Managing Communications at Work

Feather, Celeste. "Electronic Resources Communications Management: A Strategy for Success" Library Resources & Technical Services 51(3)(July 2007): 204-211, 228. - In her article "Electronic Resources Communications Management," Celeste Feather discusses how e-resources staff can better handle their lines of communication. She writes, "As libraries face the question of how to provide more services with fewer resources, administrators often expect e-resources acquisitions units to mange more resources with fewer staff than their peer print acquisitions units." We can easily apply this situation to other departments in our libraries -- it seems that we're all trying to do more with less. If you find yourself in a communications black hole, Feather's article addresses the literature of the organization of communications, provides analysis of the types of communication the department is receiving, and makes recommendations on how communication can be improved. She admits that her findings are specific to her library's needs, but many of her suggestions can be applied at any library. It's no surprise that a movement to increase face-to-face communication helped to relieve what Feather calls "information fatigue."

--Reprinted by permission from Current Cites 18(8) (August 2007)