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Productivity for Librarians: How to get more done in less time

Samantha S Hines, University of Montana-Missoula, USA

 - there are many books on productivity, but none specifically targeted at library workers. We face unique challenges in our profession and this book will address these
 - this book will not espouse a single approach to dealing with overwork and stress, but will instead present a balanced view of several tools and techniques that are of assistance
 - this book provides a resource guide for continued learning about and exploration of productivity as applied to the reader’s individual circumstances. The author has also created an online community for readers to share information and continue their work

Productivity for Librarians provides tips and tools for organizing, prioritizing and managing time along worth reducing stress. The book presents a resources guide for continued learning about and exploration of productivity in relation to individual circumstances featuring motivation, procrastination and time management guidelines. Addressing the unique challenges faced by librarians the author supplies a balanced view of a variety of tools and techniques for dealing with overwork and stress.

ISBN 1 84334 567 6
ISBN-13: 978 1 84334 567 1
March 2010
176 pages  234 x 156mm  paperback  
£45.00 / US$75.00 / €55.00

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About the author

Samantha Schmehl Hines received her MS in Library and Information Science from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2003. She has worked as a cataloguer for the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids and as a reference librarian at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa City. In 2004 she was hired by Mansfield Library at the University of Montana-Missoula and is currently the Distance Education Coordinator/Social Science Librarian/Reference Desk Manager.

Contents

What is productivity?
 - History of productivity
 - What productivity is not
 - Why librarians? Why libraries?
 - Why you?

Motivation
 - The big picture and setting goals
 - SMART goals
 - What if I have no goals?
 - Achieving balance
 - How to achieve balance at work
 - Keeping balance outside the workplace
 - Burnout and setting limits
 - Improving communication
 - How to say no
 - Making your workspace work
 - Finding the fun
 - A focus on the future
 - Rewards
 - Questions to consider

Procrastination
 - Procrastination and perfectionism
 - Procrastination as avoidance
 - Procrastination as poor impulse control
 - How to minimise procrastination
 - Dealing with e-mail
 - Dealing with other distractions
 - The Pomodoro Technique
 - Procrastination as motivation?
 - The to-do list
 - To-do lists and organisation
 - Tools to help organise to-do lists
 - Getting started with to-do lists
 - To-do list as tool, not lifestyle
 - Questions to consider

Time management
 - Time management quiz
 - Identifying peak productivity times
 - How to get out the door at the end of the day
 - Defending your time
 - Multitasking
 - Dealing with meetings
 - Smart multitasking
 - Office hours
 - Setting priorities
 - Delegating
 - Calendar tools
 - Not just the tools
 - Questions to consider

Systems of productivity
 - The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
 - Getting Things Done
 - Never Check E-Mail in the Morning
 - Bit Literacy
 - The Four-Hour Workweek
 - Zen to Done
 - One Year to an Organized Work Life
 - Systems quiz
 - A cautionary note
 - Questions to consider

Managing for productivity
 - First take the mote from your own eye
 - Trust is the key
 - Avoiding micromanagement
 - Communication is everything
 - Availability
 - Breaking the cycle of crisis management
 - Burnout and the organisation
 - Anticipate the future and plan for it now
 - Questions to consider

Sticking with productivity
 - Visualise the change
 - Accountability is a virtue
 - Creating focus
 - The media diet
 - The review process
 - The mind dump
 - Flexibility
 - Trust your system
 - Rewards revisited
 - Don’t break the chain
 - Resistance to change
 - Should I quit?
 - Is that all there is?
 - Questions to consider

Resource guide
 - General online resources
 - Motivation
 - Procrastination
 - Time management
 - Systems
 - Articles on the application of Seven Habits
 - General articles and books of interest
 - The final word

Wrapping up