Customer Reviews

Expectations of Librarians in the 21st Century (Libraries Unlimited Library Management Collection)

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I just had an opportunity to read this book (someone loaned me their copy)and was fascinated. It's quite possibly the best book on librarianship that I've ever read. It is so interesting to read about how people deal with their lives as librarians. It's also great on practical tips. Having worked in academic libraries for over 40 years I think I know libraries and it's clear that the writers and editor really know what they're talking about. I had read some of the articles written by the editor, Karl Bridges, in American Libraries and elsewhere, but didn't realize what a great writer he was until I read this book. This book is something that every working librarian should read. In fact, I have a niece who is thinking about becoming a librarian and I plan to buy her a copy. I just wish I had had something like this when I started working as a librarian.

I just had a chance to finish this book this weekend. This is a wonderful book! The editor has put together a fascinating collection of essays from librarians all over in all different kinds of libraries. They talk about their lives, how they do their jobs, and the challenges that they face moving into a new era.
This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in how librarians work now. It gives both philosophical insights as well as practical tips of value to both working librarians and those aspiring to be librarians. It's not valuable just for librarians, but for anyone interested in understanding the changing nature of work in America.
The writing is clear, crisp, and entertaining. The book is also well organized and edited with a useful index. Besides librarians this book would also be useful for any place that is doing career guidance -- one of the best overviews of what it means to work as a librarian that I have ever seen.
The only bad part about this book is the cost... I hope that they do a ... paperback version of this as soon as possible since it deserves to be on every librarian's bookshelf. There's nothing even remotely comparable to this book available. A real contribution to the literature!