Designed to improve any board's effectiveness, this resource offers proven advice about what it takes to make everything from meetings to evaluations run smoothly and addresses the critical questions every board member needs to understand: What does it mean to be on a library board of trustees? The how-tos of amplifying your message through partnerships How does advocacy work and why is it important? Who makes library policy? Is there a more effective way to do strategic planning? Practical checklists, tables, and "what have you learned?" review items will help anyone maximize the experience of serving on a board. Trustees, administrators, consultants, trainers, and library students will welcome this hands-on, "bring it along and mark it up" reference.

Current executive director of the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) and former public library director Sally Gardner Reed draws on her years of success leading Friends of Libraries USA to provide trustees with straightforward, easy-to-read guidance on how to make the most of their vital role.

A detailed reference work that documents every aspect of the American public library experience through topical entries, statistics, biographies, and profiles. The American Public Library Handbook is the first reference work to focus on all aspects of the American public library experience, providing a topical perspective through comprehensive essays and biographical information on important public librarians. Based upon the author's own notes and extensive experience, as well as library periodicals, library reference books, monographs, textbooks, Internet sources, and correspondence with individual libraries, this book comprises nearly 1,000 entries addressing all aspects of public library service. Each topical essay considers terminology of the area covered, its historical context, and current concerns and issues. Biographies highlight the philosophical perspective of the individuals covered, while entries on specific libraries present timely data and interesting facts about each facility. This unique handbook also offers up-to-date statistics, historical highlights, and information about programs and events of individual libraries.

Put simply, there is no text about public librarianship more rigorous or comprehensive than McCook's survey. Now, the REFORMA Lifetime Achievement Award-winning author has teamed up with noted public library scholar and advocate Bossaller to update and expand her work to incorporate the field's renewed emphasis on outcomes and transformation. This "essential tool" (Library Journal) remains the definitive handbook on this branch of the profession. It covers every aspect of the public library, from its earliest history through its current incarnation on the cutting edge of the information environment, including statistics, standards, planning, evaluations, and results;legal issues, funding, and politics;organization, administration, and staffing;all aspects of library technology, from structure and infrastructure to websites and makerspaces;adult services, youth services, and children's services;associations, state library agencies, and other professional organizations;global perspectives on public libraries; andadvocacy, outreach, and human rights. Exhaustively researched and expansive in its scope, this benchmark text continues to serve both LIS students and working professionals.