Building Bridges: Collaboration Within and Beyond the Academic Library

Citation

Ormsby, R. (2007), "Building Bridges: Collaboration Within and Beyond the Academic Library", Library Management, Vol. 28 No. 4/5, pp. 274-274. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120710744272

This slim, nine‐chaptered Building Bridges: Collaboration Within and Beyond the Academic Library, in the Chandos Information Series, is a fast read of tips, techniques, and tools designed to help busy information professionals successfully undertake to collaborate with peers and faculty for internal and external projects. The several short case studies in the final four chapters offer little by way of new content for librarians who read case studies on collaboration published in journals such as Library Management or books such as Working With Faculty to Design Undergraduate Information Literacy Programs, by Rosemary M. Young and Stephena Harmony (Neal‐Schuman Publishers, How‐to‐Do‐It Manuals for Librarians, 1999).

Extensive lists of recent recommended articles for further reading conclude most chapters of the book. It is somewhat puzzling that none are offered for “Getting Started”, the fourth chapter, which covers general suggestions for planning projects, setting ground rules, creating timelines, and obtaining the necessary support from institutions and supervisors and external sources, if needed, for the financial and technological commitments needed for undertaking collaborative projects.

The authors have inserted quotations from leaders in various fields throughout the book's text. These quotations may have had more impact to an international audience if brief explanations of the leaders' roles and the sources of the quotations were provided, especially for those whose names are common in several occupations. In one case, the name of a late American political leader is misspelled. More careful editing, or proofreading, prior to publication would likely have eliminated the typographical and grammatical errors that detract from the advice and encouragement the authors offer to librarians wishing to undertake and succeed with collaborative efforts.