View the author's companion website for more information and extra materials Whether they have full governance powers or are just there in an advisory capacity, trustees on library boards need to understand the complex issues that affect a library's ability to provide its community with materials and services that support lifelong learning, jobs, and quality of life. Authors Ellen G. Miller and Patricia H. Fisher have created a strategic guide that will help library board leaders handle important issues such as managing risk; local values and first amendment rights; leadership capable of achieving the library's ideal vision; getting and growing diverse funding sources; and becoming part of the community's leadership team. These issues are discussed in laymen's terms designed for busy trustees and directors who have only a few hours per month together to consider options and make decisions. Library Board Strategic Guide: Going to the Next Level seeks to help trustees and their directors in three broad areas: understanding complex issues and their local impact, assessing the trustee's role in addressing those issues, and reviewing experiences and best practices from other libraries. With many other uses, including use as a tool for board meeting discussions, for self-study, or as a benchmark for assessing your board's performance, this guide will help your library leaders reach that next level of community support.

About the Author
Ellen G. Miller is president of the Ellen Miller Group, a company that specializes in positioning strategies for complex public and non-profit organizations. Patricia H. Fisher, an independent consultant in the areas of Marketing and Public Relations and Library Board Development, is currently working as a research assistant on a project to study the supply and demand of subject specialists in academic and research libraries as part of a joint effort by the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland-College Park.

Reviews
This guide shows how library board leaders can deal with issues in public library management, including risk management, local values and the First Amendment, leadership and management, funding, and relationships with community leaders. It aims to aid trustees and their directors in understanding the impact of issues, assessing the trustee's role in addressing them, and reviewing practices from other libraries. * Reference and Research Book News, August 2007 *
This guide will appeal to busy board members needing specific information on a specific topic, such as disaster planning, and library directors wanting to clarify the relationship between directors and boards....The authors do not shy away from the thorny problems of boards in conflict or contentious relationships with directors. They address these difficult topics head-on and give practical advice that library boards and directors would do well to follow. The companion Web site provides downloadable forms to use in conjunction with the book. -- Spring 2008 Vol 47, issue 3 * Reference and User Services Quarterly *
...required reading for all library board members, library directors, and local administrators who oversee public library operations. * Booklist, 1 August 2007 *



Book Information
ISBN 9780810856899
Author Ellen G. Miller
Format Paperback
Page Count 236
Imprint Scarecrow Press
Publisher Scarecrow Press
Weight(grams) 381g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 153mm * 16mm