Human Resource Management in Today's Academic Library—Meeting Challenges and Creating Opportunities

This book provides a comprehensive look at issues that shape the nature of Human Resources in academic libraries. Libraries in varying academic environments have undergone tremendous change during the last two decades of the 20th century as they have sought redefinition as learning organizations. As organizations they have experienced significant changes in the role and definition of professionalism, along with challenges from such shifting workplace demographics as age and ethnicity and technological issues, which have also had direct impact on the recruitment and retention of staff. Much of the attention of human resources administrators in academic libraries has focused on an array of issues that mirrors concerns across campuses: affirmative action and diversity, the rights of employees with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the impact of the Family Medical Leave Act and other directives on employee benefits, salary equity, and a desire among employees for flexible work schedules.

JANICE SIMMONS-WELBURN is Director for Central Public Services and Facilities at the University of Iowa Libraries. She has 24 years of experience in librarianship including extensive background in academic libraries. She has developed a comprehensive staff technnology education training series, expanded the libraries staff development program to include offerings for all levels of staff, and conducted a needs assessment to ascertain current and future developmental and training needs of the staff. She has taught numerous in-house workshops including management training, customer service training, and Internet skills. She has a vast array of experience in the area of delivery of information services and end user training. She is an active member of ALA, having served as a comittee member with RASD, LAMA, ACRL. She has also presented papers and published articles on the topic of Reference Services, Diversity, and Human Resources.BETH MCNEIL is Assistant Dean of Libraries at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She has 15 years of experience in academic librarianship, in both public and technical services. As Assistant Dean, she has direct responsibility for the overall management of technical services operations, coordinates the staff development program, coordinates library-wide statistics efforts, and manages library-wide special projects. While at UNL, she has led the effort to develop and implement core competencies for library staff and faculty, and develop an incentive program for library staff. McNeil has taught Library Administration for graduate students in the University of Nebraska's media specialist program. She is an active member of the American Library Association, having served on comittees within LAMA and ACRL.