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During the mid 1990s, it was predicted that the library as physical place was doomed. A dualism emerged – the virtual library vs library as place – and it was assumed that the virtual library would prove to be the most popular. In 1995, the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, produced four scenarios presenting alternative library futures in the twenty‐first century, specifically the year 2010. Only one of these scenarios predicted a reinterpretation and corresponding revitalisation of “library as place”. The author initiated and led this process in 1995 and revisited these scenarios in 2010 with a view to comparing current practices in library design with the attributes described in this lone scenario; the aim of this paper is to focus on this scenario.

Library leaders in Australia, many of whom participated in the 1995 scenario development process, are interviewed, along with a number of architects specialising in contemporary library design. This qualitative process is complemented by an international literature search. Three library sectors are surveyed – collecting institutions, academic and public libraries.

Fifteen years on the dualism between virtual and physical is less stark; a convergence has occurred that would have been unthinkable then. A hybrid has emerged with digital and place‐based notions of a library holding equal currency. Interviewees confirm that “library as place” has never been so popular. This trend is international and emerges from the inter‐weaving of the digital, social and aesthetic that has generated new loci for solitary and collective learning and interaction.

The paper asks questions about what has happened to unsettle predictions conceived in the mid 1990s; what is happening now in terms of new modes of learning and knowledge exchange; and what kind of library spaces and uses can be expected in the future.

The purpose of this paper is to show that library managers are increasingly moving from one country to another as globalization makes its mark. What constitutes good leadership and good management and are the skills and knowledge transferable?

There are cultural differences which must be understood. The cultural differences relate not solely to country or region but also to institutional variations and environments. Outlines the pitfalls and pleasures.

Library managers moving from one country and culture and one organization to another require considerable energy, knowledge and skill in making the change.

The pitfalls and the pleasures are outlined – and neither should be underestimated.

As the younger generation of born digital library users and even well‐established scholars rely increasingly on Google, or its new products Google Scholar and Google Book, for information resource discovery and access, libraries are finding it increasingly difficult to ensure that their own well structured web sites and information services are being utilized appropriately. This paper aims to highlight some of the changes occurring in the information environment and suggests ways of marketing library services effectively to today's users.

Marketing concepts are explored in the paper, focusing on a clear understanding of users, the library's products, the appropriate place for service delivery, an appropriate pricing strategy – and effective promotional strategies. Promotional strategies which are being used effectively by some commercial organizations, as well as approaches being developed by some libraries, are highlighted. Practical hints are provided so that libraries can ensure that their missions of ensuring that every book has its reader can be accomplished in a new age of access to information in real books and journals and virtual books and journals and other information resources.

The paper finds that libraries no longer operate in a “come and get it” environment and new ways of outreach are described which ensure that librarians are out amongst their communities, creating an awareness of the services available and ensuring effective use of resources through a variety of approaches used in university libraries in Australia and at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

This paper provides useful information on the changes occurring in the information environment and ways of marketing library services effectively to today's users.

The government, from both national and regional sources, is the primary source of funds for universities and their libraries in Australia. Student numbers and financial allocations are set by the federal government. Government policy changes in relation to higher education funding have impacted considerably in the last few years and the percentage of total income emanating from the federal government has steadily deteriorated. Student fees, on both a partial and full basis, have been introduced as part of the funding mix. Most university libraries in Australia are funded by their parent organizations, usually through a fixed percentage of overall university income. Cost pressures have been experienced by university libraries through reductions in government income, and excessive increases in the costs of library materials, but also through a steadily falling value of the Australian currency against other major world currencies. This paper reviews the environment of Australian university libraries and focuses on the University of Queensland Cybrary as a case study, reviewing initiatives that have been adopted to increase income.

The purpose of this paper is to connect the stories and experiences of library professionals who have chosen to take up positions in other countries. The library professionals were asked to reflect on their experiences. This paper tends to connect and conceptualize the different experiences.

The paper is purely theoretical and it introduces and links concepts of social capital, thrust, and national culture and characteristics to the experiences of the library professionals. The theoretical framework is used loosely to interpret and discuss the experiences.

The paper is not empirical in a traditional sense. This implies that there are no findings based on data. The paper introduces and discusses concepts and apply these to material based on experiences and it is indicated that the theoretical frameworks presented are useful in relation to contextualising the diverse experiences. It is also indicated that the concepts of social capital are closely related to concepts concerning national or regional cultural characteristics.

The practical implications are rather simple but difficult to achieve. It is a question about respect and it is a question about learning other patterns of communication, norms and values which are indispensable in cross cultural relationships.

With reference to the author's previous research it is indicated that phenomena in library and information science and practice take different forms according to the cultural settings. This is an important result in an ever increasing international world.

The following annotated bibliography of materials on orienting users to libraries and on instructing them in the use of reference and other resources covers publications from 1981. A few items from 1980 have been included because information about them was not available in time for the 1980 listing. A few items have not been annotated because the compiler was unable to secure copies of these items.

Data collected from 319 senior executives and 2477 of their subordinates from a global diversified organization were used to explore the impact of differences in individual personality orientation on the processes by which these individuals enable their workgroups. Personality orientation was defined in terms of self‐ratings on four distinct groupings derived from a k‐means cluster analysis of self‐ratings on the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator and the Kirton Adaptation Inventory. Perceptions of enablement and ratings of executive behavior were based on questionnaires completed by subordinates. Although no differences were found with respect to the overall degree of enablement experienced by subordinates, personality orientation did affect the specific behaviors employed by executives to enable others and the degree of managerial self‐awareness exhibited (operationalized as congruence in self vs. subordinates' ratings). Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The present study contributes to our understanding of how to curb burnout among hospital staff over time. The authors extend existing research by examining the mediating role of mission valence in the link between transformational leadership and burnout.

Self-administered questionnaire data from employees in a Canadian general hospital (N = 185) were analyzed using a time-lagged research design to examine whether transformational leaders can increase employees' attraction to the organization's mission (i.e. mission valence) and in turn alleviate long-term burnout.

Structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated that transformational leadership (time 1) was negatively related to the burnout components of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (time 2). Further, the results showed that mission valence mediated these relationships.

The study findings are important for managers and professionals as they identify transformational leadership as a potent strategy to alleviate employee burnout and clarify the process through which this is achieved, namely, by increasing mission valence.

To date, surprisingly little research has explored how transformational leadership influences followers' burnout. To address this issue, the present study examined the role of transformational leadership on staff burnout through the mechanism of increasing mission valence. Understanding how to mitigate burnout is particularly critical in health care organizations given that burnout not only negatively impacts employee wellbeing but also the wellbeing and quality of care provided to patients.