Public Library Planning: Case Studies for Management

by Brett Sutton

Overview

Public libraries must function in a time of limited funding, increasing technology, and shifting demographics and client needs. To fulfill their role, libraries must manage change through effective planning. This book analyzes case studies of planning at several representative libraries, illustrating how formal planning procedures are adapted to changing circumstances. The study is based primarily on interviews with staff members at each site, drawing wherever possible on their own words and on related documents and surveys.

The heart of the book is a set of narrative descriptions of the planning process at various representative libraries. Additional chapters draw on this material to evaluate the planning process and its organization, the planning documents produced, the social aspects of planning, and the benefits of the process. The volume looks at how planning evolved at each site, the kinds of problems encountered and how they were solved, and the effects of planning on the organization. The book emphasizes the complexity of planning, the variety of perspectives held by staff members, and the relationship between planning and the library's local environment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313287763
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/23/1995
Series:	Libraries Unlimited Library Management Collection
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

BRETT SUTTON is an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his graduate degree in library science, he has a doctorate in anthropology. His articles have appeared in jourbanals such as Library and Information Science Research, Library Quarterly, Libraries and Culture, and Library Administration and Management.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: Considering How To Run
Case Study: City Library
Case Study: County Library
Case Study: Federated Library
Case Study: Suburban Library
Motivations for Planning
The Planning Process
The Planning Document
Planning as a Social Process
The Elements of Successful Planning
The Risks of Planning
The Benefits of Planning
Notes on the Antinomies of Public Library Planning
Appendix
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This new title is not another how-to book on planning. Sutton draws on his background in anthropology as well as library science (he is assistant professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) to proffer a sophisticated analysis of actual planning processes at four public libraries (city, county, federated, and suburban). Case studies are followed by the author's examination of the motivations for planning, social dynamics, risks and benefits of planning, elements of successful planning, and the planning process and resulting documents. Comments from planning participants and staff members are sprinkled liberally throughout the text, helping the reader appreciate the variety of perspectives that can exist regarding the same project. The effect of the local environment on the design of planning is emphasized. This is fascinating reading for public library managers and planners at any stage of the planning process.-Lyn Hopper, Chestatee Regional Lib., Gainesville, Ga.

Library Journal

The series provides librarians with operations and management strategies for all types of libraries--public, academic, school, and specialized. This volume analyzes case studies of planning at several representative public libraries. It describes the impact planning has had at each library, the kind of problems encountered and how they were solved, and the effects of systematic planning on the organization. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews