Becoming a Powerhouse Librarian

Jamie M. Gray’s Becoming a Powerhouse Librarian: How to Get Things Done Right the First Time is an excellent, well-written, and helpful book. Each chapter is short enough to fit into a lunch break but that does not mean there is a lack of substance. The tone of the book is not academic, yet it is not unprofessional. It almost reads like a talk or presentation at a conference.... Whether you have been in the library game for a long time or are fresh out of library school, this book provides many useful tips for taking risks and improving your library for yourself, your colleagues, and your patrons....This book is recommended for library students, and both new and experienced librarians, who may find value in reassessing their approach to their careers. * Technical Services Quarterly *
Becoming a Powerhouse Librarian offers professionals a plan to succeed by identifying recommended (and some required) paths to success, competency sets for the most successful professionals as well as strategies and tools to aid in assessing individual needs and how to "get there." I am especially recommending Gray's content on the need to understand and manage "change" in and of itself, risk taking - a necessary but often overlooked strength to cultivate, and Chapter 9 for "building skills sets." This publication overall supports the profession's focus on transformation by giving professionals the critical roadmap for re-envisioning themselves as the experts in the library's transformational processes. -- Julie, 2016-2017 Presi
Written with humor and in a conversational style, Becoming a Powerhouse Librarian contains many gems of wisdom and advice for success at any stage in your career. Jamie Gray provides common sense advice and practical examples about the skills and practices you need to know to be successful at work and in life as a whole. From communication skills to networking strategies and leadership essentials, this book asks the reader to consider where they are now and where they want to go, and outlines the skills to get there. With these essential work and life skills, taken to heart and actively developed, anyone can become a Powerhouse Librarian. -- Ann Whitney Gleason, Associate Director, University of Washington Health Sciences Library
Gray provides a multidimensional examination into what it takes to succeed in 21st century librarianship. Teeming with creative ideas and practical advice, Becoming a Powerhouse Librarian should be on every early-career librarian’s reading list. -- Dean Hendrix, Dean of Libraries, University of Texas at San Antonio