REALITY CHECK—FROM DOWN UNDER

I have just finished reading a wonderful book—Reality check: the pocket guide to special librarianship, by Jane Edinger of Australia. It is a slim (less than 150 pages), spiral bound volume chock full of how-to’s for everything from career planning to document delivery to disaster planning. Edinger created the book from notes she made when starting a law library from scratch.

Strewn throughout the book are “Reality Checks,” anecdotes from real-life situations faced by the author and others. They are really the best part of the book; that is not to demean the rest of the book—it is really well done.

If you can’t sit still long enough to read my newest book, The New OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Small and Solo Libraries, order Reality check and read and implement it. Better yet, get both. (Mine’s cheaper….)

Order information:

Edinger, Jane, Reality check: the pocket guide to special librarianship, Perth, Australia: Charted Information Services, 2004, ISBN 0-9750776-2-7, AU$45 plus AU$15 shipping outside Australia, http://www.chartedinfo.com.au/realcheck.html

Siess, Judith A., The New OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Solo and Small Libraries, Information Today, Inc., 2006, ISBN 1-57387-241-5, US$39.50, http://shop.store.yahoo.com/infotoday/newoplsour.html