As families are looking for better ways to educate their children, more and more of them are becoming interested and engaged in alternative ways of schooling that are different, separate, or opposite of the traditional classroom. Homeschooling has become ever more creative and varied as families create custom-tailored curricula, assignments, goals, and strategies that are best for each unique child. This presents a multitude of challenges and opportunities for information institutions, including public, academic, school, and special libraries. The need for librarians to help homeschool families become information and media literate is more important than ever. This collection of essays provides a range of approaches and strategies suggested by skilled professionals as well as veteran homeschool parents on how to best serve the diverse needs and learning experiences of homeschooled youth. It includes information on needs assessments for special needs students, gifted students, and African American students; advice on how to provide support for the families of homeschoolers; case studies; and information on new technologies that could benefit libraries and the homeschooler populations that they serve.

In a changing world, with multiple and often conflicting voices, the library's important role as a location of safety and inclusion as well as the crusader for knowledge cannot be overstated. It can be easy to reflect differing perspectives in our collections and displays, but if we do not practice our values, we are lacking. As leaders in our communities, librarians have an obligation to educate and inform; we must be ready to lead and model the principles we support. The question that arises for many is: how? As an integral part of the community, libraries need to move beyond diverse collection development and social issues displays. Here, experienced librarians offer suggestions, guidance and inspiration to motivate librarians at all levels to consider the assumptions we may take for granted, seek out new creative paths, and work to support change in our organizations. Be it steps to create a book group for the intellectually disabled, partnering with social workers or advocacy for employees with disabilities from within, included in these chapters are both theoretical foundation and hands on practical ideas.

At a time when libraries are no longer leading proprietors of information, many library professionals find themselves rethinking their purpose. In this collection of new essays, contributors share their experiences and ideas for keeping libraries integral to changing communities. Innovative approaches and best practices are discussed for strategic planning, packaging, branding and marketing, funding issues, physical spaces, collection needs and trends, partnerships, programming and services, professional education, and staffing.

The foreword writer and librarian, D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, the Host of Genealogy Roadshow (PBS) and President, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society noted: "The increasing popularity of the topic require that any librarian who encounters genealogical customers remain on the forefront of new developments in the field." The thirty-four chapters are written by experts across the United States actively engaged in helping patrons with genealogy.

Libraries, writers, and poets have long had a close working relationship. Rapid changes in technology has not changed the importance of this cooperation: book talks and readings are as popular as ever-and the ways librarians support local writers with workshops, festivals, widely varied community events, are presented in creative ways in the 29 chapters. The forty-seven contributors are from across the United States.

During the past few years, groups like the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Center for Education have been placing great emphasis on the significance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. In brief, the US is seen as falling behind the rest of the world in science and technology education. In response, the curricula have been revised in many educational institutions and school districts across the country. It is clear that for STEM to be successful, other community organizations, most particularly libraries, need to be closely involved in the process. Library staff realize the importance of getting involved in STEM education, but many have difficulty finding comprehensive information that will help them plan and successfully implement STEM direction in their organization. This book is designed to meet that need. It is timely and relevant. How to STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Libraries is by and for libraries who are involved in contributing efforts into advancing these subjects. It is organized in 9 parts including funding, grant writing, community partnerships, outreach, research, and examples of specific programming activities. Authors are drawn from the professional staffs of educational institutions, libraries, and non-profit organizations such as science museums. The book contains eight parts, each emphasizing a different aspect of how to succeed with STEM. Part 1 emphasizes how hands-on activities that are both fun and educational can be used to further STEM awareness. Parts 2 and 3 contain chapters on the uniting of STEM with Information Literacy. Innovative collection development ideas are discussed in Part 4 and Part 5 focuses on research and publishing. Outreach is the theme of Part 6 and the programs described in these chapters offer an array of ways to connect with students of all ages. The final section of How to STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Libraries addresses the funding of these programs. Librarians of all types will be pleased to discover easy-to-implement suggestions for collaborative efforts, many rich and diverse programming ideas, strategies for improving reference services and library instruction to speakers of English as a second language, marketing and promotional tips designed to welcome multicultural patrons into the library, and much more.

It is an exciting time to be a librarian. Advances in technology have allowed libraries to expand far beyond walls and lead the way in information delivery, while at the same time transforming the physical space of the library into a place where customers can connect to information in new ways. At the same time, it is a challenging time to be a librarian. With continual change as the new normal, staying current can seem overwhelming. Even facing budget shortfalls and staff reductions, librarians are tasked with finding the time and resources to keep abreast of rapid changes. This book offers a cornucopia of practical advice about how to acquire new skills as well as formal and informal credentials through all stages of a career. The 27 essays are divided into eight parts, covering topics such as formal and online education, conferences, fellowships, workshops, networking, teaching, mentoring, balancing a personal life with a professional one, and matters of money. Filled with practical, honest, and real-world advice, the book will prove valuable to librarians of all kinds.

In the current economic climate, most librarians recognize the critical importance of marketing as a means of self-preservation, largely accepting that the future of libraries requires marketing in order to increase library use and public perceptions of worth. However, few librarians have prior professional experience marketing products or services and the majority must balance marketing duties with many other job responsibilities. This anthology offers practical insight on marketing techniques specifically designed for libraries. Concise, how-to case studies from practicing public, school, academic, and special librarians provide proven strategies to improve brand management, campaign organization, community outreach, media interaction, social media, and event planning and implementation. Intended for the novice and the old hand, individuals and large staffs, this valuable guide provides librarians with the effective marketing tools necessary to help their libraries thrive in these challenging times.

"Creativity is just connecting things," observed Steve Jobs. In today's diverse, ever-changing job market, creativity is more necessary than ever. In a profession offering a broad range of job opportunities, librarians are surrounded by myriad connections to be made. They are trained to recognize them. This insightful collection of new essays covers a wide spectrum of methods for cultivating creativity as a skill for career fulfillment and success. Topics include learning through role-playing games, libraries as publishers, setting up and using makerspaces, developing in-house support for early-career staff, creating travelling exhibits, creative problem solving, and organizing no-cost conferences.