The New OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Solo and Small Libraries (3rd ed.)

In her preface to the 3rd edition of what has deservedly become known as the “One Person Library (OPL) Bible” Judith Siess notes some significant changes in the OPL scene since the first edition in 1997 – published as The SOLO Librarian's Sourcebook. These developments reflect the changing nature of the information profession as it evolves from a service to a business culture and views its target market as customers or clients rather than users or patrons. However, she has chosen to stay with the term “library” rather than an “information” alternative, a decision which may limit the publication's appeal to the wider information professional audience who do not associate themselves – rightly or wrongly – with libraries. This would be a pity as it is an excellent practical guide to managing time and resources within the politics of the organisation for anyone new to operating as a “one‐man band” or small team manager. As Siess observes, the recognition of OPLs grew slowly in the 1970s and 1980s, and really began to blossom in the 1990s. The popularity of the OPL Newsletter, her current OPL blog (http://opls.blogspot.com) and the growth of OPL organisations in different countries are all evidence of the market for her brand of experience sharing and collective learning. But I suspect that OPLs, as identified by Siess, are just the tip of the potential market for this primer in information service management. Working as a “sole trader” or “small business manager” within an organisation is rapidly becoming the experience of large numbers of information professionals although the roles they take on are increasingly not library based. But the challenges remain fundamentally the same and advice that Seiss offers is relevant to anyone in these positions.

Part 1 of the Sourcebook contains “nitty‐gritty” advice and tips. In essence a short cut to commonsense – although not always common practice – which comes with experience. Covering all aspects of management – communication and marketing, finance, time planning and prioritisation, client‐centred strategy ‐ she obviously has not dealt with any topic in depth, but she has pulled together the basics, illustrated with practical examples, which will give anyone a head start. The chapters on the role of technology and the future of “librarians” are thought provoking and highlight opportunities and challenges. The section on current issues provides an overview of knowledge management, downsizing and outsourcing, and she rightly raises questions about appropriate education for professionals who will be running small libraries or information teams in the future. Her core message is that identification with the organisation, what it does, and its politics, linked with unique expertise in information, is the secret of success. Developing the most appropriate education and personal development pathways to achieve that mix is the challenge.

Part 2 is a fascinating collection of resources arranged by subject, inevitably predominately electronic. This section does have a strong USA basis and I did spot gaps and omissions but I also found valuable sources I didn't know. This section, edited by John Welford, does not claim to be definitive but it is up‐to‐date and the links current, and it is an excellent starting point for anyone new to a subject or discipline. It is also updated via the blog.

Similarly, the bibliography is extensive and useful, but it is USA‐based and there are some surprising gaps. Perhaps filling these gaps in a later edition will be a spin‐off from the blog. The index, as you would expect from a committed librarian, provides a good navigation tool.

If I have any reservations about this edition they arise from the rapidly changing library and information management environment. The whole focus of the book is on the management and use of published resources, physical and electronic. In the section on knowledge management on page 146, Siess indicates that a librarian moving into knowledge management needs to be “a creative or innovative information specialist who becomes known as the expert in internal as well as external data sources … .”. This is almost the only reference to the wider application of information skills within the organisation, although wider remits are hinted at in other sections and she says in the final part of the first section that information professionals must be prepared to change. There is, however, little in the publication that explicitly reflects Web publishing, electronic document management, content management, information architecture, customer relationship management or information governance – all examples of the roles that are evolving for information professionals and which are creating current “OPLs”, “one man bands”, or small information teams. These professionals are more likely to be working as part of multi‐disciplinary teams with colleagues from a variety of other functions. As they develop their roles the type of practical advice and encouragement contained in this publication could be invaluable.

Perhaps the next edition of the OPL Sourcebook will need to become the “One Person Information Dynamo”, even if it does not roll off the tongue as neatly or elegantly as the current title. That could mean that the resource section would contain sources for intranet and Web managers, key sources in information governance and sources on the pitfalls of Electronic Document and Records Management (EDRM). If this could be achieved at the standard of this and the previous editions then Judith Siess and Information Today will have hit gold.