Greetings and happy summer! Arrowhead Library System (ALS) has a long-standing commitment to maintaining a collection of current publication titles of interest to librarians, library staff and library trustees. The collection is housed at the ALS Headquarters in Mountain Iron, but all titles can be requested via the online catalog (if you have a borrower’s card from an ALS library) or via the statewide MnLINK catalog (if you have a borrower’s card from Duluth Public Library). If you have questions about borrowing titles from the ALS Professional Collection, feel free to call ALS staff! Here are the latest additions to the ALS collection:
The Collection All Around: Sharing Our Cities, Towns, and Natural Places
Jeffrey T. Davis
ALA Editions, 2017
021.2 DAV
Public libraries’ mission, skills, and position in their communities make them ideal facilitators of public access to local resources. In other words, the collection is all around, and libraries can help citizens discover historical, cultural, and natural riches that they might otherwise overlook. Providing smart planning and implementation advice, this guide shows public libraries how to make the most of these outreach opportunities. Using ideas drawn from libraries from around the country, it covers
- why this type of initiative is important, demonstrating how this model strengthens libraries with regard to community and institutional support;
- programs for brokering public access to cultural venues via ticketing platforms;
- using library event calendars to feature the programs and meetings of other city agencies, community organizations, and affiliated institutions;
- the joint use of library cards as IDs, for banking, and as parking/transit passes;
- ways that libraries can act as guides to local resources, including such examples of “pathfinding” as historical/cultural walking tours, navigating social services, and providing guidance on government benefits and civic involvement;
- parklets, crosswalk murals, food truck roundups, and other programs for extending the public library beyond its walls;
- initiatives for improving access and connections to natural surroundings such as nature-play environments, offsite StoryWalks, nature maps, and circulating outdoor gear and state parks passes; and
- talking points for new and existing partner buy-in, planning advice for getting started and managing the launch, budgeting guidance, technology considerations, and other helpful tips.
This book offers up dozens of great ways that public libraries can leverage their strengths and enrich their communities.
Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding
Patrick “PC” Sweeney and John Chrastka
Neal-Schuman, 2017
021.830973 SWE
As the saying goes, all politics is local. And 90% of funding for public libraries comes from the will of local politicians and, in turn, from local voters. So it’s urgent that librarians, library supporters, and anyone interested in running an election or campaign for a library understand the strategies, resources, and tactics necessary for positive political action. Whether election day is four months away or four years away, there are immediate steps library leaders and local library ballot committees should take to help secure a successful ballot initiative later. Written by two experienced library campaigners, this action-driven manual for anyone running a political campaign for libraries dives into
- proven successful campaigning techniques for rural, suburban, and urban settings;
- expert analysis on how political perceptions are formed, how political power works, and ways libraries can reach funding or political goals;
- starting the discussion internally;
- the right approach to setting up the committee structure, and identifying the core leadership team for the committee;
- tips on networking, cultivating good relationships with the power players in the community, and building a winning coalition;
- canvassing and direct voter contact;
- responding effectively to opposition, including voters who habitually resist taxes or library funding increases;
- the differences between paid media and earned media; and
- best practices for marketing and message development, fundraising, volunteer engagement, and other key areas.
Filled with easy to follow strategies, this book will guide ballot committees, librarians, trustees, and library advocates through the process of winning an election for funding their library. LIS students will also benefit from the early exposure to political literacy skills provided by this book.
Fundamentals of Library Supervision, 3rd Edition
Beth McNeil
Neal-Schuman, 2017
023.9 MCN
You’re about to become a library supervisor! In addition to excitement you may also feel some uncertainty. Mentor, creator, monitor, and negotiator are some of the roles a supervisor must play, and wearing that many hats is a challenge that requires discipline and organization (and a healthy sense of humor). This newly updated and revised edition of a classic text will give you the grounding to supervise, manage, and lead with confidence. A perfect handbook for those just moving into a supervisory position, and a welcome refresher for current managers, this resource focuses on daily, real-world issues, offering
- discussion of how to foster a positive work environment by determining the character of your organization;
- dozens of sample interview questions suitable for different contexts, and other pointers on the hiring process;
- advice on supervising all different kinds of employees, from those with “structural” personalities to creative types;
- tactics for leading productive and focused staff meetings;
- guidance on how to develop shared accountability, overcoming the decision dilemma so common in group settings, and other strategies for building successful teams;
- easy to follow tips for making email a genuine productivity tool;
- methods for meeting deadlines through backward planning;
- 11 steps for developing a clear and balanced performance appraisal;
- techniques for actively addressing complaints; and
- examples of non-monetary staff rewards such as flexible scheduling, job enrichment, and celebrations.
Guiding supervisors through the intricate process of managing others, this to-the-point handbook addresses the fundamental issues facing those taking on this position.
Migrating Library Data: A Practical Manual
Edited by Kyle Banerjee and Bonnie Parks
Neal-Schuman, 2017
025.04 BAN
Most librarians and staff participate in at least one data migration during their careers. And since the new systems inevitably work differently than the old ones and require different data to function, it’s always a challenge to plan smooth migrations that position libraries to immediately leverage new system capabilities. Using step-by-step instructions and checklists, this book offers expert advice to help library staff without programming knowledge address common conceptual and technical issues encountered in migrations. An important planning and implementation tool that will help prevent headaches and frustration, this book
- offers a holistic view of migrating different types of library data in ILSes, institutional repositories, DAMs, and other types of systems used to manage data and operations;
- shows how to analyze, clean, and manipulate data using skills and tools available to most libraries;
- demonstrates how to work with specific data types typically encountered such as MARC, XML, and delimited text;
- examines issues that affect specific areas such as acquisitions, circulation, licensing, and institutional repositories;
- addresses how to handle changes in authentication management or when moving into a wholly new environment such as a shared catalog;
- thoroughly covers testing, the final migration process, and putting the new system into full production;
- offers guidance on planning for system freeze, staff training, and how to deal with fallout;
- provides step-by-step instructions as well as useful checklists for “go live” readiness, post-migration functionality, and more.
Library staff involved with migrating data will feel confident following this guide’s expert advice.
50+ Fandom Programs: Planning Festivals and Events for Tweens, Teens, and Adults
Amy J. Alessio, Katie LaMantia, and Emily Vinci
ALA Editions, 2017
027.60973 ALE
This book of ready-to-go programs and events will help public libraries give fans who are passionate about genres, characters, games, and book series plenty of reasons to return to the library again and again. Fandom programming can require planning across departments, tie-ins to collections and community partnerships, and targeted marketing. But the fun content cooked up by the three best-selling authors in this guide makes it easy to stay organized every step of way, with events broken down into components that streamline planning and facilitates coordination. Adaptable for a wide range of ages, this resource
- covers all the basics of how to host a fandom event, including prep time, length of program, number of patrons, budget, and supplies needed;
- suggests an age range (tweens, teens, millennials, older adults) for each program while also offering ways to tailor it to different groups;
- presents such imaginative and engaging programming ideas as 50 Shades of Hot Books, Old School Video Games, Women in Comics, Creating Steampunk Outfits, Superhero School, and many more;
- provides ideas for perennial fan favorites like Harry Potter, horror stories, and sports; and
- gives tips on how to stay current with what’s popular and ways to incorporate popular activities like cosplay, trivia, and movie-oke.
Filled with projects and ideas that can be used with a variety of fandoms and interests, this programming book will ensure both quick planning and great turnout.
Summer Matters: Making All Learning Count
Elizabeth M. McChesney and the Chicago Public Library, Bryan W. Wunar and the Museum of Science and Industry
ALA Editions, 2017
027.625 MCC
Summer reading for children is a long standing and cherished tradition in public libraries across America, but today’s kids need to master new skills and competencies. Today’s summer programming needs to move beyond reading to engage children with hands-on activities, thus keeping their brains active even when school’s out. Here, a team of librarians and educators from the Chicago Public Library (CPL) and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry present a guide based on their award-winning, STEAM-inspired approach. They outline practical steps for libraries and cultural institutions to partner in creating a sustainable summer learning program that’s both fun and educational. This book
- explains what STEAM is and why it’s important for libraries;
- provides evidence-based research on summer slide, the achievement gap, and 21st century learning skills;
- walks readers through building a cultural partnership, collaborating efficiently, and sustaining the relationship into the future;
- offers tips for managing institutional change;
- provides guidance for developing a new vision for summer at the library, with pointers on adding learning tracks to existing programs and addressing design challenges;
- details how CPL evaluates and assesses their program; and
- includes templates for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), mission statement, logic model, and sample Summer Learning Challenge evaluations.
Loaded with innovative program ideas, this resource will ensure that learning continues even while school is out.
Information Literacy in the Workplace
Edited by Marc Forster
Facet Publishing, 2017
028.7 FOR
In today’s information-driven workplace, the modern professional must know when research evidence or relevant legal, business, personal or other information is required, how to find it, how to critique it and how to integrate it into their existing knowledge base. To fail to do so may result in defective and unethical practice which could have devastating consequences for clients or employers. This demands highly focused and complex information searching, assessment and critiquing skills.
This book, through a range of perspectives from the personal to the organizational, shows how information literacy (IL) is essential to the contemporary workplace and to an understanding of how the modern professional experiences, and could potentially experience, the contemporary information environment. Using an evidence-based approach, Information Literacy in the Workplace demonstrates several aspects of IL’s presence and role in the contemporary workplace, including IL’s role in assuring competent practice, its value to employers as a return on investment, and its function as an ethical safeguard in the duty and responsibilities professionals have to clients, students and employers.
