How to Use the Library

The Free Management Library can be used to improve your organization and for your own personal, professional and organizational development. Here are some tips to get the most out of using the Library.

First Get to Know the Layout of the Library

  1. Read the section "About Library" in the sidebar.
  2. Scan the Broad Categories and get a feel for the types of topics in the Library.
  3. In the Broad Categories, click on a category and then some of topics in that category. Notice the range of links listed down the center of the topic's page.
  4. Glance at the types of information in the section "General Info" referenced from the sidebar and notice the various types of other resources related to the topic.

To Share Resources in the Library

  • Read Community Rules to see the requirements for adding links to the Library.
  • Read Copyright, Reprint to see how shared resources in the Library can be used.
  • Read How to Add so you can consider sharing your favorite resources and learn how to share them, as well.

To Use the Library to Improve Your Organization

Use Diagnostics to examine your organization or other management activities. Based on that "diagnosis," decide what types of activities and Library topics need the most attention in your organization now, for example, Boards of Directors, strategic planning, business planning, product and programs, staffing, marketing, finances, etc.

To Use the Library to Improve Your Learning

  • Scan the Broad Categories.
  • For now, select 2 to 3 of the topics that seem most interesting to you - many times, certain topics are most interesting to us because those are the topics we need the most.
  • Start clicking on some of the links down the center of the page and read each of the articles referenced from those links.
  • Then start reading some of the "Related Library Topics" referenced from each of the pages of those first 2 or 3 topics.
  • Read a book from the "Recommended Books" list available from each of the pages. Consider getting a basic text book on leadership or management. These are recommended in the Library topics about leadership and management (you can search for these topics by using the "Search" function referenced from the sidebar).
  • Join one of the "Online Groups" in the section "General Info" referenced from the sidebar. Read the comments made by members of those groups. Many times, those comments are from experts about the field and are about state-of-the-art topics.

To Report Abuse/Vandalism, Request Help, or Share Feedback

Contact us by using the appropriate link in the section "Contact Us" on the sidebar.

For-Profit and Nonprofit Information

The Library includes information for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. To understand the differences and how to translate Library content from one type of organization to another, see Free Management Library Includes Materials for For-Profit and Nonprofit Organizations.

If You Get Lost in the Library

You can find your way back to the pages where you started from by using the "breadcrumbs" feature. That feature lists the various pages that you have visited during your current session in the Library. To use the breadcrumbs, you must have cookies enabled on your computer. The procedure to enable cookies depends on your browser. For example, in Internet Explorer, go to Tools, click on Internet Options, and on the Privacy tab move the slider to "Medium". That setting allows cookies until you close your Explorer window.

Another way to find your way back is by clicking on the earliest browser windows that were opened during your session. This is possible because the Library opens a new browser window for you each time you click on the Web site that is outside the Library.