For immediate release | June 6, 2011

The latest assessment of public libraries and future employment

CHICAGO — Presenting the latest and most comprehensive assessment of public librarians’ education and career paths, “A Strong Future for Public Library Use and Employment” reports on a large-scale research project performed by authors José-Marie Griffiths and Donald W. King. Published by ALA Editions in collaboration with the ALA Office for Research and Statistics (ORS), the book includes an examination of trends in public-library employment, such as:

  • Staff structure and educational level of staff;
  • Outsourcing of library functions;
  • Quality-of-life and quality-of-service assessment.

Griffiths is vice president for academic affairs and university professor at Bryant University in Rhode Island. Her research spans more than 30 years in information science and technology, reflected in several books and more than 100 other publications. Griffiths’s accomplishments have been recognized by several prestigious appointments and awards, including three presidential appointments and service on many blue-ribbon panels and committees. She was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and received the Award of Merit and the Research Award from the American Society for Information Science and Technology.

King is currently honorary university professor at Bryant University in Rhode Island and an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences. King, a statistician, co-founded Westat, Inc., a statistical consulting and survey research company, and served as president of three research companies—King Research, Home Testing Institute and Westat Surveys. King’s 50 years in research have emphasized economic cost modeling and surveys dealing with libraries and scholarly publishing, as well as marketing research and political polling. He has published 17 books and more than 150 other publications.

The Mission of the Office for Research and Statistics (ORS) is to provide leadership and expert advice to ALA staff, members and the public on all matters related to research and statistics about libraries, librarians and other library staff; represent the Association to Federal agencies on these issues; and initiate projects needed to expand the knowledge base of the field through research and the collection of useful statistics.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. ALA Editions publishes resources used worldwide by tens of thousands of library and information professionals to improve programs, build on best practices, develop leadership, and for personal professional development. ALA authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact ALA Editions at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.

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