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But I Want To Hold It In My Hand! Print Resources
Massis, Bruce E. The Practical Library Manager. New York: Haworth, 2003. 149p. ISBN 0-7890-1766-0. $24.95. Purchase from Amazon.com.
This slim volume focuses on staffing and training issues and the impact of technology on today's library, providing a welcome contrast to theory-heavy management titles. While content is useful and targeted, chapters often read like lists; more extensive explanations and discussions would help even this short title feel more substantial. An extensive appendix on ALA-accredited library schools duplicates almost verbatim the content available on the ALA web site and could easily have been condensed into one (albeit horrendously long) URL, allowing room for discussion elsewhere in the book to feel less rushed. Useful features include extensive bibliographies and an annotated list of twelve management classics for the twenty-first century library manager - including such nontraditional choices as the I Ching and Emotional Intelligence. Most useful for newer and potential managers, as a catalyst to help them develop their own ideas and positions on these topics.