Maureen Sullivan

Leadership in a Digital Age


April 9, 2013

The increasingly digital context brings challenges and opportunities for librarians, library staff, archivists, and museum professionals. New roles and the competencies required to perform them are evolving. One overriding role for all of us is that of the leader. The complexity of the changes we experience leads to many unfamiliar situations in which deep learning … Continue reading Leadership in a Digital Age


Follow Yourself


April 1, 2013

Do you listen to what customers say online about your library? Oftentimes they’re asking questions or announcing that they’re inside the building. Other times they’re sharing their experiences, both good and bad. But almost all of the time they’re using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to hold these online conversations. As library professionals, … Continue reading Follow Yourself


Linda Braun

Managing the Managers


March 27, 2013

Sometimes relationships with those up the organizational chart are fantastic. Sometimes they are awful. Whether you work for an angel or a demon, you need to manage the relationship. Since what is required to accomplish that feat is not always obvious, I’ve put together 10 tips for success. Build relationships. Whenever I talk with library … Continue reading Managing the Managers


Too Eager to Please


March 13, 2013

Pity the poor library director, whose job description includes ensuring the work gets done, the patrons are happy, the powers that be (trustees, city managers, regents, deans, principals, school board members, city council members, county commissioners, etc.) are also happy, and library employees are happy. Oh, I forgot one thing: Do all this with a … Continue reading Too Eager to Please


Maureen Sullivan

Community Building


March 13, 2013

All around us, libraries of all types are discovering that as they look outward, they can make a dramatic difference in their communities. Long recognized as trusted educational and cultural institutions, libraries that more actively engage with their communities discover innovative services, increase their relevance, and build deeper community support. Last September, ALA announced the … Continue reading Community Building



Coming to TERMS


March 6, 2013

Two decades after the advent of electronic journals and databases, librarians are still grappling with ways to best manage e-resources. These times of economic austerity are also creating budgetary pressures at many institutions of higher education, with the result that librarians must continually justify their spending on collections and resource management. Techniques for Electronic Resource … Continue reading Coming to TERMS


Just-for-Me Training


March 5, 2013

Librarians in all types of libraries provide training and instruction. Whether it’s for staff or patrons, the timing of the training is usually critical. Teach first-year college students about a database when they have no assignment that requires them to use it and it will likely go in one ear and out the other. Teach … Continue reading Just-for-Me Training


Develop Your Emotional Intelligence


February 27, 2013

In the many presentations we have given over the years, one of the most powerful and most common questions we receive deals with psychology. The topic came up most recently when we were preparing a presentation on how library staff can communicate more effectively with information technology staff members. We initially wanted to emphasize that … Continue reading Develop Your Emotional Intelligence



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Hot Country


February 20, 2013

I’m a sucker for novels starring war correspondents, especially those set in tropical climes. You know what I’m talking about here—rumpled, sweat-stained seersucker suits; constant consumption of gin and tonics (ostensibly to fight off malaria); a few days’ growth of beard (before that look became hip); and, most important, a sense of constant innuendo hanging … Continue reading Hot Country