The Small and Rural Academic Library: Leveraging Resources and Overcoming Limitations. Edited by Kaetrena Davis Kendrick and Deborah Tritt. Chicago: ACRL, 2016. 264 p. Paper $56 (ISBN 978-0-8389-8900-5).
Most forward-thinking and worthwhile academic library practices originate at large, well-staffed institutions. Unfortunately, translating such practices from a large-scale research library to a small institution or one-librarian operation can be difficult, if not utterly impossible. The Small and Rural Academic Library: Leveraging Resources and Overcoming Limitations bridges this gap by speaking to librarians who feel handicapped by their lack of resources.
The book is divided into five sections: Library and Outreach Services, Human Resources and Professional Development, Planning, Instruction, and Technology. Each section features multiple chapters with various authors, and several sections also include a librarian interview entitled “Big Ideas, Small Libraries,” which addresses the section topic via a Q-and-A-style article.
In many of the chapters, the “literature review” is almost comically predictable, with the admission that much of the research found on the topic came from large libraries, with more staff in the library than some rural colleges have on their entire campus. Discussion of implementation often reminds readers that, due to lack of staff and resources, timelines are stretched to accommodate incremental work, rather than instant, focused project management. For much of this discussion, small and rural librarians will be nodding their heads in agreement, but will also feel that the authors are “preaching to the choir.” This discussion is necessary, however, for those who may be new to the small or rural library, or may be interested in how practices are implemented on a smaller scale.
Because these chapters are written by those at small institutions, much of the information is presented in case study format, with a few quantitative, data-driven pieces sprinkled throughout. Many rural institutions are not equipped to dig deep into institutional research, and patron use of the library may be low enough to preclude any statistically significant findings. Still, the case studies are useful. For instance, chapter 7, “Mission Possible: Strategic Planning for Small Academic Libraries,” is a detailed look at how a small library took on the herculean task of creating a multi-year strategic plan. This is the kind of activity that can seem insurmountable when staff members spend the majority of their time keeping the library’s doors open and providing basic services. After reading how one library tackled strategic planning, other libraries may find it more manageable to do the same.
Overall, the book is extremely insightful. There are certainly moments of commiseration that do not offer clear solutions for being innovative with limited staff and money, but those moments were usually capped with the workaround that a single institution found beneficial. Although not useful for every situation, these stories at least provide some hope. Many of the chapters would prove useful to a librarian who may have a difficult time convincing colleagues of the value of incorporating a new practice at a small institution. Some of the general advice felt pat or trite, but the real-world approaches to problems such as assessment, information literacy instruction, and managing library systems technology in small libraries was quite valuable, and made the book well worth the read.—Jennifer Tatum, MLIS