Managing Information Services:: An Integrated Approach

Citation

Morgan, S. (1998), "Managing Information Services:: An Integrated Approach", Library Review, Vol. 47 No. 1, pp. 46-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.1998.47.1.46.2

This is a substantial book in more than just a physical sense. Yes, it contains nine parts, 39 chapters, 51 figures,14 tables, in over 400 pages. But, more importantly, there is a breadth and depth of coverage that is quite staggering. Building on the success of her previous text, Effective Library and Information Centre Management, Bryson covers the full range of management topics. She has also found room for some less well‐documented areas, for example, managing expertise and creativity, stress management and managing risk. So, who is this book for? I think the author has been rather modest in her Preface by suggesting that the book was written “for people working in information services in small‐ to medium‐sized organizations”. It will be attractive to a much wider audience than that ‐ indeed, anyone who is currently managing in the information services sector or aspires to do so, regardless of the organization’s size. As the subtitle suggests, the author’s approach is an integrative one and this notion is repeated throughout the book. It is through modern management trends that a range of disciplines are brought together: librarianship, records management and archives, information systems, computing and telecommunications.

The book is highly structured, as good textbooks usually are. Each of the nine parts or themes is prefaced with a brief introduction and a diagram showing where the particular part fits into the whole. For me the book divides neatly into two sections; each section has a climax ‐ parts 5 (“Getting things done through other people”) and 9 (“Service delivery”), respectively. Bryson begins by introducing us to the forces of change and the internal and external environments within which information services currently operate. Strategic planning then takes centre stage. Separate chapters take on the planning of human resources (this is one term I still have not got used to), information, technology and finance. In “Creating the Corporate Environment” we move further into the organization to explore cultural and political issues. The increasingly important topic of politics ‐ as it applies both to the individual manager and the organization as a whole ‐ could have been explored a little further.We then reach the climax of Part 5 which at ten chapters and 100 pages is the longest of the nine. You can well understand the size when you consider the “meaty” nature of the contents: leadership, power and authority, decision making, networking, group dynamics, team‐building, motivation, conflict management, negotiation and, finally, change management.These are all at the heart of the management process. Part 5 shows how managers achieve things through their interactions with people.

Dropping down a gear, we then embark on the second half of the book in which Bryson gives detailed consideration to communicating inside and outside the organization. Also included here ‐ and less expected ‐ are chapters on managing corporate information and managing the information life‐cycle. Part 7 concentrates on managing the individual, but in two specific ways: first, stress management and, second, career planning and personal development. I was pleased to see a chapter on stress since there have been a number of attempts in recent times for it to be taken more seriously. The chances of finding the words “stress” and “library” in the same sentence have been about the same as the chances of winning the Lottery! Leading up to the second climax we have Managing Risk. This part consists of three chapters which cover return on investment, managing security and disaster management. These come across as fresh and stimulating. Part 9 covers some big topics, including marketing, quality control, customer focus, outsourcing and performance evaluation. At long last we arrive ‐ in the managerialist jargon ‐ at the “outcomes” or the “product”. This part re‐acquainted me with some old friends from my MBA days ‐ the Boston matrix, the value chain and the product life‐cycle. Bryson shows what useful tools these can be when reflecting on the marketing of information services ‐ one area in which some library sectors have been less than successful. The epilogue brings together the strands from each part to round off the book satisfactorily.

I found this a hugely impressive book. It has a balanced approach ‐ both practical and theoretical, providing guidance and background, as appropriate. I am confident it will have already found its way onto many library school reading lists. There are, however, just two observations I would make about the book. First, I would like to have seen more specific examples taken from a variety of types of organization. Perhaps even some mini case studies would have been helpful. At times I found it difficult to transfer management concepts to the day‐to‐day realities of the library and information world. Second, I was surprised to see only 31 references throughout the whole book. I assume that this was a deliberate decision in order to emphasise the overriding practical nature of the book unencumbered by “academic” citations. This minimalist approach has, in my view, been a lost opportunity. In the last five years there has been a proliferation of literature on various aspects of management, some of which would be of interest to library and information managers. In conclusion, these should not detract from the high quality of the book. It will be a standard text for many years to come and is excellent value for money.