reviews.indd


462 College & Research Libraries 

Switzerland, a less challenging, more 
welcoming world, might have been the 
greater impetus. 

 Doubleday’s book comes with a suite 
of appendices culled from the archives 
and a full bibliography of and about 
Tschichold.—Michael Ryan, Columbia 
University. 

Edwards, G. Edward, and Patricia 
Layzell Ward. Leadership Basics for 
Librarians and Information Professionals. 
Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2007. 246p. 
alk. paper, $40 (ISBN 0810852292). LC 
2006-26885. 

According to a recent New York Times 
article, more than 25 percent of librar-
ians will reach the customary retirement 
age of 65 by 2009. Many respondents to 
a recent ALA survey are not willing to 
wait even that long: almost 30 percent of 
those who plan on retiring by 2010 are 
ages 45 to 54. This means that many of 
us may soon find ourselves, by accident 
or ambition, in a leadership position. If 
you are reading this and thinking, “But I 
took that management course in library 
school,” this book, which explains that 
management and leadership are not the 
same, is for you. It includes discussions 
of leadership, borrowing terms and ad-
vice from business gurus such as Peter 
Drucker, and emphasizes the qualities 
of—and gives practical advice for—lead-
ers in the library profession. The book’s 
three sections are titled “Background,” 
“Developing Leadership Skills,” and “The 
Experience of Leadership.” The inclusion 
of practical tips for the workplace, in addi-
tion to advice for personal development, 
make the work an eff ective combination 
of self-help and textbook.

 Librarians Evans and Ward open 
by explaining the diff erences between 
a manager and a leader, and many of 
the contrasts are nuanced and thought 
provoking (for example, “The manager 
does things right; the leader does the right 
thing”). They emphasize a vexing prob-
lem: though most leaders come from 
the ranks of management, the qualities 

September 2007 

required in the two positions are almost 
complete opposites. Acknowledging that 
leaders come from diff erent backgrounds, 
the authors inform the prospective or new 
leader what to do, using general tips that 
could work in many situations, starting 
with how to weather others’ expectations. 
Sometimes they offer unusual advice such 
as asking the opinions of ex- and nonusers 
of the service or department. 

In this first section, the authors ana-
lyze the traits of a good leader including 
traditional academic dissections of the 
field such as the Behavioral Approach. 
This is followed by indirect advice from 
Rudy Giuliani and Irish explorer Ernest 
Shackleton on how to lead in the post-
9/11 world. The traits mentioned serve 
as a checklist of qualities to develop or 
hone. Along with inner strengths, the 
authors wisely mention practicalities, 
such as frontline experience, that will 
help in gaining the acceptance of others. 
Emphasizing that a good leader brings 
out the best in his or her followers, they 
describe the differing characteristics of 
the various generations in the workplace 
today, and how these parties can be en-
couraged to accommodate each other. 
While Evans and Ward maintain that 
“everyone has leadership potential,” they 
acknowledge, in a section that asks, “Do 
You Want to Become a Leader?,” that it 
is not for everyone. They describe the 
difficulties involved (such as the eff ect on 
one’s personal life) and provide tips and 
tools for self-assessment. 

Sprinkled throughout the book are in-
formation boxes: those labeled “Try this” 
invite readers to, for example, consider 
more and less successful leaders; others 
quote or paraphrase “The Expert[s]”; 
“Check This Out” boxes contain anno-
tated citations; and other random boxes 
are labeled as appropriate.

 The book’s no-nonsense approach 
continues in the second section, which 
begins with an explanation on how to lead 
a team, and continues with information 
on developing one’s political skills (start 
on day one!), and how to think and act 



strategically as a leader. There is no ivory-
tower-speak here; for example, Evans and 
Ward warn against “using team to refer 
to what is actually committee work in 
the mistaken effort to appear ‘current.’” 
They imply that leaders must not be 
afraid to embrace their roles, even if it 
displeases others; explaining that when 
team members are “empowered,” the 
leader still retains most of the responsibil-
ity. Emphasis is placed on fi nding where 
the real power lies in an organization 
(which can be difficult to determine) and 
not being afraid to use this knowledge: 
difficult but essential advice for us profes-
sional helpers. Most useful to new leaders 
will be the step-by-step instructions on 
writing vision, values, and mission state-
ments, and citations to examples written 
for ALA, OCLC, and the U.S. and U.K. 
National Archives.

 The rapid pace of technological change 
in the past decade causes its own prob-
lems. The librarians who experienced this 
rapid change may be too overwhelmed to 
step back and analyze what the changes 
mean, and those entering the field tend to 
take the technology for granted and there-
fore probably have never analyzed it. For 
these reasons, the chapter on e-leadership 
for librarians makes this book stand out 
from other leadership titles. It describes 
changes in patron expectations, and how 
to deal with the paradoxes involved in 
this new milieu, among them the need 
to make “swift but mindful” decisions. 
Evans and Ward offer eminently practi-

Index to advertisers 
ALA Joblist 457 
Annual Reviews 375 
Archival Products 416 
Atlas Systems cover 2 
Brill 372 
CHOICE 445 
Hedgehog Review 434 
HW Wilson cover 4 
IGI Global 371 
Modern Language Assoc. cover 3 
Perry Dean Architects 404 

Book Reviews 463 

cal suggestions, such as hiring freelanc-
ers for specific tasks, observing proper 
“netiquette,” and enabling some staff to 
“telework.” They go as far as to suggest 
precise phrasing for communications 
between e-group members, to elicit the 
most useful responses and to counteract 
feelings of isolation. Tips for e-mentoring 
are also offered.

 The last section of the book provides 
a few paragraphs each on various aspects 
of life as a leader (“Perfectionism,” “Fol-
lowing Through”). The topics chosen are 
relevant and interesting. However, the 
space devoted to some topics, such as 
gender issues, is lamentably short. Ser-
viceable bibliographies on each chapter’s 
topics are provided. This book will be a 
worthwhile purchase, enabling prospec-
tive leaders to prepare for the challenge 
or decide that it is not for them and 
helping current leaders to become more 
eff ective.—Ett a Thornton-Verma, School 
Library Journal. 

Jenkins, Paul O. Faculty-Librarian Rela-
tionships. Oxford, England: Chandos 
(Chandos Information Professional Series), 
2005. 166p. $55 (paper); $99.95 (cloth) 
(ISBN 1843341166; 1843341174). 

“A university is just a group of buildings 
gathered around a library,” wrote histo-
rian and novelist Shelby Foote. This is a 
tenet shared by many in the academic 
community, and, no doubt, most aca-
demic librarians. But it is not held by all 
members of the campus community or 
general public, cautions author Paul O. 
Jenkins in his brief, succinct, and engag-
ing work Faculty-Librarian Relationships. 
This clearly written book, peppered with 
quotes such as the one from Foote, is 
aimed at academic librarians (and those 
entering the field); its goal is to explore 
the differing viewpoints on the topic and 
bridge the gap between those who do and 
do not think the library is the center of the 
campus universe. 

 The book, very rationally organized, 
with tables and bulleted summaries, is 
divided into five chapters. It begins with