The more libraries can prove that they benefit the business community, the more funding they are likely to receive. Helping Business is designed to guide the public library administrator through the process of assessing their community's need for economic development assistance and carrying out a plan that works. The manual first addresses how to learn about local business' needs through such sources as focus groups, the chamber of commerce and the reference desk. Also covered are techniques to get more involved in the process of helping business; staff training, print and electronic sources for information; developing the support of other agencies; marketing through the press, newsletters, networking and meetings; and assessing and publicising results. An appendix dealing with organising focus groups rounds out this comprehensive guide.

"This is a summary of the study 'The Library and the Economic Community' prepared in 1969"--"The source and its authors."

Over the past thirty years, significant shifts in technology, political ideologies, and policy goals have resulted in an environment in which public libraries face the highest expectations to serve community needs against unprecedented political, economic, and policy challenges. Drawing on two decades of original research conducted by the authors, this book provides a data-driven examination of the interrelated impacts of political discourse and public policy processes on public libraries and the ways in which they are able to serve their communities, explaining the complex current circumstances and offering strategies for effectively creating a better future for public libraries.

Foreword by Tracie D. Hall Community engagement isn’t simply an important component of a successful library—it’s the foundation upon which every service, offering, and initiative rests. Working collaboratively with community members—be they library customers, residents, faculty, students or partner organizations— ensures that the library works, period. This important resource from ALA’s Public Programs Office (PPO) provides targeted guidance on how libraries can effectively engage with the public to address a range of issues for the betterment of their community, whether it is a city, neighborhood, campus, or something else. Featuring contributions by leaders active in library-led community engagement, it’s designed to be equally useful as a teaching text for LIS students and a go-to handbook for current programming, adult services, and outreach library staff. Balancing practical tools with case studies and stories from field, this collection explores such key topics as why libraries belong in the community engagement realm; getting the support of board and staff; how to understand your community; the ethics and challenges of engaging often unreached segments of the community; identifying and building engaged partnerships; collections and community engagement; engaged programming; and outcome measurement.