★ 10/01/2015
Although its focus is the closure and consolidation of academic libraries, this book is as much about the future of libraries and the services they offer. Editors Holder and Lannon (both associate librarian; McGill Univ.) discovered a dearth of literature about this topic when they went through a consolidation at their own institution, thus inspiring this book. Chapters cover the good, the bad, and the ugly related to closing and consolidating academic libraries. However, the first few chapters discuss the University of Illinois's New Service Model (NSM), which sets an optimistic and forward-looking tone since the transformation was not in response to a crisis situation. With some chapters covering the nuts and bolts of closing and consolidating libraries and others dealing more broadly with leadership and change management within academic libraries, the volume as a whole provides a holistic overview. Not surprisingly, a theme that runs throughout is that collaboration and communication among library colleagues and other institutional stakeholders are crucial for success. VERDICT Any library professional who is interested in the future of academic libraries and their services should find this book a valuable reference.—Amanda Folk, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib., Greensburg
