Build trust with your library's users by securing their data privacy. Taking a holistic approach, this guide presents practical ways to implement privacy ethics into data practices. Libraries are not exempt from the financial costs of data breaches or leaks, no matter the size. Whether from a library worker unwittingly sharing a patron's address with a perpetrator of domestic violence to leaving sensitive patron data unprotected, patrons can also pay a hefty price when libraries fail to manage patron data securely and ethically. In this guide, readers will learn concrete action steps for putting the ethical management of data into practice, following two common public and academic library cumulative case studies. The authors explore such key topics as succinct summaries of major U.S. laws and other regulations and standards governing patron data management; information security practices to protect patrons and libraries from common threats; how to navigate barriers in organizational culture when implementing data privacy measures; sources for publicly available, customizable privacy training material for library workers; the data life cycle from planning and collecting to disposal; how to conduct a data inventory; understanding the associated privacy risks of different types of library data; why the current popular model of library assessment can become a huge privacy invasion; addressing key topics while keeping your privacy policy clear and understandable to patrons; and data privacy and security provisions to look for in vendor contracts.

Complete with illuminating case studies and worksheets that guide readers to develop a personal framework for individual learning, this toolkit is an easy-to-use handbook of the basic HR functions of a public library. Human resources is an area of leadership that requires its own specialized knowledge, but many library managers and directors assume their roles without any background knowledge of HR or adequate training. This comprehensive toolkit, which has been vetted by HR professionals as well as an attorney who specializes in employment law, is here to fill those gaps. Taking you through the lifecycle of an employee, and also providing a framework to develop skills and confidence, in this book you will learn: ways to incorporate an EDI lens into your employee processes, starting with accurately crafted job descriptions that are posted on diverse job boards; tips for hiring and onboarding new staff; advice on individual employee development and retention, from the importance of continuing education to methods for increasing staff engagement and strengthening morale; considerations for treating all employees equitably to maintain a welcoming and inclusive space for staff from marginalized populations; an overview of the essential HR laws that come into play, helping you navigate difficult situations like discipline and termination; first-hand accounts of HR successes and challenges; and how to create a personalized structure around your HR learning and put it into practice, using a variety of worksheets, questions for reflection, templates, and tools provided in the book.

Library instruction is like acting: There's a live audience, in person or online; you may be doing a one-shot, limited engagement, or play to the same crowd repeatedly over the course of a term; and you usually expect reviews. Most important, instruction is like acting in that you're playing a role, and it's crucial to prepare your performance before you go on in order to shine and connect authentically with students. Your Craft as a Teaching Librarian: Using Acting Skills to Create a Dynamic Presence -a revised and expanded edition of The Craft of Librarian Instruction-captures how acting techniques can sharpen your instructional skills and establish your teaching identity, enliven your performance, and create an invigorating learning experience for your students. It's divided into three entertaining sections: Prepare and Rehearse: Centering yourself, physical and vocal preparation, mindfulness, and avoiding stage fright Perform and Connect: Role playing, identity, action/reaction, and information literacy Reflect and Sharpen: Assessment and adaptation Chapters feature exercises to explore on your own or with a colleague, question and answer sections to help you identify potential challenges and solutions, and tips on deepening your teaching skills. A glossary of acting terms and a "learn more about it" bibliography provide additional context for the methods and techniques presented. Your Craft as a Teaching Librarian can help you personalize and characterize your teaching presence and help those with little to no teaching experience, instructors dealing with shyness or stage fright, and more experienced librarians in need of a refreshed perspective, adding an undeniable star quality to your instructional performance.

So, what are library patrons doing with makerspaces and other innovative technology? This book explores how patrons are using innovative technologies utilizing real-life case studies from a variety of academic institutions. Authors were selected based on the technology provided and their expertise in establishing and marketing this technology. Readers will discover: -which pieces of technology get the most use -if patrons tend to use the tech for class assignments or leisure activities -the importance of working with faculty to increase use -unusual collaboration opportunities -examples of libraries nimbly expanding their spaces to include tech students need -unique ways patrons employ the technology -best practices for designing collaborative creative spaces Technologies discussed include: -Microsoft Hololens -virtual reality and augmented reality systems and support tools -3D modeling and printing -makerspace additions beyond the usual -instructional technologies used by patrons -video production and editing equipment -tool library -technology lending programs (what students want!) Dive in to explore the uncharted seas of which technologies patrons are using, how they are using them, and the purposes of use. As added bonuses, authors include best practices on designing space, marketing the technology, and collaborating to enhance the use. While authors do not go into any depth on the workings of the technology, there are other supplementary books which will cover this area. Makerspace and Collaborative Technologies specifically looks at how and why patrons are using library-provided creative technologies. Library staff who work with creative technologies in any way, shape, or form will find this book useful. With the valuable information contained in this guide, libraries can reach their users and create spaces and interactions that keep them coming back.

Libraries have a distinctive role to play in the small business ecosystem and can effectively partner to complement existing business services in the community. A nationwide initiative that launched in 2020, Libraries Build Business (LBB) aims to build capacity in libraries offering programming or services to local entrepreneurs and the small business community, prioritizing low-income and underrepresented entrepreneurs. And libraries have already begun to transform communities, with programs ranging from one-on-one business consultations, classes, and workshops to networking and equipment lending, as the many initiatives spotlighted in this book demonstrate. Serving as powerful models of how libraries and their staff can advance innovation and economic growth on any budget and scale, these examples will inspire you to plug into your own community while guiding you through the nuts-and-bolts of making it happen. You'll learn the value to libraries of getting involved in entrepreneurship development; how libraries are integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into their efforts, working to create more inclusive business communities and, in turn, cultivate a vision for justice in communities across the country; vivid case studies of more than two dozen programs representing a cross-section of urban, suburban, and rural libraries, such as Entrepreneurship Academy, a training program; a 6-month business incubator targeting the formerly incarcerated; empowering street vendors, a consulting service with local business experts; and a makerspace for business; best practices related to budgeting, partnerships, staff, outreach, evaluation, sustainability, and other core components; and information about additional resources to support your work.