This book is the first to examine library and information science leadership in the United States and throughout Europe, providing a critical analysis and comparison of leadership in America versus in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Library Leadership in the United States and Europe: A Comparative Study of Academic and Public Libraries discusses prevalent leadership theories, practices, and literature, exploring issues with broad implications thematically and across different countries. After an introduction that overviews leadership, leadership theories, and influences of national culture and related concepts, the authors examine leadership in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe as a whole, and selected European countries, highlighting differences and shared characteristics. The latter half of the work focuses on selected themes such as management and accountability and discusses an international research agenda.
This unique book will appeal to a broad range of readers: school library educators and teachers of relevant classes dealing with change management, organizational development, international librarianship, and leadership; researchers in the areas of leadership and international librarianship; as well as LIS students in general.
Peter Hernon, PhD, is professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College, Boston, MA. He is the author or coauthor of 53 books, including Libraries Unlimited's Viewing Library Metrics from Different Perspectives: Inputs, Outputs, and Outcomes, recipient of the 2010 Greenwood Publishing Group Award for the Best Book in Library Literature; Making a Difference: Leadership and Academic Libraries; and Praeger's Federal Information Policies in the 1990s: Views and Perspectives. Hernon received his doctorate from Indiana University, Bloomington, and has taught, conducted workshops, and delivered addresses in Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Greece, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, and South Africa. In 2008, he received the Association of College and Research Libraries' (ACRL) award for Academic/Research Librarian of the Year.
Niels Ole Pors is professor at The Royal School of Library and Information Science, Copenhagen, Denmark, where he has previously been dean with responsibilities for both research and education. He has published several books and research reports on user studies and information behavior, research methods and statistical analysis, organizational theories and leadership, quality management, and educational questions concerning the profession. Pors has published more than 250 papers and articles in academic and professional journals, lectured in many different countries, and has participated in many library development projects. He is a member of the Danish Ministry of Culture's Research Council and sits on several editorial boards of academic journals, and has served as research director of the Nordic–Baltic doctoral program NORSLIS.
Reviews
"Interesting and informative. While it's a relatively short book at 219 pages, it packs in a wealth of information. . . . What is especially good about this book is that everyone can benefit from it, not just managers. Anyone who leads a committee, team, project or other activity within the library can learn from this book. Leadership and management are not the same thing, and this book makes it clear. . . . Highly recommended for everyone."
—The Journal of Academic Librarianship, July 1, 2013
