be read sequentially, the volume is also quite amenable to selective reference, as required, since each chapter is relatively self‐contained. Separate chapters deal with a single topic, which is generally tackled comprehensively; however, each chapter is intended to be used for practical application rather than to provide an in‐depth theoretical overview. The areas covered are: management challenges in an era of change; fiscal management in health sciences libraries; human resources management; marketing library services; the technological transformation of health sciences libraries; planning for health sciences library facilities; and the application of systematic research. Relevant references are provided at the end of each chapter.

Chapter 1, on management challenges in an era of change, though steeped in references to the US health‐care system, nonetheless provides a useful overview of management issues faced by library managers during times of rapid change. The chapter highlights the importance of professional development and education and discusses the skills and competencies that library managers should seek to foster. It ends by highlighting the importance of both personal and institutional risk taking, as structures are re‐engineered both within and outside the library.

Chapter 2 provides an introduction to the essentials of financial management. One third of this is dedicated to issues surrounding library development and fund‐raising, which is indicative of the importance of income generation for today’s health sciences library. Chapter 3 on human resources management provides fair coverage of human resource issues, despite a strong US focus in its discussion of legal frameworks. Chapter 4 offers a strongly user‐focused approach to marketing. It outlines key concepts, explores different scenarios and reinforces a variety of means by which libraries need to undertake marketing and promotion activities.

Chapter 5 provides a chronological background to technological changes. The challenges facing medical informatics are described here, as are the new roles and responsibilities now being assumed by librarians. The chapter identifies five aspects of the impact of technology on the human dimension: focusing on the customer; measuring performance; realigning the organisation; creating a learning environment; and renewing the knowledge base.

Chapter 6, on planning for health sciences library facilities, offers the reader a selection of key questions to consider and issues to address, when planning new or renovated space. Plentiful references are given to key texts and advice is provided on how to approach planning for such developments. The final (seventh) chapter on the application of systematic research is of necessity very general in its coverage and as such provides insufficient insight into research methods and their applicability to library operations. Nonetheless, it places some emphasis on evidence‐based librarianship and the importance of fostering a research‐aware environment.

Two appendices are provided, which include, respectively, a list of recommended skills for health sciences library careers and an annotated bibliography on library space planning. Both are very informative in the specific areas to which they refer.

Overall, though not as practical as might be possible in its approach (this is not a “how to” manual), nonetheless the volume provides a useful overview of key issues faced by health sciences library managers. It also brings together several useful facts and is peppered throughout with helpful incidental figures (e.g. “studies demonstrate that even the most difficult patient care questions can be answered by the medical literature 42 per cent of the time”). Even though it is primarily of interest to those working in health sciences libraries, this volume would also be of use to anyone interested generally in library management. As such, it would therefore be useful in any text collection covering library management.