Library management has evolved from a simple administrative task into a complex, multi-disciplinary science essential for the operation of modern information centers. Historically characterized by limited resources and services, libraries now face challenges including increased competition, rapid technological shifts, and expanding collections. Effective management is the critical factor that ensures efficiency, economy, and user satisfaction within these non-profit organizations.
Key takeaways from the analysis of library management include:
- Universal Applicability: Management principles are universal and apply to libraries of all sizes and types, regardless of their financial or structural differences.
- Dual Nature: Management is recognized as both a science (based on organized knowledge and systematic methods) and an art (requiring individual skill and creativity in application).
- Functional Framework: The "POSDCORB" model remains a foundational structure for library operations, encompassing planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting.
- Hierarchical Responsibility: Management operates across three distinct levels—Top, Middle, and Lower—each with specific authorities and responsibilities.
- Future Readiness: Library managers must prepare for "permanent white water"—a state of chaotic and continuous change—by mastering interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles.
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1. The Concept and Nature of Management
Management is defined as a series of functions directed toward the organization and administration of activities and personnel to achieve specific objectives. It is viewed through three primary lenses:
1.1 Management as a Discipline
As a discipline, management comprises well-defined concepts and principles. It functions as a science by utilizing clear concepts, theories, and accumulated knowledge developed from hypotheses and analysis. Simultaneously, it is an art, as it involves the creative application of skills to solve specific organizational problems.
1.2 Management as a Group of People
This approach distinguishes between managerial personnel (those who perform managerial functions) and non-managerial personnel.
1.3 Management as a Process
Management is a systematic method of handling activities. It is an identifiable flow of information through interrelated stages of analysis. Simply stated, it is the process of getting things done through the efforts of others.
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2. Definitional Frameworks
Various experts provide diverse perspectives on the essence of management, emphasizing different priorities:
Expert/Source | Perspective on Management |
Frederick W. Taylor | The art of knowing exactly what is to be done in the best and cheapest way. |
John Mee | The art of securing maximum results with minimum effort to provide the best possible service. |
Glueck | The effective utilization of human and material resources to achieve enterprise objectives. |
Mary Follett | The art of getting things done through people. |
ALA Glossary | A process of coordinating total resources through functions like organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. |
Harold Koontz | The process of designing and maintaining an environment where individuals perform efficiently to reach goals. |
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3. Specialized Management Concepts
Modern management utilizes several distinct approaches to achieve organizational goals:
- Management by Communication: Focuses on the formulation and implementation of policies through continuous informing, listening, and understanding.
- Management by System: A problem-solving approach involving data collection, analysis of alternatives, testing, and periodic review.
- Management by Results: A result-oriented approach where organizational progress is evaluated periodically based on end-results.
- Participative Management: Involves workers in the decision-making process, creating a sense of involvement and realistic understanding of system bottlenecks.
- Management by Motivation: Inspiring workers through rewards and credit for achieving objectives.
- Management by Exception: Focuses on the management's ability to take drastic steps during difficult or non-routine circumstances.
- Management by Objectives (MBO): A dynamic system, propounded by Peter F. Drucker, where objectives are planned and approved before work is executed to fulfill them.
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4. Management vs. Administration
There are three primary schools of thought regarding the relationship between management and administration:
- Administration as Superior: Classical thinkers (e.g., Oliver Sheldon) argue administration relates to policy formation, while management relates to execution.
- Administration as Subordinate: Some view management as a comprehensive function that includes administration as a component concerned with day-to-day functions.
- Terms as Synonymous: The most popular and practical view (e.g., Henry Fayol) is that both involve the same functions, principles, and objectives, with differences lying only in usage across different countries or fields.
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5. Core Functions of Management (POSDCORB)
The acronym POSDCORB, coined by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick, identifies the seven essential functions of a manager:
- Planning: Developing a blueprint of work based on wide knowledge and experience.
- Organizing: Choosing the design, suggesting structure, and allocating jobs and space.
- Staffing: Also known as Human Resource Management; it is critical because a library's success depends on well-qualified, trained, and devoted staff.
- Directing: The continuous process of giving instructions and advice to staff.
- Coordinating: Inter-relating various parts of the organization to avoid duplication and overlapping.
- Reporting: Keeping supervisors, staff, and parent bodies informed of progress and future needs.
- Budgeting: Financial forecasting, accounting, and control.
Note: Additional functions include Leading (providing dynamic leadership) and Controlling (exercising authority over the organization).
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6. Organizational Hierarchy in Libraries
Management in libraries is typically structured into three vertical levels:
- Top Management (Directors/Associate Directors): Responsible for setting policies for the entire organization and overall management. They act as leaders with wide powers.
- Middle Management (Department Heads/Branch Librarians): Responsible for the successful functioning of specific sub-units. They act as a liaison between top management and supervisors.
- Lower Management (First Line Supervisors): Supervise junior staff and oversee day-to-day operations, implementing the processes that allow units to work efficiently.
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7. The Role and Qualities of the Library Manager
7.1 Managerial Roles
According to Henry Mintzberg, managers perform roles in three categories:
- Interpersonal: Acting as figureheads and leaders who motivate and inspire.
- Informational: Acting as monitors who seek and disseminate information as spokespersons.
- Decision-Making: Acting as entrepreneurs, disturbance handlers, and negotiators who allocate resources and resolve conflicts.
7.2 Qualities of an Effective Manager
Effectiveness is tied to a specific set of personality traits.
Most Descriptive Qualities | Least Descriptive (but contributory) |
Decisive, Aggressive, Self-Starting | Amiable, Conforming, Neat |
Productive, Well-informed, Determined | Reserved, Agreeable, Conservative |
Energetic, Creative, Intelligent | Kindly, Mannerly, Cheerful |
Responsible, Enterprising, Clear-thinking | Formal, Courteous, Modest |
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8. Conclusion: The Future of Library Management
The future of library management is described by Peter Vaill as "permanent white water"—a period of chaotic and turbulent change characterized by rapids and whirlpools. In this environment, management techniques are no longer optional but essential. Libraries are costly ventures, and their existence must be justified through effective services. Only through trained, experienced managers can libraries respond to technological shifts and fulfill their primary objective: the maximum satisfaction of the end-user.