The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change

by Michael Stephens

Bringing together ideas for practice, supporting evidence from recent research, and insights into what lies ahead, this book will inform and inspire librarians of all types.

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science

176 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2016

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main takeaway I came away with is that to remain relevant, we need to reach out further beyond our 'regulars' to other people in our community and get the word out on all the amazing materials and experiences we have to offer. "We need to change the concept of the library as a restricted, quiet space - we bustle, we rock, we engage, but so many people in the community do not know this."

We need to figure out how best to take the library out into our community, while also listening to what our community needs and responding from our strengths. "The need for a visible, vocal presence outside of our library walls is imperative." There may be pockets of need that we have resources to fill, or we can partner with other local agencies in a collaborative effort to meet the needs of our community.

[Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to attend SJSU's MLIS program and benefited immensely from what I learned, especially in the introductory courses. Michael Stephens is kind of my library hero and reading this was a nice refresher since I graduated in 2019.

[Jude Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little book, with something for everyone in the library profession - for professional librarians, library science students, and LIS professors, too. If you work for a library, teach library science, or are thinking about a career as a librarian, add this book to your TBR pile. It's short and informative.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In other words: get out of your head and start connecting with your community.  Come out from behind the scenes and say hello to your patrons--what do they want?  What do they need?  And how can you get it to them?

Stephens suggests shifting to a sort of "hyperlinked librarianship".  We are no longer our grandmother's librarians!  We have the internet.  So make sure your website is up to date, that our systems are loaded correctly, that we're offering enough on our computers.  When helping patrons we can easily go the extra step by looking through various links on Google, multiple databases in our libraries, and even making phone calls to directories.  

There's so much out there that we can do, and so much more that we aren't giving ourselves credit for.  We need to stop waiting for patrons to come to us and finally go to them, instead.  

Also: remain curious, and follow that curiosity.  Always work towards educating yourself.  These are key themes that recur as book moves forward.

Overall, a nice read.  I find that it echoed a lot that I already knew (having read SO MANY books about librarianship), but this is a perfect fit for the beginning library student or someone who's just getting introduced to the literature.

Review cross-listed here!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great look into what libraries should be doing to stay relevant and to be as useful to their 21st century customers as possible. Stephens' writing is easy to read, with real-world examples and humor peppered throughout.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be quite readable and inspiring for librarians.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My head has exploded. Great professional read (couple of parts that were quite academic focused on LIS curriculum). Inspired some great ideas to take back to the library.

[Romany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compilation of the author’s Office Hours columns, this book has something that will appeal to all librarians, library educators and prospective librarians. Each of the themes are those librarians will already be familiar with, so it serves as a very readable reminder of the past ten (or so) years of discussion and technology in libraries across the globe.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine. This wasn’t groundbreaking, but I think the author and I share much of the same philosophy about library service. He has a thing for MOOCs that I just don’t share, but otherwise I appreciated his urging librarians to get over themselves and start engaging with their communities.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Full review to come!)
Still processing everything I've read and bookmarked in this book. Would recommend this book to anyone who wants to go deeper into the core values of librarianship and how their own beliefs align with them.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book to read for anyone who likes libraries. It's good advice for teachers and students alike, and how libraries look to constantly integrate new tech in their space.

[Macaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this a book that anyone thinking about becoming a librarian should read and anyone in the profession who aren't sure if they are where they should be.

[Kathryn Levenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for library students.

[Josh Ashing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking outside the library box! Best library-help book I've read so far.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of thoughts and theories that weren't thoroughly explained without enough sources.

[Christina Schweiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to read if you’re a new librarian :)

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthwhile read for library professionals.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have already recommended this book to a friend considering an LIS career. Definitely started my thoughts on a "Public Librarian 101" curriculum survey 10 years after graduate school.