408 College & Research Libraries July 2012

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superseded.—Scott Krafft, Northwestern 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.

Middle Management in Academic and 
Public Libraries. Ed. Tom Diamond. 
Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Un-
limited, 2011. 233p. acid-free paper, 
$45 (ISBN 9781598846898). LC 2011-
008554.

With the myriad challenges of managing 
staff within a library setting, Middle Man-
agement 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 de-
partment 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 de-
partments and the integration of modern 
technologies.

This anthology is divided into five sec-
tions, 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 asso-
ciated with perceived balance of position-
al authority and positional responsibility. 
Other items examined in this section 
include the role of mentoring and coach-
ing 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 ser-
vice points, such as youth services, must 
overcome many challenges including 
inadequate levels of staff and budgetary 
resources, lack of understanding and sup-
port 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 specifications 
of a proposed leadership developmental 
program at Pennsylvania State University 
(PSU) Libraries. It was designed in con-
junction with the PSU Human Resources 
Development Center to “attract, develop, 
and prepare Penn State librarians for mid- 
and high-level administrative positions 
in academic libraries.” Participants are 
selected from an applicant pool of inter-
ested, tenured librarians demonstrating 
an aptitude for an administrative career. 
The core pieces of this multifaceted pro-
gram include “mentoring, fellowship, 
and leadership development training.” 
The authors suggest that other institu-
tions design and implement a similar 
model so that the profession will produce 
administrators prepared for leading “in 
times of change.” 

The third section discusses managing 
cross-collaborations in various library 
settings. Collaborations across public 
services and technical services depart-
ments streamline processes and benefit 
users by eliminating barriers to content. 
Additional topics include the challenge 
for middle managers balancing compet-



Book Reviews 409

ing demands and expectations of users 
with those of staff and supervisors and, 
in some cases, the demands of the tenure 
process as well. 

The fourth section discusses managing 
change in library services. Topics covered 
include recommendations for managing 
change within a reference department 
such as defining the collection, analyzing 
user behavior and expectations, using staff 
skills and talents, implementing social 
media tools, and demonstrating the ne-
cessity of reference services. Other topics 
discussed include incumbent challenges 
and strategies of working as a manager 
in a previously vacant position and the 
importance of adapting to changing user 
needs as a public library branch manager. 

The fifth section offers recommenda-
tions for developing managerial skills. 
Topics include the importance of main-
taining performance evaluations with 
clear expectations and opportunities for 
training, relevant documentation, and 
support of administration and human 
resources personnel. Additional topics 
include the role of project management 
(project definition, planning, implementa-
tion, and assessment) and collaboration 
between library staff and departments in 
operational changes. 

This work offers varied perspectives 
and interesting strategies regarding the 
many challenges encountered by librar-
ian middle managers. A definite strength 
of the book is the breadth of coverage of 
preventative strategies for middle manag-
ers dealing with situational challenges. 
Specific chapters are also noteworthy for 
their focus and practical advice for both 
novice and experienced managers. Un-
fortunately, in many instances, the advice 
offered does not cover new ground; it 
essentially reiterates the truism that effec-
tive communication among staff, supervi-
sors, and users is crucial. Regardless, most 
readers will benefit from the management 
strategies offered for navigating the nu-
merous challenges of an ever-changing 
environment.—Anders Selhorst, Guilford 
Technical Community College.

Kathleen A. Hanna, Minday M. Cooper, 
and Robin A. Crumrin. Diversity Pro-
gramming and Outreach for Academic 
Libraries. Oxford, U.K.: Chandos Pub-
lishing, 2011. Distributed in the U.S. by 
Neal-Schuman Publishers. 180p. alk. 
paper, $80.00 (ISBN: 9781843346357).

The populations of higher education are 
becoming increasingly diverse, not only 
in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender 
identity but in terms of backgrounds, 
abilities, and socioeconomic status. For 
academic libraries, this is an area of 
opportunity since the academic library 
is often viewed as a “neutral” entity on 
campus. In Diversity Programming and 
Outreach for Academic Libraries, Hanna, 
Cooper, and Crumrin provide a wealth 
of information for academic libraries to 
either expand on or begin to create their 
own diversity programming and outreach 
services.

The authors, all librarians at Indiana 
University-Purdue University Indianapo-
lis (IUPUI), begin by defining diversity 
and describing the history of the urban 
IUPUI campus. The 512-acre campus has 
an ever-growing presence in the midst of 
the Indianapolis downtown area; the land 
now occupied by the sprawling urban 
campus was once made up of mostly 
immigrants from all over the world and 
included an especially large population of 
African Americans. Ever mindful of their 
place within the downtown area and in 
response to a 2006 Black Student Union 
report, the Office of Diversity, Equity, 
& Inclusion (ODEI) was created by the 
Chancellor’s Office in 2008. At that time, 
each academic unit was charged with 
organizing its own diversity committee 
or cabinet on campus, which led to the 
development of the IUPUI University 
Library Diversity Council (ULDC).

This book describes what IUPUI has 
done to increase efforts to make diversity 
a strategic priority. Throughout the book, 
which includes eight chapters, ten ap-
pendices, and various figures and tables, 
the authors describe the programming, 
outreach, strengths, and opportunities