At the first library school I attended, our teachers stressed that even though we were in an academic environment, we were there to undertake a professional course of study. I wish I had a book such as Bethan Ruddock's “The New Professional's Toolkit” when I did enter the profession. It is a goldmine of advice that any new professional would benefit from. It brings together tips that one may not learn from coursework, but are vital for success in the workplace.
Bethan's book is aimed at “newly qualified librarians and archivists who are in their first professional roles” (Introduction, xvii). The author notes that “new professionals often find themselves in a role where they are expected to acquire and use new skills rapidly.” It is thus not surprising that the book begins with a chapter on project management. As the author points out, getting involved in a project is quite possibly one of the first tasks entrusted to a new professional.
The author then moves on to other areas that are core to the role of an information professional – meeting user needs, training, marketing one's services, using technology. Despite its deceptively slim appearance, this book covers a lot of ground that will be valuable to a new professional, such as the chapters on upskilling, networking, and professional involvement. New professionals who are in sole‐charge positions will benefit from reading the chapters on generating funding, and managing money.
This book provides a wealth of guidance that professionals have learnt through experience and are happy to share with the readers. It combines a number of features that help in conveying its message to readers. Each chapter has a section called “How to”, which provides practical tips. The book is packed with case studies from a number of contributors. All the chapters end with a list of references, as well as a section called “Over to you” which contains practical exercises for the reader. Other features include a glossary of terms used in the book, and an appendix of spreadsheets that illustrate budgeting.
The book has a companion website (http://lisnewprofs.com/), which provides readers with the complete versions of case studies that have been abridged in the book, as well as a list of personal accounts in the form of blog posts entitled “My first month” from a number of contributors. In addition, the website contains further information about the contributors, and links to online resources that have been mentioned in the book.
While the information in the book has been packaged in a way to flow easily from advice to discussion and analysis, I think that the author's voice risks being drowned among the voices of her contributors. In its current state, this book comes across as a work of compilation, rather than one of authorship. I also have a suggestion with regard to the book's companion website – it would be quite fitting if the companion website is used to create a virtual community of readers, as Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell, authors of “Learning to Fly”, have shown (see www.chriscollison.com/l2f/). New professionals will certainly benefit from having a forum that facilitates interaction and collaboration.
