The Institutional Repository (IR) has become standard to the academic library in the past decade. In fact, some 5,000 are listed in open access directories. However, IR operations are anything but standard. You are not alone in your challenges, whether it’s discovery of born-digital content or policies for deposit and withdrawal. This resource gathers expertise to offer a comprehensive guide on contemporary institutional repository management. Readers will sharpen their understanding of such key IR topics as

• managing complexity task-by-task using a detailed breakdown of IR projects;
• six crucial elements every deposit policy should address;
• using the SHERPA RoMEO database to quickly locate publisher policies;
• policy development, community outreach, and open source software testing, illuminated through case studies;
• metadata basics for the non-cataloger;
• authority control for electronic theses, dissertations, and grey literature;
• workflow suggestions for small and mid-sized institutions;
• showcasing undergraduates’ work with student peer-reviewed journals, photography, or theater performances;
• promoting faculty engagement with awards and recognition; and
• copyright fundamentals all staff who interact with the IR should know.

Libraries are in a unique position to aid communities during times of adversity, and this comprehensive handbook’s practical tools and expert guidance will help ensure that your library is thoroughly prepared for emergency response and recovery.

Your library is a vital information hub and resource provider every single day, and that’s doubly true when calamity strikes. In fact, your library’s role as an “essential community function” during disasters is now encoded in U.S. law. Engaging as a partner in planning and preparedness will build much-needed community support should disaster strike, and even a basic plan will also save you time and stress later on. No matter where your library is in the disaster planning cycle, this handbook will make the process clearer and less daunting. You’ll get tools, activities, easy-to-adapt templates, and hands-on guidance on such topics as

• the six phases of disaster response;
• 15 first-hand accounts of library disaster planning or responses, helping you identify the library services most needed during a disaster;
• three essential factors that will shape the form of your disaster plan;
• preparing for hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, and earthquakes;
• ideas for connecting with your community’s emergency response teams; 
• federal government planning resources;
• pointers on working with state and local governments;
• a sample Memorandum of Understanding to outline mutual support for a speedier recovery;
• recommended courses and training, many of which are free;
• targeted advice for archives and special collections;
• sample building inspection checklists; and
• recommended games to help children and families prepare.

The concepts of planning and assessment are intrinsically linked—and understanding them is essential for raising the library’s profile and strengthening its position among stakeholders and the community. Even if you're an LIS student or are new to the profession, or if planning or assessment are not your primary areas of responsibility, you still have a role to play in the success of organizational efforts. Fleming-May has more than a decade of experience in planning and assessment initiatives and instruction, and Mays was her institution’s first assessment librarian; their primer draws from theory, research, and their first-hand observations to illuminate such topics as

• characteristics of bad planning strategy that can help to illustrate a better approach;
• reasons why using economic models, like ROI, fall short;
• how to mix the three types of planning;
• guidelines to ensure that assessment is meaningful and actionable;
• tips for creating effective surveys;
• emphasizing users’ needs with a critical assessment framework;
• data analysis for surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observation;
• four questions to ask about audience level before you develop a report;
• a sample 3-year assessment plan that can be customized; and
• seven steps for developing a culture of ongoing assessment.

Librarianship is still a predominantly white profession. It is essential that current practitioners as well as those about to enter the field take an unflinching look at the profession’s legacy of racial discrimination, including the ways in which race might impact service to users such as students in school, public, and academic libraries. Given the prevalence of implicit and explicit bias against Black and African American people, authors Folk and Overbey argue that we must speak to these students directly to hear their stories and thereby understand their experiences. This Special Report shares the findings of a qualitative research study that explored the library experiences of Black and African American undergraduate students both before and during college, grounding it within an equity framework. From this Report readers will

• learn details about the study, which focused on the potential role of race in the students’ interactions with library staff, including white staff and staff of color;
• gain insight into Black and African American users’ perceptions of libraries and library staff, attitudes towards reading, frequency of library usage, and the importance of family;
• understand the implications of the study’s findings for our practice and for librarianship more broadly, including our ongoing commitment to diversifying the profession; and
• walk away with recommendations that can be applied to every library and educational context, such as guidance for developing an antiracist organization and more equitable service provision.

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.

Strategic Planning for Public Libraries is a complete planning toolkit. This book provides a framework that any library, whether it serves urban, suburban, or rural communities, can use as a basis for its strategic planning.

Supported by research conducted across more than 200 public library professionals and in-depth interviews with more than twenty library directors and leaders throughout the country, this book addresses some of the key areas of strategic planning that librarians care about most:

• Engaging the community
• Measuring progress against the plan
• Reaching non-users
• Creating a living document that can be continually updated
• How to conduct a community assessment
• Engaging staff