Managing Change: A How‐to‐Do‐it Manual for Librarians (revised ed.)

Citation

Calvert, P. (2006), "Managing Change: A How‐to‐Do‐it Manual for Librarians (revised ed.)", The Electronic Library, Vol. 24 No. 6, pp. 865-866. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470610714297

Of all the aspects of management that a young information manager might face, the two most likely are change management and project management. Examples might be introducing a new technology such as RSS feeds, or dealing with staff reactions to charging for internet access, or coping with fresh challenges after joining a consortium with a shared library management system. Change has become such a persistent part of modern life that we must accept it almost as the norm, just as Toffler predicted thirty years ago in Future Shock.

Curzon's first edition of this manual was published more than a decade ago, and this revised edition shows huge changes. Other books on this subject published recently include Change management for information services by Penfold (Bowker‐Saur, 1999) and Change management in information services by Pugh (Gower, 2000). Those books have one thing that the Curzon book does not, and that is a thorough explanation of the theory of change management. Curzon would make no excuses for that, though, and say that if you are an academic or a student then read Penfold and Pugh, but if you are currently running a small library and you need to motivate, push, or cajole your staff through change, then this is the practical hands‐on manual that will help you to do it.

This guide provides the manager with a step‐by‐step process which start with conceptualising the process (without which it is hard to see how to move forwards); planning; preparing; decision‐making; controlling resistance (perhaps the young manager's greatest fear); and implementing the changes.

The book is designed as a manual rather than a text, with numerous short sections, bullet points, quick “checks”, 16 sample change scenarios, coaching prompts, motivational tips, and lists of pertinent questions. It has a short index. It is recommended to all library managers.