Managing Public‐access Computers. How‐to‐do‐it Manuals for Librarians No. 96

Citation

Akeroyd, J. (2002), "Managing Public‐access Computers. How‐to‐do‐it Manuals for Librarians No. 96", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 285-285. https://doi.org/10.1108/prog.2002.36.4.285.3

Many libraries have acquired computer workstations other than OPACs, for a mixture of reasons both good and bad. The positive arguments for the implementation of IT clusters have generally been based upon the simple premise that they provide an alternative route to information from conventional sources and therefore become a prerequisite for any library hoping to meet its users’ needs. It is an argument which in many ways is irrefutable and implies that librarians, whether they like it or not, have to become used to their provision management and support. There are other arguments to do with the librarian’s role in supporting learning, the opportunities that an increasingly diverse set of learning resources brings and the increasing problems of demarcation between information searching, information use, and the provision of basic office processes, e‐mail, and so on. But the down side is what comes with all of this – noise from the clutter of printers and from users themselves and a rapid descent into trivial use, pornography, and worse. Perhaps we might argue that by now many users will have IT access at home and the library can begin to address its real mission of creating pathways and routes to successful information access for users from wherever they are based. What seems more likely is that IT workstations are here to stay and so this book, Managing Public‐access Computers by Donald Barclay, is perhaps a timely addition to the literature.

It is a straightforward guide for the operational manager who has to deal with this new breed of resource and includes chapters on hardware and software, detailing merits of the technology involved that the resource manager might encounter. There is a brief but valuable section on printing, perhaps one of the most problematic aspects of the provision of an IT cluster (Barclay even analyses the requirements of print management and then points the reader to suitable tools). The latter half of the manual concerns the more truly managerial aspects such as dealing with staff requirements, user support, publicity, and other exploitation activities.

It is a useful book but I would not want to go much further than that. Inevitably the chapter on IT is already somewhat dated and will quickly become more redundant as the pace of technological change continues. And even the support and service chapters, which are well presented, relevant and succinct, are hardly novel. Much of what is said here is probably common practice in most library systems in any event. For example, in the section on handling complaints we read “feedback forms should have a space for users to write their name and address and contact information”. This is a good illustration of the, at times, patronising and rather simplistic turn of the text. Another cause for concern is the extensive use of glossaries within the text, much of which I am sure is already available from other sources within even the smallest libraries let alone through innumerable Web sites.

Were the book reduced in scope and the padding removed, it may be possible to recommend it. But, given what it is at the moment and at the price of £47, I think not.