Setting Up a New Library & Information Service

This book is intended as a guide for those people who have been charged with establishing a library or information service in their organisation. It is a practical guide to the steps that need to be taken, the people that will need to be dealt with and the procedures that will have to be adopted in order to bring the venture to a successful conclusion. The book contains many practical tips and hints from the author, based upon his 'hands-on', practical experience of setting up many new information services. Its Key features include: it deals with the whole process - from start to finish, is based on sound principles that have worked in practice, is easy to follow as a step-by-step guide, is of value to both professional librarians and non-professional staff working in the field. The author has developed libraries in various government departments, colleges and other organisation such as the Human Rights Commission. Kirby Porter is currently employed as Principal Librarian for the Northern Ireland Civil Service and Head of Library Services for the Northern Assembly; he is responsible for managing the Government Library Service and advising Government departments. The book is aimed at all librarians and informational professionals, and non-librarians responsible for library collections. Those individuals involved in library organisation and information management will also find it to be key reading. Its contents include: Introduction - aims of the book, audience, Why create a library service, purpose; First steps - finding out about customers, involving customers Information audit, finding out about what you have got, finding out about what the customer needs, Organising information, classification standard, cataloguing standards, copyright, Planning and implementation, library layout, library systems, Marketing the service, Review, performance indicators, Conclusion/things to look out for.