This text has been fully revised and updated for its fourth edition to reflect continuing technological changes, as well as issues such as social inclusion, lifelong learning and European employment legislation. Chapter one, on the working environment, has been completely rewritten; chapter two reminds readers of basic motivation theories, presented in a more logical sequence, and how to deal with such problems; chapter three, on workforce planning, has been retitled "Human Resource Planning" and revised to take into account the modes of staffing appropriate for the contemporary turbulent environment. Effective human resource planning requires excellent selection and recruitment procedures: best practice and developments in this area are explored in chapters four and five, while chapter six, on staff appraisal, more attention has been given to multi-rating approaches and to appraisal of junior by senior staff.
An increased emphasis on training and development is reflected in chapter seven, which been reordered and expanded to reflect changes in this area and in chapter eight, the contemporary emphasis on leadership and counselling skills is reflected, as is the growing need to do more with less through enhanced time management and stress management techniques. With this new edition, this guide aims to bring professionals involved in managing library and information staff up to date with how to cope with the most pressing problems and challenges in the modern, fast-changing environment.