Ruby Sisson Library

"Whether your fully staffed or growing, this comprehensive and authoritative handbook is the time-saving tool you need to build a successful staff for the future."--Back cover.

In a disaster, decisions have to be made regarding where to go, what to do, and how to locate supplies, help clean up, contact and locate family, file insurance claims, and apply for federal aid. Public libraries are uniquely primed to provide important community information and referral services. Libraries are also the primary provider of free computer and Internet access and serve as community anchor institutions, where people can gather informally...

"Many of us have vivid recollections of childhood visits to the public library: the unmistakable, slightly musty scent, the excitement of checking out a stack of newly-discovered books. Today's libraries also function as de facto community centers, and offer free access to the Internet, job-hunting assistance, or a warm place to take shelter along with the endless possibilities that spark your imagination the moment you open the cover of a book. There...

Between 1893 and the early 1920's the Carnegie "free library" program endowed the construction of 1,688 public libraries in 1,419 communities across America--half of all the public libraries in the nation.

Discusses word-of-mouth marketing strategies for libraries, including how to build up intrigue, tips on delivering the message, and best practices.

"The "Balanced Scorecard" is a performance-measurement tool first popularized by Robert Kaplan and David Norton in a 1993 Harvard Business Review article. It involves matching a variety of measures with one or more expected values - from each of four perspectives (financial, customer, internal process, and organizational readiness), - tracking results, and analyzing any variance between them. As in baseball, organizations come away with both a snapshot...

"How can you become an effective advocate for intellectual freedom and patron privacy while maintaining a positive relationship with diverse elements of your community? Drawing on his experience as library director, this author advocated assuming a proactive role in every library function, from collection building to community outreach. This approach helps you understand the people who challenge library materials - as individuals and as members of...

What bad things could possibly be happening in your local public libraryIn SHUT UP! The Bizarre War that One Public Library Waged Against the First Amendment, citizen sleuths Megan Fox and Kevin DuJan expose the pattern of censorship, intimidation, harassment, bullying, and retaliation that the Orland Park Public Library engaged in (with help from the American Library Association (ALA), the Orland Park Police, and the Village of Orland Park) to chill...