This practical, hands-on guide will assist the school library media specialist in planning, funding, implementing, and promoting special events programs in the school. Trotta provides a readable text filled with program ideas, planning documents, and tips for successful programs. She shows how to incorporate special events programs into a yearly curriculum plan, where to locate speakers and performers, how to budget and build support for special programs, and how to develop partnerships with school and community members that will ensure the success of the program. Reproducible forms and guidelines will make it easy for the school library media specialist to plan for and implement special event programming. Trotta systematically takes the library media specialist through the process from the idea stage to the evaluation process. The work features chapters on developing special events programs relevant to the curricula, developing partnerships to support these programs, raising community support and awareness of the media center and its programs, personnel training and strategies, developing promotional materials, keys to making programs successful, and how to do programs on a shoestring. An extensive list of resources for all kinds of programs completes the work.

This volume documents the growing trend for cities and towns throughout America to use museums and libraries as vehicles for economic development. Museums of all types and sizes, and libraries from main street behemoths to neighborhood branches, are being used to stimulate inner-city revitalization as well as neighborhood renewal programs. These public amenities draw citizens, tourists and new development to a city's venues, providing a public place for people to focus and gather. In short, the small public investment paid for these cultural centers is much less then the dollars returned to taxpayers from tourism and economic development.This collection of essays presents case studies from Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Charleston, Christchurch, Cincinnati, Denver, Des Moines, Hartford, Germantown, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Lanark, Little Rock, Memphis, Minneapolis, Miramar, Pekin, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Prince Rupert, St. Louis, St. Paul, San Jose, Seattle, Tacoma, Tallahassee, Toronto, Valencia, and Wakefield. The case study topics include the role of museums and libraries in promoting urban renewal and downtown redevelopment, revitalizing urban centers, enhancing 'smart communities,' influencing eco-friendly municipal construction trends, and stimulating private development. The work includes several regional and national resource directories, a glossary, and an index to facilitate reference to particular communities and projects throughout the country.

Staggering reductions in library funding are forcing library managers to get even more creative about staff development which is needed more now than ever as library usage increases. In Staff Development on a Shoestring, former New Jersey Library Association President and award-winning library director Marcia Trotta details innovative in-house training solutions, co-partnership opportunities, distance learning programs, and case studies from around the world. Managers and training coordinators who read this helpful guide will understand how to make smart programming and resource decisions and how to use appropriate web technologies, and they will have customized resources at their fingertips. The practical solutions Trotta presents will help readers feel energized, empowered, and confident in applying the unique approach she takes to encouraging staff learning and professional development. To round out Staff Development on a Shoestring, Trotta includes many more than 30 checklists, outlines, surveys, and handouts ready for readers to quickly adapt to their library, plus a directory of resources for staff development and continuing education. Whatever the size of your budget, Staff Development on a Shoestring will help your library's staff stay current with their skills and, in turn, maintain quality public service.