Farmer, Lesley S. J. Managing the Successful School Library: Strategic Planning and Reflective Practice. ALA Neal-Schuman, 2017. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1494-6
Program Description
To ensure their libraries survive and thrive, school library managers
need to be both responsive and proactive. Looking past the day-to-day
operations of a school library, Farmer’s book serves as a reality check:
school libraries must align with school mission statements and
policies, while simultaneously negotiating for proper budgets and
resources alongside other departments. It’s a daunting prospect, but
Farmer demonstrates how it can be done with the proper attention and
systematic planning. Taking a deeper, more professional look at
management that applies theories and principles to real-world
situations, this book
- introduces the concept of school library programs and provides an overview of school library program management;
- examines professional and legislated standards for school libraries, and discusses the part a manager plays in meeting them;
- links management with leadership, differentiating the two, and showing how the school librarian can carry out both roles;
- helps readers assess their own skills, knowledge, and dispositions in order to set short-term and long-term goals;
- explains how to manage resources and learning environments to meet the needs of teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders;
- offers guidance for developing and working with budgets, obtaining additional funding, and using collaboration to support the school library program;
- provides concrete advice on hiring, training, supervising, assessment, and recognizing library workers and other library team members; and
- includes tools for communicating effectively and getting the message across.
