100+ ideas for library success from outside the stacks

For Immediate Release
Fri, 05/01/2015

Contact:

Rob Christopher

Marketing Coordinator

ALA Publishing

American Library Association

312-280-5052

rchristopher@ala.org

CHICAGO — Whether in person or electronically, users come to the public library from outside the library realm. And that’s exactly where genuinely transformational ideas lie. In “New Routes to Library Success: 100+ Ideas from Outside the Stacks,” published by ALA Editions, Elisabeth Doucett mines new territory by exploring how successful organizations "outside the stacks" conduct their business. By analyzing what several private-sector organizations and their leaders are doing outstandingly well, she quickly hones in on transformational concepts that are ready for application in public libraries, offering more than 100 innovative ideas that can be put into practice to improve customer service and day-to-day library operations. Canvassing the worlds of advertising, online commerce, fundraising, retailing and more, Doucett profiles such successful professionals as:

  • Margaret Atwell, Kickstarter;
  • Chris Wilson, L.L. Bean;
  • Brian Kevin and Ginny Wright, Down East Magazine;
  • Kate Chaney Chappell, Tom's of Maine;
  • Walter Briggs, Briggs Advertising.

Doucett is the director of Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine. In addition to a master’s degree from the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science, she has an MBA in marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is author of the books “Creating Your Library Brand” and “What They Don’t Teach You at Library School.” She speaks and teaches nationally, generally focusing on the topics of library marketing, branding and trend tracking.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. ALA Editions publishes resources used worldwide by tens of thousands of library and information professionals to improve programs, build on best practices, develop leadership, and for personal professional development. ALA authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact ALA Editions at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.