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New public library directors quickly learn what seasoned directors already know: running a library means you’ve always got your hands full—balancing the needs of staff, patrons, facilities, library boards, and other stakeholders with professional responsibilities like community interactions, legal and financial requirements, and whole lot else that wasn’t exactly in the job description. Whether you are considering becoming a public library director, are brand new to the role, or have settled in but find yourself thinking “there’s got to be a better way,” authors Hall and Parker are here to help. This book walks you through the core components of getting up to speed and then provides templates, sample documents, checklists, and other resources that will make your job easier. Gleaned from their own decades of experience in library leadership positions, in this toolkit they

• cover such key topics as employees, trustees, finances, legal issues, library policies, emergency planning, and technology;
• discuss strategic planning and share advice on keeping up with trends;
• offer nearly two dozen ready-to-use resources, including a Director’s Report Template, a Social Media Policy, an Employee Exit Questionnaire, a Library Cleaning Checklist, a Vision Statement worksheet, and more; and
• suggest additional learning opportunities in each chapter to help you continue your learning journey.

Filled with field-tested strategies and adaptable collection development policies, this updated handbook will enable libraries to bloom by maintaining a collection that users actually use.

"Manages to be a thorough and informative source on weeding library collections and yet also an easy, engaging read ... Recommended." That rave review from Technicalities sums up the acclaim and appeal of this bestselling resource’s first edition. Now Vnuk has revised and updated her text to keep pace with libraries’ longer-term shifts in collection development and access, such as a growing emphasis on digital collections and managing duplicate physical materials. She demonstrates how weeding helps a library thrive by focusing its resources on those parts of the collection that are the most useful to its users. Walking collections staff through the proverbial stacks shelf by shelf, this book

• includes a new “Tales from the Front” feature, providing real-life case studies of librarians working on weeding projects;
• explains why weeding is important for a healthy library and how it can positively affect library budgets;
• systematically walks readers through a library's shelves, with recommended weeding criteria and call-outs in each area for the different considerations of large collections and smaller collections;
• offers easily adaptable, updated sample development plans which reflect the latest thinking in collection development;
• advises readers on weeding problematic materials, such as those that include racist themes and depictions;
• presents updated and expanded guidance on special considerations for youth collections;
• addresses reference, media, magazines and newspapers, e-books, and other special materials;
• shares guidance for determining how to delegate responsibility for weeding, plus pointers for getting other staff members on board; and
• gives advice for educating the community about the process, how to head off PR disasters, and what to do with weeded materials.