When decisions are made without consulting the librarians in areas that are of concern to them, or when librarians are excluded from participating in areas where their expertise should be harnessed, numerous problems arise, including the following. The librarian's expertise is not used where it could make a valuable contribution.
Demarcation lines are vaguely, or badly, defined, possibly leading to unnecessary conflict.
It is difficult to assess resources needed because the type of work, the quantity of work and the objectives of library staff are misunderstood. One formalized way of achieving this might be through the adoption by the professional bodies of a statement on professional standards and the functions which should be the responsibility of the library. It is particularly important that senior management have a clear idea of what a library is. Related areas of responsibility arise as part of the management of all the resources of the library and the library services. These include financial and personnel management.