NEWS For Immediate Release April 22, 2013

Contact: Rob Christopher

CHICAGO — From the dean or director to student assistants, every academic library employee is subject to a number of complicated, confusing and intertwined employment policies and procedures. Many of these are required by law or governed by federal or state regulations; other policies or practices are unique to an institution.

Because of the complex interplay of these forces, human resources (HR) management and personnel transactions can seem mysterious or confusing. Gail Munde clears the air in her new handbook “Everyday HR: A Human Resources Handbook for Academic Library Staff,” published by ALA Neal-Schuman. Providing basic explanations and rationales for the most common and practical applications of HR management in colleges, universities and academic libraries, this handbook:

• Explains the difference between a person and a position and details the types of positions in academic libraries;
• Summarizes basic employment law, highlighting key federal laws which protect employees;
• Covers the dynamics of working with others, offering guidance for managing conflicts, supervising others and conducting performance evaluations;
• Provides an overview of the recruitment process, with a look at the roles of search and tenure committees.

Munde is an assistant professor of Library Science at East Carolina University in Greenville, N. C. Prior to teaching, she worked in academic libraries for 25 years as a department chair and associate director/dean of libraries, holding positions at the University of Kansas, East Carolina University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is a certified professional in human resources and received an MLS from Emporia State University and a PhD in Library Science from the University of North Texas.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. Founded in 1976 by Patricia Glass Schuman and John Vincent Neal, ALA Neal-Schuman, now an imprint of ALA Publishing, publishes professional books for librarians, archivists, and knowledge managers. Contact us at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.

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