Managing Crises in the Academic Library: Past, Present, and Future

In this work about academic-library management during emergencies, editor Van Kampen-Breit (librarian, Saint Leo Univ.) curates a comprehensive collection of essays highlighting the innovation and tenacity of library professionals in times of uncertainty. This definitive work (29 chapters in all) represents experiences from small and large organizations across a range of departments. Readers will likely identify with at least some of the many experiences and adaptations presented here. Although the content focuses heavily on managing during a pandemic, many other crises are addressed, including budget cuts, natural disasters, downsizing, and merging departments. Each chapter examines crises from different angles and offers a variety of practical solutions; many chapters include charts, bibliographies, and firsthand accounts of tested strategies. The book stresses that library leaders at all levels could be asked to adjust to unexpected circumstances and should be prepared in advance; though the specifics of any given emergency might differ, the book’s approaches and solutions are transferable. This collection of essays can serve as a reference resource for practitioners, and it also is an important record of how academic-library workers maintained services during a global crisis.