Collaboration involves a fusion of individual talents and skills through outreach and cooperation. And it is one of the key ingredients of a vibrant, successful library that is also relevant to the community it serves. But it doesn't just happen magically, and it's a challenge to kindle those original sparks of inspiration into a sustainable effort. Written by a team of librarians and community partners who themselves learned how to collaborate successfully, this uplifting book takes a fresh look at the essentials of how to nurture the best within ourselves and our colleagues in order to create lasting partnerships that will continue to thrive. Its breezy tone encourages reflection and discovery while giving practical suggestions on how to plan for short-term gains and long-term results. Questions and points to ponder included at the end of each chapter will facilitate discussion and planning. Helping you harness creative thinking and channel it into everyday work, this book: discusses why collaboration is so important and provides numerous tips for cultivating it; examines what to do when things go wrong, including techniques for generating patience and perseverance to help produce positive results;offers new ways to plan and implement, featuring guidance on how to establish a core group; explores ways to prioritize by starting with clear goals; describes the fundamentals of engaging with fellow staff and the wider community; and highlights ideas to spark curiosity that benefit everyone. An array of appendices with worksheets, examples, suggested readings, and other tools complete this celebration of collaboration, a book that will inspire effective communication and accountability within your organization and among community allies.

Progress for the sake of progress is all too often a drain on precious time and resources. The communities and users that libraries serve are always changing; true innovation helps libraries adapt to meet their needs and aspirations both now and in the future. This stimulating collection offers numerous snapshots of innovation in action at a range of libraries, showcasing ideas and initiatives that will inspire librarians at their own institutions.

This book explains how and why to get an international library job, what to expect when you arrive in your host country, and how to overcome challenges in your new home. For those who possess an ALA-accredited degree, there are opportunities to work in library settings around the world—and many of these attractive career options do not require non-English language skills or an EEC/Commonwealth citizenship. This guide to library work in countries outside the United States and Canada explains the benefits of taking on a library position in an international setting, how to find such a job, what to expect in working in a library outside of North America, and what strategies to employ to be successful and happy living and working in your host country. This guide answers all the questions that a librarian considering a position abroad would have, and it also covers subjects and concerns that might not be as obvious. Based on the direct experiences of the authors as well as anecdotal accounts from other librarians who have worked around the world, the book informs readers about common cultural differences with the application and interview process; explains how workplaces and working assumptions can be different from American expectations; profiles the different procedures, collection scope, curricular support, and intellectual freedom policies of libraries outside the United States and Canada; and describes the unique experience of moving to another country and living as an expat.

This book provides practical information and insights to library administrators and building plan team members at academic and public libraries who are considering or starting a library expansion or reconfiguration of existing space. Building a new library or expanding or renovating an existing building brings up a host of questions and concerns, not the least of which involves the future of the library. This book addresses those issues in light of an overarching positive vision of libraries and their evolving purposes and roles in the 21st century. This guide identifies and addresses all of the steps in the building process, including preparing the request for proposal (RFP), selecting the right architect for the job, developing a financial contingency plan, and managing stakeholders' expectations. The book presents both the perspectives and experience of library administrators and management personnel as well as the insights of accomplished library architects and designers. It provides thorough, practical, and current guidance in a process that library administrators often find daunting and "risk immersive." Reading this book is like sitting down with a knowledgeable, impartial consultant before beginning a major renovation project-a tremendous asset for library administrators as well as architectural firms. Covers all of the steps in the building process, from preparing the RFP and selecting an architect to developing a financial contingency plan and managing community and staff expectations Includes contributions from some of the most accomplished library architects and designers from across the nation Presents information of great relevance and interest to library administrators as well as to architectural firms that work with libraries

The 2nd edition of The Care of Prints and Drawings provides practical, straightforward advice to those responsible for the preservation of works on paper, ranging from curators, facility managers, conservators, registrars, collection care specialists, private collectors, artists, or students of museum studies, visual arts, art history, or conservation. A greater emphasis is placed on preventive conservation, a trend among collecting institutions, which reflects the growing recognition that scarce resources are best expended on preventing deterioration, rather than on less effective measures of reversing it. Expanded and richly illustrated chapters include: *Supports for Prints and Drawings discusses the properties of parchment and paper and introduces the general preservation needs and conservation problems of all works on paper, regardless of their media. *Conservation Problems Related to the Paper Support of Prints and Drawings presents a guide to recognizing the symptoms and diagnosing the causes of damage specific to paper. *Conservation Problems Related to the Materials and Techniques of Prints describes the conservation problems that affect certain printmaking materials and arise from specific processes. *Conservation Problems Related to the Materials and Techniques of Drawings focuses on the various materials used to create marks on paper. *Item-Level Collection Protection: Envelopes, Sleeves, Folders, Enclosures, Mats, Boxes, Frames, and Furniture, discusses measures taken for prints and drawings so that they can better withstand the rigors of handling, examination, exhibition, travel, and adverse environmental conditions. *Preventive Conservation for Prints and Drawings describes how the integration of a comprehensive Collections Care Program into a Collections Management Policy can reduce the need for item-level conservation treatments. *Basic Paper Conservation Procedures provides instructions on how to stabilize damaged works. *How to Make Starch Paste and Methyl Cellulose Adhesive and Suppliers of Paper Conservation Materials and Equipment are appended as well as a Glossary.

This book shows you how, even with a tight budget and limited space, you can foster "maker mentality" in your library and help patrons reap the learning benefits of making-with or without a makerspace. Just because your library is small or limited on funds doesn't mean you can't be part of the maker movement. This book explains that what is really important about the movement is not the space, but the creativity, innovation, and resilience that go along with a successful maker program. All it takes is making some important changes to a library's programs, services, and collections to facilitate the maker mentality in their patrons, and this book shows you how. The author explains what a maker is, why this movement is important, and how making fits in with educational initiatives such as STEM and STEAM as well as with library service. Her book supplies practical advice for incorporating the principles of the maker movement into library services-how to use small spaces or mobile spaces to accommodate maker programs, creating passive maker programs, providing access to making through circulating maker tools, partnering with other organizations, hosting maker faires, and more. Readers will better understand their instructional role in cultivating makers by human-centered design thinking, open source and shared learning, and implementation of an inquiry approach. Offers librarians creative ways to become involved in the exciting maker movement and encourage maker mentality among patrons Presents an approach through which any library, no matter their size or budget, can participate Speaks to all ages, experience levels, and educational levels Fills a gap in the literature by providing libraries with limited resources the means to offer maker opportunities

This book shows how to act on and make sense of data in libraries. Using a range of techniques, tools and methodologies it explains how data can be used to help inform decision making at every level. Sound data analytics is the foundation for making an evidence-based case for libraries, in addition to guiding myriad organizational decisions, from optimizing operations for efficiency to responding to community needs. Designed to be useful for beginners as well as those with a background in data, this book introduces the basics of a six point framework that can be applied to a variety of library settings for effective system based, data-driven management. Library Improvement Through Data Analytics includes:the basics of statistical concepts recommended data sources for various library functions and processes, and guidance for using census, university, or government data in analysis techniques for cleaning data matching data to appropriate data analysis methods how to make descriptive statistics more powerful by spotlighting relationships 14 practical case studies, covering topics such as access and retrieval, digitization, e-book collection development, staffing, facilities, and instruction. This book's clear, concise coverage will enable librarians, archivists, curators and technologists of every experience level to gain a better understanding of statistics in order to facilitate library improvement.

Volume 8 of the series Creating the 21st-Century Academic Library is focused on new services, directions, job duties and responsibilities for librarians in academic libraries of the 21st century. Topics include research data management services, web services, improving web design for library interfaces, cooperative virtual reference services, directions on research in the 21st-century academic library, innovative uses of physical library spaces, uses of social media for disseminating scholarly research, information architecture and usability studies, the importance of special collections and archival collections, and lessons learned in digitization and digital projects planning and management. Data management services are highlighted in the context of a consortium of smaller liberal arts and regional institutions who share a common institutional repository. Survey research plays a role in a number of chapters. One provides insight into how academic libraries are currently approaching web services, web applications, and library websites. A second survey is used to explore the role of librarians as web designers, and provides detailed information related to job titles, job duties, time percentages related to duties, and other duties outside of web design. Comments of those surveyed are included and make interesting reading and a deeper understanding of this new function in libraries. More generally, is a survey study exploring how librarians feel about the changes that are currently happening within the profession, as well as how these changes have personally affected their job duties and their current job assignments. Case studies are include one that features QuestionPoint in the context of a cooperative virtual reference service; another shows how research and scholarship can be disseminated using social media tools such as blogs, Twitter, ResearchGate and Google Scholar, among others; a other studies explore the importance of user engagement and buy-in before moving forward on digitization; and one shows how information architecture and usability emerge from the redesign of a public library website and whose successful completion involves user surveying, focus groups, peer site reviews, needs analysis, and usability testing. Two chapters deal with the changing legal context: the importance and understanding of copyright and author rights in the 21st-century academic library, and the basics Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). It is hoped that this volume, and the series in general, will be a valuable and exciting addition to the discussions and planning surrounding the future directions, services, and careers in the 21st-century academic library.

This book explains the concept of adding value and shows staff at libraries and other organizations why they need to take steps now to ensure they are adding new value to their communities-whether it be a local town or neighborhood, a faculty and student body, or a school. Value is at the core of every organization's purpose. Without value, organizations die. Libraries-as well as museums, archives, and galleries-have traditionally added value to their communities through their collections and services, but yesterday's collections and services are no longer enough. In order to remain sustainable, today's libraries, archives, museums, and galleries must explore new ways to add value that resonate in the lives of their customers. This unique book explains how addressing the "5 C's" of adding value-content, context, connection, collaboration, and community-enables organizations to find new ways to invigorate their services, better serve their communities, and thrive today and tomorrow. It addresses adding value in the context of other key topics, such as crowdsourcing, embedded librarianship, makerspaces, self publishing, and repurposing spaces. Filled with charts, tables, screenshots, and other visual representation, this is a useful and provocative guide that anyone interested in vesting in the successful future of libraries, archives, and museums needs to read. Helps managers and administrators create long-range plans for sustainability and growth Offers real-life models of libraries that have successfully implemented concepts of the value-added organization Fills a gap in the literature as the only book written specifically for librarians on the topic of adding value Presents important information and guidance for those who work in all types of libraries, archives, and museums as well as administrators, board members, and other stakeholders who are interested in the future of these vital community resources Includes color charts, website screenshots, and other visual representations that clarify key concepts and points

One of the most critical elements of achieving a successful career, interviewing with poise and tenacity, is a skill to be learned-and this practical guide leads readers through that process, step by step. In a competitive job market, all candidates need to prepare to succeed. This certainly applies to job seekers looking for professional librarian positions in public, academic, and/or special libraries-especially recent MLIS graduates and mid-career job-changers. Designed for today's competitive job market, this practical guidebook provides job applicants with practical tips and effective strategies for successful interview preparation and execution specific to seeking librarian positions. Unlike generic "how to interview" guides, this book recognizes that there is no "one-size-fits-all" interviewing method and teaches the techniques for excelling at the unique aspects of interviews for specific librarian positions such as reference librarian, electronic resources librarian, outreach librarian, youth services librarian, and adult programming librarian. The book opens with an overview of what is expected during today's librarian interview followed by descriptions by four experienced library directors of what makes an interview truly great. This guidebook includes 100 actual library interview questions to help readers best prepare for the specific position they seek and also contains a chapter that identifies mistakes all rookie librarians should avoid making. Provides a librarian-specific job-interviewing guidebook that guides candidates through the strategic and targeted interview preparation process for today's highly specific librarian positions Presents contributions from library leaders such as Rivkah Sass (Sacramento Public Library), Brett Bonfield (Collingswood Public Library), Anne Langley (Princeton Library), and John Danneker (Odegaard Undergraduate Library, University of Washington) who explain what can make or break an interview Includes a helpful job application tracking chart as well as an interview preparation checklist (for remote and in-person situations) and an interview presentation checklist

Librarians must know how to provide essential programs and services that make a difference for the people they serve if libraries are going to survive. It is no longer realistic for librarians to rely on the idea that "people love libraries, so they will fund them" in this economic climate. Librarians must be able to prove that their programs and services are making a difference if they want to compete for funding in their municipalities, schools, corporations, colleges, institutions and organizations. Meeting Community Needs: A Practical Guide for Librarians presents a process that librarians of all kinds can use to provide effective programs and services. This requires being in close touch with your community, whether it is a city, town, or village; college or university; public or private school; or corporation, hospital, or business. Understanding what information people need, how they access it, how they use it, how it benefits them, and how they share it is paramount. The process in this book covers community assessment, designing programs and services to meet needs, implementing and evaluating programs and services, and funding options. Providing library programs and services for your entire population - not just library users - is more important than ever. Librarians working in libraries of all types must provide programs and services that meet community needs if libraries are to stay relevant and survive in the long run. Librarians must be able to measure their success and demonstrate the library's worth with verifiable proof if they are going to be competitive for available funds in the future. Meeting Community Needs will make you take a serious look at how well your library programs and services are meeting your community's needs, and it will show you the way to success.

This edited collection captures the current status and future direction of libraries' commitment to advance the focus of educating for sustainability. It is designed as a toolkit offering a wide range of best practices, case studies, and activities ready for implementation within academic libraries.

Whether in person or electronically, users come to the public library from outside the library realm. And that's exactly where genuinely transformational ideas lie. In this book Doucett mines new territory by exploring how successful organizations ""outside the stacks"" conduct their business. By analyzing what several private-sector organizations and their leaders are doing outstandingly well, she quickly hones in on transformational concepts that are ready for application in public libraries, offering more than a hundred innovative ideas that can be put into practice to improve customer service and day-to-day library operations. Canvassing the worlds of advertising, online commerce, fundraising, retailing, and more, Doucett profiles such successful professionals as Margaret Atwell, Kickstarter Chris Wilson, L.L. Bean Brian Kevin and Ginny Wright, Down East Magazine Kate Chaney Chappell, Tom's of Maine Walter Briggs, Briggs Advertising An exciting survey of creativity in action, Doucett's book will encourage public library directors, managers, trustees, and staff to cross-pollinate their own expertise with innovative ideas from outside the stacks.

All too often the image of a public library archive is of a dusty collection of artifacts and documents occasionally exhumed for a neglected display case. But librarians and archivists across the country are turning that stereotype on its head, developing innovative ways to bring library users into new relationships with archival professionals and research collections. From social archives and citizen cartography to artist-curators and photovoice projects, special collections departments are demonstrating their value not only for preservation but also for outreach, education, and public service. In this book Schull canvasses the nation, showcasing exciting ideas that can be adapted for every public library. A must-have text for anyone with responsibilities for directing, managing or teaching archival services, as well as for those who are studying best practices and planning for change, this book Offers examples of more than 100 projects that reflect the scope and variety of emerging practices that foster public engagement, culled from conversations with dozens of the nation's leading public library archivists and special collections staff Profiles 13 institutions and departments that are in the forefront of change Analyzes trends in public programming, community documentation, and digital communications that are re-shaping the image, functions, content, and uses of public library archives and special collections Sharing models for institutions seeking to expand connections with public audiences, this unique survey demonstrates how to make archives come alive for libraries and their communities.

We now catalog in a post-AACR2 world. RDA: Resource Description and Access is designed to cover all types of content and media, but communities of practice are still evolving for motion picture and video materials. This handbook clarifies the protocol for DVDs and Blu-ray discs, expanding upon established guidelines for AACR2 and integrating them into the new standard. Along the way, Higgins introduces the fundamentals of filmmaking, including its history and technical vocabulary, providing context that will help catalogers quickly find the information relevant to their bibliographic records. Organized by familiar MARC 21 fields, this comprehensive reference walks readers through such topics as Unraveling the complexity of film and the ways it is packaged and presented on optical disc, to help quickly determine the title statement and statement of responsibility Explaining the roles of the individuals and organizations involved in the creation and publication of film, and where to record them in catalog records Deciphering the technical terms and abbreviations used on DVDs and Blu-ray discs Using subject and genre headings Cataloging television and streaming media Dealing with unusual formats, such as videotape and reels of photochemical film Outlining the MARC 21 fields where AACR2 practices differed from RDA With the expert guidance contained in this book, readers will learn how to apply RDA instructions to the cataloging of every type of film and video collection, whatever the medium.

Featuring contributions by working librarians from around the country, this guide offers a goldmine of quality books for children, spotlighting more than 500 titles published within the last four years. Ranging from books for newborns through readers to age 14, the selected books encompass a wide variety of formats and themes to reflect the diversity of contemporary society. Popular Picks for Young Readers is equally useful for readers' advisory and collection development, and includes: * High-quality, well-reviewed books that are also popular with kids; * Only original titles, eliminating derivative works such as those based on a movie or liecensed characters; * Picture boooks, graphic novels, poetry, informational books, fiction, and more; * Thorough annotations, with summary, author, and publication information; * Multiple indexes for easy searching by title, author, type of book, genere, award-winners, and subject matter. With selections geared towards every child's interest and reading level, this guide will help librarians, teachers, caregivers and others connect young readers to books they're sure to love.

Focusing on new reference sources published since 2008 and reference titles that have retained their relevance, this new edition brings O Gorman's complete and authoritative guide to the best reference sources for small and medium-sized academic and public libraries fully up to date. About 40 percent of the content is new to this edition. Containing sources selected and annotated by a team of public and academic librarians, the works included have been chosen for value and expertise in specific subject areas. Equally useful for both library patrons and staff, this resource Covers more than a dozen key subject areas, including General Reference; Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics; Psychology and Psychiatry; Social Sciences and Sociology; Business and Careers; Political Science and Law; Education; Words and Languages; Science and Technology; History; and Performing Arts Encompasses database products, CD-ROMs, websites, and other electronic resources in addition to print materials Includes thorough annotations for each source, with information on author/editor, publisher, cost, format, Dewey and LC classification numbers, and more Library patrons will find this an invaluable resource for current everyday topics. Librarians will appreciate it as both a reference and collection development tool, knowing it's backed by ALA's long tradition of excellence in reference selection.

Fun and easy to read, this marketing and promotion guide offers you the "big picture" of how best to spend your limited funds and energy to create a successful marketing strategy-from traditional promotions such as advertising and posters to social media marketing. Robust, resilient, and flexible marketing is an absolute necessity for today's libraries. Fortunately, marketing can be fun. Through this savvy guide, you'll discover a wealth of fresh, actionable ideas and approaches that can be combined with tried-and-true marketing techniques to serve any library. Focusing on building platforms rather than chasing trends, the book offers low- and no-budget ideas for those in small libraries as well as information that can be used by libraries that have a staff of professionals. The guide opens with an overview of the basics of marketing and continues through the numerous channels that should be incorporated into a modern-day marketing strategy mix. Branding, merchandising, and media relations are covered, as are social media, new technologies, fundraising, and advocacy. You'll also learn how to use tools such as data-driven information gathering and email segmentation to help your library compete and stay relevant. Perfect for beginners, the book will be equally useful to seasoned communicators who are looking for creative ideas, new techniques, and innovative approaches to boost the effectiveness of their existing marketing efforts. Takes you through a step-by-step process of creating a marketing campaign that meets the needs of your patrons and your library Covers conventional marketing strategies such as print and broadcast media along with new social media venues Includes a guide to marketing plans and content calendars Offers chapter-by-chapter" Moxie Tips and Tricks" to help you get started and succeed in marketing your library Presents ways to bolster your creativity toolkit when the ideas just won't come