Supporting expansion: the future for library and information staff

Supporting expansion: a report on Human Resource Management in Academic Libraries, for the Joint Funding Councils' Libraries Review Group, a report published by the John Fielden Consultancy, considers the effects of a changing and developing environment on library and information staff. Publication of the report has so far failed to excite the same degree of interest as did its predecessor, the Follet Report. However, despite some omissions and a rather heavy bias towards staff development and NVQs, the report does address some important issues that will affect LIS staff in the not too distant future. The aim of this article is to identify some of the omissions, to comment on the key themes and to provide a few examples of best practice. Those engaged in human resource management are urged to study the report carefully and to discuss its implications both within their LIS and with senior staff in their institutions