So You Want to Be an Academic Library Director. Edited by Colleen S. Harris. Chicago, IL: ALA, 2017. 272 p. Paper $59.00 (ISBN 978-0-8389-1496-0).

This volume comprises thirteen reflective essays by library leaders offering perspectives on their personal experiences and lessons learned regarding academic library management. Editor Colleen S. Harris notes in the very brief preface: “To complement the formal research on academic library director characteristics, I have recruited library directors to write essays reflecting on various aspects of their work as library directors.” Although she alludes to research studies regarding the knowledge, skills, and characteristics of successful managers and leaders, none of the chapters cite any such studies, and the book unfortunately lacks a substantive introductory chapter to complement and provide context for the essays by presenting relevant research findings. It almost seems as though the intent was to provide a more thorough introduction to this literature and the studies, but somehow that introductory chapter did not make it into the volume.

Overall, the volume’s quality is uneven. Some chapters are focused, factual, and substantive, whereas others are more personal. Some essays simply seem unfocused and unfinished, and essential topics such as technology management and finances are missing altogether.

Another shortcoming is the haphazard placement of the chapters, which appear to be in no particular order and jump from one topic to another, with a few exceptions. For example, a chapter on facilities and a chapter on library safety and security are sensibly juxtaposed. Likewise, the final two chapters, on outreach and programming, complement each other. These four chapters are among the stronger with regard to content. Other chapters that seem to have some relationship to each other are scattered throughout the volume, which makes for a choppy read. For example, the initial chapter on navigating institutional context is well written and gets the volume off to a sound start, but this chapter should have been followed by the chapters on strategic planning, collaboration in Connecticut public higher education, and the very personal essay by Patricia Tully. The remaining five chapters focus on topics related to managing and supervising. Had these been presented in a different order—shared governance, communicating expectations, team building, human resources, and supervising faculty librarians—the flow of the volume would have been better. Nearly all of the authors offer notes, references, bibliographies, or recommended readings, yet the usefulness of these resources are relative to the chapter and how the topic is presented by the author.

Overall, the volume falls short of becoming a truly valuable resource for those considering a move into management. It does, however, provide a quick read and serves as a sampler of personal essays, which some readers will find valuable and appealing. But for the professional seeking to identify and learn about specific managerial and leadership skills in order to intentionally plan for their own professional development, this volume lacks substance and guidance.—Pat Hawthorne, Associate Dean for Research and Education, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas