Public-finance

Collaboratively written by professional non-profit organization fundraiser Harry A. Freedman and Florida-based journalist Karen Feldman, The Business Of Special Events: Fundraising Strategies For Changing Times is a step-by-step guidebook that effectively instructs the reader in every step of organizing a successful fundraising effort in today's technological era. Individual chapters specifically address how to create a balanced budget; secure corporate sponsorship; maintain accurate records; get serviceable publicity; provide food, beverages, and entertainment at fundraising gatherings; and more. A wealth of practical tips, tricks, and techniques make The Business Of Special Events a top-notch and highly recommended resource.

I purchased this book several years ago and I still refer to it whenever I am planning a special event. Freedman & Feldman provide a guide that literally lays the groundwork for conducting a successful special event (I hope that is not a Kent Dove title). Every subject from selecting the right event to post-event evaluation is covered in this resource.

Great pains are taken to illustrate the areas discussed and tips abound throught the book. I found the samples of event materials particularly useful in gaining an understanding of some of the principles that are illustrated.

The Business of Special Events is a must have edition to your library. A great resource for volunteers, chairpersons, staff and Board. I completly agree with George R. Reis, Editor, Fundraising Management when he says "When other writers discuss special events, they often quote Harry Freedman. This book is the final word on the subject."

Cirino proves to be an enthusiastic and sophisticated advocate of the library profession. From the management aspect, his recommendations are experienced and current. Aware that the running of a public library is a business, the author has written a valuable handbook for public library directors and students of library schools. In the chapter on recruitment and training, which I enjoyed and appreciated, Cirino addresses the issue of inadequate pay and working conditions. The amount of devoted advocates of public library service suggests the increase of prestige, pay, and improved working conditions over time. Sufficient time and effort must be spent training the high-quality people that libraries must attract. Advancement of the staff's exposure, experiences, education, and the encouragement of growth and change will help set a higher standard for people, libraries, and our profession.

Sandy Updegraff, L550 School of Library and Information Science; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

The expert collaboration of David Croteau (Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richard, Virginia) and William Hoynes (Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology at Vasser College, Poughkeepsie, New York), The Business Of Media: Corporate Media And The Public Interest is a candid revealing and detailed study of the rapidly evolving media industry, especially in an increasingly media-saturated society. A thoroughly scholarly work which deftly presents its in-depth study in largely jargon-free and accessible terms ideal for the non-specialist general reader, The Business Of Media offers insights and a close scrutiny into what really goes on behind newspaper and broadcast journalism headlines.

Business Planning for Healthcare Management by Carolyn Semple Piggot, a British author and pharmacist and Editorial Director at a healthcare consultancy, provides basic concepts of healthcare management which is today becoming a more and more demanding field in most of the healthcare systems. It offers tips, basic and practical and conceptual skills (providing many questions to ponder upon) not only to professionals in the health services but also to junior managers who are tempted to take part of the new and future structure of health care administration / organization and its functions.

Furthermore, the book helps to focus on the efficient health care delivery. It covers the development of leadership skills, future trends in healthcare management and guidelines of designing effective work groups through nine chapters revealing what planning is in a healthcare system, the planning process itself, the challenges of implementation, the evaluation process, the planning for health improvement, the joint planning and collaboration with social services, the management of shareholders, the plans for change and finally the role of the Board.