Middle Management in Academic and Public Libraries. Ed. Tom Diamond. Santa Barbara, Calif. Libraries Unlimited, 2011. 233p. acid free paper, $45 (ISBN 9781598846898) LC 2011 008554
formation, it would also have been good if some of the authors and illustrators received the kind of brief descriptions that the author provided for some of the publishing firms. While obviously it is the private or institutional collector of these Tale of Peter Rabbit spinoffs who will find this book most useful, larger libraries or those with a strong interest in publishing history or children's literature may also wish to add a copy of Turner's book to their shelves. As far as one can tell, it is accurate and comprehensive, and it is unlikely to be superseded. Scott Krafft, Northwestern University. With the myriad challenges of managing staff within a library setting, Middle Management in Academic and Public Libraries explicates some of the best management practices for middle managers. Middle managers are defined as " librarians engaged in a supervisory role as a department or unit head, branch manager, project manager, or team leader. " This work highlights proven techniques and the management acumen of 20 librarians from both academic and public libraries. Management issues addressed range from the role of perceived balance of authority and responsibility of middle managers to improved customer service through collaborative efforts across departments and the integration of modern technologies. This anthology is divided into five sections with each focused on an aspect of middle management. Each section offers a chapter or chapters containing a reference list and, in some instances, appendices, literature reviews, tables, and charts. The work also contains an index and a section about contributors to the book. The first section of the book discusses managing a unit or department within a library and managing staff within this department or unit. Topics discussed include results of surveyed middle managers that show a positive management experience is associated with perceived balance of position al authority and positional responsibility. Other items examined in this section include the role of mentoring and coaching for development of effective middle managers and the necessity of soft skills in managing the performance of staff that report to someone else. Examples are also provided where managers of special service points, such as youth services, must overcome many challenges including inadequate levels of staff and budgetary resources, lack of understanding and support from coworkers and administration, and organizational structures that do not reflect contemporary workflows such as team based management styles. The second section contains a chapter that describes the design
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