The Academic Library Director: Management Activities and Effectiveness

The analysis of the management activities and effectiveness of the academic library director in Joanne Euster’s The Academic Library Director is a fine companion to Rook’s work on motivation. Indeed Euster even identifies several key leadership types that characterize certain library directors. Her analyses of those types, and in particular her witty mottoes for each, are a delight. . . . Euster’s work is, though, a serious one that is worth serious attention. It is a solid analytical study of how academic library directors operate and what impact they may have on the operation and effectiveness of a library. . . . Her short concluding chapter on the implications of her study offers some extremely valuable insights for university administrators and faculty, library staff, library educators, professional associations, and even directors. Wilson Library Bulletin

Although working within a framework largely predetermined by institutional requirements and standardized procedures, the academic library director confronts opportunities and challenges that offer a wide scope for individual creativity. Joanne Euster’s new book analyzes the contribution of the director’s personal leadership style and management skills to the successful operation of college, university, or research library. Based on the author’s award-winning study of the activities and effectiveness of academic library directors, it is the first full-length examination of the subject.

JOANNE R. EUSTER is University Librarian at Rutgers University.