The author writes this guide with the aim of helping library managers or directors demonstrate the worth of their service and be more visible in their organisation and to their patrons. Fox expands on some articles and a chapter of a book she had previously written on the same subject.
The structure of this book centres around in-depth research, feedback and tips from a wide range of law librarians, mostly in the US. There are quotes in the opening chapter about the impetus and benefits of why a library annual report should be written and submitted.
Whilst the content is focused on the US market, with a portion of chapter 3 dedicated to the American Bar Association removing the requirement to provide a written assessment of the effectiveness of a library; the idea that some libraries will have a requirement or obligation and some will have a choice means that the USA angle does not detract from this being relevant to other jurisdictions. The author clearly explains the benefits of writing annual reports and encourages those who have no obligation to write such a report. Arguments include visibility, keeping the lines of communication open, highlighting accomplishments and other common sense benefits. When bought together in a single list like this, it is really useful.
Each chapter ends with opportunities for the reader to write their own notes and action points making this feel a little bit like the write up of a seminar. The author dedicates a chapter on all the reasons why people don't write reports and the counter-arguments to these are common sense but collated together create a powerful argument and can leave you feeling inspired to get over those barriers. There is guidance especially to those new to writing an annual report and helpful tips mostly again in the form of quotes to get you over any of the hindrances you face.
Tips on what type of content to include are evident even to the extent that a suggested structure is presented. What I felt was missing from this section was an acknowledgment that some topics may have value to one audience but may be commercially sensitive for another, and not in the public domain and so should be treated carefully. One of the challenges I find when writing any report to senior management is what to leave out or how to report metrics; the author acknowledges that some of these can be dull. However, she again passes on tips in quote format with the aim for those under her tutelage to convey data in value. Fox admits what to report is very much driven by each organisation. Chapters 11 to 16 on the report structure, distribution and style could have benefited from some graphical examples of how the reports, and data in particular, can be represented visually. Fox also explores who to send the report to, where else to host it and importantly that the staff need to be familiar with the report.
The Guide concludes with some examples of annual reports. These days, visualisation of data is an important way to grab attention and communicate in a speedy way. Whilst Fox acknowledges that this is important, it was disappointing to see more text and no graphical representations at all. It is therefore somewhat ironic that the author admits that pages and pages of only words and numbers will bore. However, overall it was an easy read, well researched and benefiting from the insight that the author has gained from speaking to lots of librarians in the legal sector. I'm certainly glad that I invested the time in reading this and I do feel inspired to turn my little brief end of year report into something far more polished and relevant with the help of this Guide.
