Abstracts
their lives to ignore opportunities for learning and growing, but by
not seizing on training opportunities, it sends a message to the
organization that perhaps mid-career and long-time employees do
not care about growth and other opportunities in their jobs anymore.
Even if one is close to retirement, and may think that further training
is useless, there is always something new to explore and the benefits
may well extend into retirement. Taking advantage of training also
sets a good example to early-career colleagues that life-long learning
and intellectual curiosity are of great value personally, and to the
organization. Attitude is also very important: are you an enthusiastic
and positive force at work, at least most of the time? Do you spread
this enthusiasm to others? If not, this book will help the reader gain
a deeper understanding how to cope with job frustrations, and if
possible, put them in context. It's also important to set goals, and
seek out a mentor with whom to discuss one's career objectives.
The author also stresses that careers rarely follow a set path,
especially when there are upheavals in professions that previously
seemed impervious to change. This makes having a plan for professional
and personal growth even more essential. It is important to look
after one's own interests, and ideally, mesh them with those of the
organization. If that is not possible, perhaps it is time to recommit to
the job, or look for something more fulfilling. For readers who want
to take stock of and renew their careers and personal lives, I highly
recommend this book.
—Alexandra Simons, M.D. Anderson Library, University of Houston,
Houston, TX 77204-2000, USA <acsimons@uh.edu>.
doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2017.08.003 DP
The First-Year Experience Cookbook, edited by R. Pun and M. Houlihan.
TE
Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2017. 164p.
$42.00, ISBN: 978-0-8389-8920-3.
The First-Year Experience Cookbook is the most recent volume in
the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) cookbook
EC
series. The editors, Raymond Pun and Meggan Houlihan, compiled 62
different “recipes,” which address the many challenges that first-year
students face when adjusting to life as a college student. These
“recipes” include lesson plans and teaching aids written by academic
librarians from all over the world that provide librarians with new
RR
and innovative approaches to assessing the information literacy skills
of first-year students.
There are four major categories discussed in this book, which
include orientations, library instruction, programs, and assessment.
The first part addresses orientation to the library, as this is often the
CO
first point of contact between first-year students and library staff and
services. Part one is split into two subchapters, which include general
orientation and special orientation for specific groups of students.
Part two covers library instruction for general first-year courses as
well as discipline specific courses such as, business, engineering, and
STEM courses. Part three focuses on programs that engage first-year
UN
students through creative activities at the library as well as partnering
with professors of first-year seminars. Part four discusses ways to
assess library services, programs, and instruction targeted at first-year
students and outlines the design and implementation of first-year
assessment plans.
Each cleverly titled “recipe” follows a similar format and provides
easy to follow instructions. The “nutrition information” section
outlines the goal of the “recipe” or lesson plan and explains the
reason for creating them. One “recipe” example shows how to create
a literacy session for first-year students that teaches students how to
utilize Google services to find higher quality sources. In turn, these
search strategies also teach students how to browse the library's
463
online subscription databases in the future. Other important elements
of the “recipes” include the number of students served, the time
needed for preparation of the lesson plan as well as for implementa-
tion of the program or service, an outline of the required resources,
and details about how to implement the service, program, or
assessment. These “recipes” are primarily designed to assist academic
librarians in reaching out to and better serving first-year college
students. However, the editors note “the lesson plans, programs, and
assessment activities in this book should not be limited to first-year
students […] these innovative activities can be adopted and repurposed”
(p. xi). They suggest that librarians should also collaborate with other
campus partners to create effective information literacy programs for
all students.
—Asheleigh A. Folsom, Georgetown University Library, Washington,
DC 20057, USA <aap44@georgetown.edu>.
OF
doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2017.08.004
RO
Developing Librarian Competencies for the Digital Age, edited by
J.G. Coghill and R.G. Russell. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield,
2017. 166p. $39.00, ISBN: 978-1-4422-6444-1.
Typewriters, telephones, and microfilm were all once new,
transformational technologies. Now the disruptions they created
are in the past. How can librarians and libraries maintain relevance,
uphold the library mission, and cultivate economic and social
support in the present technological disruption? The brisk pace of
change and the range of implications of the latest technologies mean
that we are constantly adopting and adapting. This book provides a
digest of future trends for libraries and the librarian competencies
that will be needed.
Although sponsored by the Medical Library Association with
chapters written by authors who have backgrounds in medical or
health sciences libraries, most of the chapters treat competencies in
all types of libraries. All aspects of library work are considered:
information resources, organization of knowledge, communications
and marketing, online and distance education, leadership and
management, and reference and user services. Topics less well
covered include cultural heritage preservation, the needs of human-
ities and social science scholars, and school libraries. Each chapter
begins with a brief history then highlights trends and suggests
needed competencies. Often the chapters cover so much ground in a
small space that the recommendations feel superficial. The book
concludes with a consideration of the patrons' view of the library of
the future, which repeats some of the content in earlier chapters.
The most effective chapter is “Strategic and Innovative: Health
Sciences Library Leadership, Management, and Administration,”
written by Jean Shipman and M. J. Tooey. Because it focuses on issues
specific to health sciences libraries, the recommendations feel more
grounded in lived experience. For example, the authors advocate
for strategic listening to constantly revise strategic plans. They point
out that the common three- to five-year strategic plan is unrealistic,
stating “[i]n the rapidly changing world of health information and
knowledge management, this is not a sustainable idea.” (117)
“Core Competencies across the Profession” provides summaries
from American Library Association (ALA), Medical Library Association
(MLA), and Special Library Association (SLA) competencies documents.
The authors, Beverly Murphy and Shannon D. Jones, maintain that there
is a disconnect in the use of these lists to foster librarian development or
to have a role in personnel evaluation. There is likewise a disconnect
between theory and practice in library science professional education.
Although a useful overview of current thinking about the future,
Developing Librarian Competencies for the Digital Age is less helpful