Creativity: A Toolkit for Academic Libraries

Falciani-White (library director, Randolph-Macon Coll.) draws links between the study of creativity and the field of academic librarianship. She starts with an overview of creativity that defines terms like “innovation” and “entrepreneurship”; reviews the research in psychology, marketing, and business; debunks myths; and offers relevant examples from academic libraries. Next, Falciani-White describes how the concepts in the first part of the book can be applied in academic librarianship. She also includes the results of her research study on creativity in academic libraries; while the figures are somewhat difficult to interpret, the quotes from participants highlight recurring themes. The clearest, most insightful sections of the book pertain to making changes in library spaces to encourage creativity, and embracing creativity in the workplace.