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.

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.

Newly revised and refreshed, this invaluable how-to manual will teach you the skills and strategies crucial for finding, applying for, and winning grants. Whether you're starting from scratch and don't know where to begin, or you're an experienced grant writer looking to tap into new funding sources, this resource offers a proven, easy-to-understand process for grant success. Loaded with a wide variety of forms, worksheets, and checklists to help you stay organized, this book: summarizes the grant process cycle and outlines a clear path to success; shares inspiring grant success stories in action from diverse libraries; offers guidance on gathering knowledge and conducting research, with updated resource lists and links to the various types of funders; covers every stage of planning, including how to cultivate community involvement, methods for needs assessment, advice on organizing the grant team, and exercises to help you write realistic goals and objectives; gives tips on writing the proposal, such as where to find the best statistics and census data to support your statement of needs; advises how to announce a successful grant to the community, and other first steps of implementation, including the basic principles of project management; provides guidance on what to do when you're turned down and how to conduct an effective review session that keeps the process moving forward; highlights ways to stay current through online discussion groups, blogs, networking groups, and more; and features sample RFPs, budget templates, grant partnership documents, and many other helpful tools . Written by two librarians who are experts in grantsmanship, this all-in-one toolkit for winning grants is a must-have for library directors, grant writers, board members, consultants, and anyone else involved in planning library programs and services

When you win a grant, you help your community by providing great technology-driven services. Technology grants provide the crucial funding to implement the latest technology projects so you can meet your community's needs. But how can you write a successful grant proposal? How can you be sure that your technology grant will be approved? Here is the only book that covers technology grants for libraries. This comprehensive book on grants for libraries focuses on technology, technology planning, designing technology projects, specific sources and resources for technology grants, how to create a technology budget, and technology project success stories so you get real life examples of how others like you made their libraries stronger through technology grants. Pamela MacKellar shows you easy-to-understand graphics and examples that make writing proposals for technology projects simple and easy. You get chapters explaining how to design your project, work with a team to save time and money, and, of course, how to write and submit your project. This one-stop shop is both a guide and a resource, with sources for technology projects and helpful hints on finding the right technology grants for you. This is your step-by-step guide to turning your library into your community's technology hub.

As libraries cope with budget cuts and shortages, many are turning to grants as a means for funding new initiatives and sustaining services. This practical how-to manual - authored by two experts with in-depth knowledge and practical experience - outlines the grant-writing process and provides a proven step-by-step strategy for getting your grant. Chapters cover preliminary planning; defining the project; forming the writing team; choosing the best type of funder (government, foundation, corporate, and local organizations) to approach; and more. Core coverage focuses on writing and submitting the proposal including thorough explanation and examples the title sheet, cover letter, table of contents, overview, description, needs, methodology, timeline, budget, evaluation, and more. Additional sections explain how applicants should follow-up on their submission; partner with outside organizations; and implement and evaluate the project when your funding is approved. The CD-ROM includes a sample grant template that you can individualize and reproduce for your own grants, as well as model long range plans that can be modified and included in proposals. More than 15 successful grant stories from a variety of institutions and for various funding purposes are also on this invaluable CD for you to model, adapt, or incorporate into your own winning proposals.