06/15/2016
Stressing the importance of radical innovations "to meet the needs of the 21st century information society," Jantz (digital library architect, Rutgers Univ.) surveys representatives from 50 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions to prove that senior leadership (i.e., university librarians and their leadership team) has a major impact on innovation. The study examines leadership characteristics, organizational structure, and external factors. The author concludes that although there isn't a definite relationship between "leader attitude and innovation performance," the two variables do have a strong correlation. The foreword by American Library Association (ALA) President Elect James G. Neal summarizes the work, stating that Jantz "identifies key barriers to innovation and thoughtful strategies for creating a more aggressive and successful path to innovation." This resource would be useful for ARL library directors as they consider their leadership styles. However, this work may have reached a broader audience if the author had included specific examples of innovative programs at ARL libraries. VERDICT Readers may find the listing of 32 research library innovations to be valuable as they consider possible approaches at their institutions.—Karen Venturella Malnati, Union Cty. Coll. Libs, Cranford, NJ
