Positioning Your Library for the 21st Century
Strategies for Engagement, Relevance and Sustainability
- 1st Edition - September 1, 2026
- Latest edition
- Author: Cordelia Anderson
- Language: English
Positioning Your Library for the 21st Century: Strategies for Engagement, Relevance, and Sustainability identifies and removes hidden barriers, equipping readers to enable librar… Read more
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Description
Description
Positioning Your Library for the 21st Century: Strategies for Engagement, Relevance, and Sustainability identifies and removes hidden barriers, equipping readers to enable libraries to uncover and eliminate operational and communication barriers that limit access, reduce engagement, or disproportionately impact underserved populations. The book provides readers with practical crisis response tools, delivering sample plans, templates, and checklists to help libraries prepare for immediate, emerging, and sustained crises, thus ensuring a confident, coordinated response when it matters most.
Sections navigates advocacy and neutrality, enabling readers to support libraries in balancing commitments to equity and social justice with the responsibility to maintain broad public trust across diverse political and cultural perspectives, while also encouraging library leaders to examine the narrative they share with stakeholders and how that narrative supports or undermines long-term goals, relevance, and community support.
Sections navigates advocacy and neutrality, enabling readers to support libraries in balancing commitments to equity and social justice with the responsibility to maintain broad public trust across diverse political and cultural perspectives, while also encouraging library leaders to examine the narrative they share with stakeholders and how that narrative supports or undermines long-term goals, relevance, and community support.
Key features
Key features
- Equips library leaders and communicators to improve access, increase engagement with audiences, prepare for crises, and advocate effectively
- Includes actionable guidance, frameworks, examples, and tools to address specific challenges and strengthen library relevance and trust
- Emphasizes the removal of barriers to library access for marginalized communities, making services more equitable and communications more inclusive
- Provides examples and case studies that highlight diverse library audiences and practical steps toward greater equity
- Addresses the key knowledge and information needs of readers in understanding how to effectively incorporate social justice initiatives and advocacy into library leadership and operations
Readership
Readership
Academic libraries; public libraries; library science students and educators, particularly those involved with marketing, management, strategic planning or advocacy tracks
Table of contents
Table of contents
1. Removing Barriers to Improve Access
2. Strengthening Communications
3. Strategic Focus and Data-Informed Decision-Making
4. Balancing Advocacy and Neutrality
5. Preparing for Crises
6. Shifting Mindsets for Sustainable Success
7. Looking Forward
8. Conclusion: Building Resilience and Relevance for the Future
2. Strengthening Communications
3. Strategic Focus and Data-Informed Decision-Making
4. Balancing Advocacy and Neutrality
5. Preparing for Crises
6. Shifting Mindsets for Sustainable Success
7. Looking Forward
8. Conclusion: Building Resilience and Relevance for the Future
Product details
Product details
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: September 1, 2026
- Language: English
About the author
About the author
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Cordelia Anderson
Cordelia has worked in libraries for more than 20 years, serving for a decade as Director of Marketing & Communications at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. During that time, she was involved in many high-profile projects including branch constructions and renovations, multiple rebrands, multiple strategic plans, major organizational restructuring, the launch of a Foundation, and much more. She has delivered similar presentations for clients such as the Florida Department of Library & Information Services, Illinois Library Association, Marigold Library System, Maryland Library Association, Michigan Library Association, Panhandle Library Action Network, Reaching Across Illinois Library System, South Carolina State Library, Southeastern Florida Library Information Network, Southwestern Florida Library Information Network, the State Library of North Carolina, the Tennessee State Library & Archives, the Texas Library Association, Wisconsin Valley Library Service, and many others
Affiliations and expertise
Cordelia Anderson Consulting, USA