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Enthusiastic guide to running Friends groups
THIS book enthusias- tically upholds library Friends groups: vol- unteer bodies to raise funds, advocate, and help with engagement for libraries. The author covers their various aspects in six colloquially written, well laid out, and very readable chapters. She explains how and why to set them up before describ- ing the profi le of volunteers and how best to harness their energies in a project-based approach, then the relation- ship between Friends groups and “library foundations” (i.e. Development Offi ces), with opinions about whether such organisations are better distinct or merged. Chapter Four deals with Friends as advocates, includ- ing how to conduct advocacy campaigns. “The Unfriendly” of the title refers to dysfunc- tional Friends groups (for example, groups which wish to dictate how to spend the money they raise) and advises what to do in such circum- stances. Chapter Six gives examples from numerous libraries, mostly public and a few academic, of Friends’ activities. The seven appendi- ces provide guidelines. American as the book is in its legal references and all examples, the principles are readily transferable to the UK. An emphasis on public libraries is timely for Britain, where Friends groups for public libraries have been springing up in the 2010s (for
40 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
Useful look at supporting undergraduate research
THIS book focuses on an area of research support that is often under-repre- sented within the literature, that of undergraduate research. Through a selec- tion of chapters, each hand- ily divided into a standard- ised format of Introduction, Background, Partnerships, Refl ection, Assessments, Recommendations and Best Practices and Conclusion, various methods used to support and disseminate this research are explored. The text is easy to skim to
Reed, S. G. The Good, The Great, and the Unfriendly: a librarian’s guide to working with Friends groups. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2017. ix, 157 pp. ISBN: 978 0 8389 1498 4 (paper); 978 0 8389 1523 3 (ePub). $57.
example, in Newcastle in 2013, Cambridge in 2015, and Buck- ingham in 2016) to join the longer-established Friends of national, academic, and special libraries.
The book has practical appli- cation beyond Friends groups for project management, vol- unteer management, advocacy, and charity fundraising more broadly. Its constant refrain of the importance of commu- nication applies very widely indeed. If I have a regret, it is a desire for case studies within Chapters Four and Five (a concern partly addressed in Chapter Six). The quibble is tiny for a practical, sensible, and excellent book.
Karen Attar University of London
fi nd relevant information ow- ing to these standardised sec- tions, although some authors have stretched the meanings of these headings to fi t their own contexts. Some chapters are fairly dense, and although there are some great ideas, the case studies vary in clarity. Many of the chapters give ideas for librarians looking for collaborative work projects or wanting to raise their profi le as integral partners within the undergraduate experience. The bulk of this book relates to the publication, promotion and dis- semination of student research. University libraries with links to their in-house publishing would fi nd a wealth of ideas relating to the co-creation of student research journals. Other projects that could be of value to a university with a special collection or archive include the curation of exhibi- tions of undergraduate research inspired by these collections, both within the library’s physi- cal spaces, and online.
Hensley, K. & Davis-Kahl, S. Undergrad- uate Research and the Academic Librar- ian: case studies and best practices. Chicago: ACRL, 2017. 348 pp. ISBN: 978 0 8389 8908 1. $65.
Authors reiterate contin- ued frustrations that, despite evidence of information literacy teaching and librarian-support- ed research training benefi ting undergraduate research, and the ACRL’s framework pro- viding impetus to rethink IL provision, library instruction is still relegated to one-shot bibliographic instruction. Promotion of any other kind of instruction opportunities depends on the culture of the organisation. This book takes its examples from a wide variety of providers, both public and private institutions in the USA and Canada, and shows just how varied the attitude towards library services can be.
Jess Haigh University of Huddersfi eld March 2019
Book Reviews
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