Member: PatternResearch

CollectionsYour library (481)

ReviewsNone

Tagsethics (96), leadership (84), LE@D (78), roots (67), management (67), history (64), politics (55), philosophy (52), psychology (48), education (42) — see all tags

Cloudstag cloud, author cloud, tag mirror

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Favorite authorsF. G. Bailey, Nathaniel Branden, Martin Buber, Viktor Frankl, Ronald Gross, Peter McLaughlin, Arnold Pacey, Michael Polanyi, Karl Popper, Virginia Satir, Martin Seligman, Edward R. Tufte, Robin Williams (Shared favorites)

About meI have a checkered past in the performing, visual and literary arts as a poet, graphic designer, publisher, writer, radio talk show host and printer.

Currently own Pattern Research, Inc., a 36-year-old research and training business in Denver with my husband Leif Smith. Have been a trainer and consultant since 1978, focusing on personnel, management, leadership, marketing, career and strategic planning issues. Most of my clients are libraries and library organizations.

In addition to my work with libraries, I also consult with library boards, foundations, Friends groups, and national, state and regional library organizations, as well as universities, schools, nonprofits, local government, family-owned small businesses, health and medical institutions and professional associations.

About my libraryIf you are a colleague, client, friend or just passing through...here are books that I currently recommend as they apply to my work as a consultant and trainer. They also include books related to research projects.

(My PatWagner LibraryThing account includes these books and more; pretty much our entire nonfiction and better fiction home library).

Most are classics in psychology, history, sociology, economics, as well as governance, ethics, graphic design and how-to topics. In the broadest sense, they are tools for becoming a happier and more effective person, and creating more humane and effective organizations. I have a bias for disciplines and authors that emphasize personal responsibility and that tend toward an optimistic belief that people can improve themselves. There are also foundation books about some important ideas. I don't agree with all of the books or authors here, and, still, they deserve our attention.

I add books as I can, and hope to have the entire collection adequately annotated before the end of the decade. When possible, I will note who recommended the book to me.

Books with the tag "friend" means I know this author personally, as in breaking bread, first name basis, partied into the night etc., and am not particularly objective in our assessments.

Books with the tag "core" means that I list this book as part of my core bibliography that I recommend to my clients.

Books with the tag "roots" mean they were recommended as part of a project to create a balanced list on books on American politics, history, etc. They represent a spectrum from left to right, socialist to libertarian. The two consultants who assembled the list for me are both scholars who were asked to share what they thought were important books and authors relating to what it meant to live in America. I use it for my libraries interested in improving their core collection.

Books with the tag "LE@D" are part of the bibliography for my online classes with the University of North Texas Lifelong Education At Your Desktop program.

Books with the tag "OP" are sadly out-of-print, but are available, thanks to online services, used bookstores, and, of course, libraries.

Following my experience with The Bloomsbury Review, I only star books for which I have a strong, positive opinion. Three stars mean a good read, four stars means excellent content, and five stars means excellent content AND excellent writing AND is probably seminal in its field. No stars might simply mean a book that I have not made my mind up about, not that it is a less worthy book.

I welcome suggestions!

Homepagehttp://www.linkedin.com/in/patternresearchinc

Also onFacebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Real namePat Wagner

LocationDenver, CO

Emailpatpattern.com

Account typepublic, non-personal member

URLs http://www.librarything.com/profile/PatternResearch (profile)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/PatternResearch (library)

Member sinceJul 17, 2007