Beyond Banned Books, by Kristin Pekoll

I recently submitted a book review for Beyond Banned Books, by Kristin Pekoll, so all I will say here is that this is an excellent resource on the issue of intellectual freedom that goes beyond challenged books. This book addresses displays, exhibits, artwork, events, programs, reading lists, social media postings, and databases.

Assessment Strategies in Technical Services

I just submitted a review of this book for publication in Technicalities, so I'll just say here that this is an excellent introduction to assessment of technical services operations. Edited by Kimberley E. Edwards and Michelle Leonard, it is the first book that I'm aware of to address this topic.

How to Run a College

Written by two present and past college presidents, this is a valuable guide for anyone interested in the many aspects of managing a college. Chapters address governance and management, finance, enrollment, advancement, academic affairs, student life, athletics, collaboration and technology, and the path forward. New college administrators would find this helpful, especially if they don't have prior experience in an academic environment. Others who would find it useful include trustees and policy makers who are concerned with higher education. Anyone who's worked in academia for their entire career would find much of this familiar.

Publish & Flourish, by Tara Gray

This is a very helpful book about how to increase your writing output. Dr. Gray organized the book into five main sections: Managing time, Writing, Revising, Getting Help, and Polishing and letting go. There are 12 chapters, each instructing the reader in one aspect of writing, and all providing very useful advice to the reader. Key points include writing daily for at least 15 to 30 minutes, recording your time writing, begin writing on the first day of a research project, post your thesis on the wall and write to it, use key sentences, and share early drafts with non-experts, and later drafts with experts. My favorite is her last suggestion: Kick it out the door and make 'em say "no." I would recommend this book to anyone interested in increasing their writing productivity. I'm going to start implementing her suggestions today.