People Come First

Technology has enabled librarians to give better service than ever before. However, up to now it has not been used to redefine services in the systemwide manner that is needed if users are to be fully served. The time has come to reevaluate the functional approach to library organization. This is the provocative thesis that underlies this collection of ten essays that takes a look at library functions from the user's point of view. The challenge to librarians is to make finding information for any library user a seamless process. This thought-provoking book will stimulate a dialogue on the role of service and encourage librarians bold enough to risk change to use the tools they have at their disposal to reshape library activities to better serve users.