Strategies in Action

Since th mid-1970s there have been increasing demands from central and local government for local authority departments to reduce expenditure, manage services more efficiently and even, in recent years, to change some of the basic philosophies of public service. This book focuses on how library managers have reacted and acted in the face of such external pressures. Oulton argues that librarians' resulting actions, whether intuition or professional judgement, can be best understood by the application of organization theory. These insights can, in turn, be used to help educate existing and potential managers more effectively. Through selected case studies Oulton highlights the range of strategic choices employed and relates these to the processes of decision making in library management.