The definitive handbook on public librarianship

CHICAGO — Dubbed "a peerless ambassador for public libraries, educating future professionals, current professionals in other parts of the field, and anyone else interested about the irreplaceable and irrepressible entities that are public libraries” (Library Quarterly), the new fourth edition of ALA Neal-Schuman’s “Introduction to Public Librarianship” has been reimagined and restructured to make it even more relevant and useful. Jenny S. Bossaller and Denice Adkins have written the definitive handbook on this branch of the profession, covering every aspect of the public library, from its earliest history through its current incarnation on the cutting edge of the information environment. Featuring a Foreword by Kathleen de la Peña McCook, this text includes:

• a summary of current and historical issues in public libraries;
• a new chapter on financing which covers traditional sources, creative funding, capital campaigns, special projects, and the pros and cons of public/private partnerships;
• statistics, standards, planning, evaluations, and results;
• legal issues and politics, including how different states are set up, the role of state libraries, defining service population, and when the law and values conflict (such as union/non-union scenarios);
• updated coverage of important advocacy issues, including advocacy for access, the legal limits of advocacy, involving the community in advocacy, and communicating the effectiveness of the public library to stakeholders;
• organization, administration, and staffing, from the differences between small libraries and large systems to current issues like non-MLIS library workers and unionization;
• learning about who public libraries serve by utilizing community analysis, community needs assessments, and diversity considerations;
• adult services, youth services, children's services, and serving special populations such as older adults, adults with special needs, schools, daycares, and the incarcerated;
• library technology, from structure and infrastructure to websites and makerspaces;
• issues related to library buildings and master plans, such as gathering community input and working with an architect on library spaces and library services outside of the library;
• library associations, state library agencies, and other professional organizations;
• disaster planning and recovery from technological, ecological, and biological disasters; and
• global perspectives on public libraries.

Examination copies are available for instructors who are interested in adopting this title for course use. An online resource supplements the text with teaching materials (slidedecks, discussion prompts, suggested readings, and relevant reports) as well as links to updated research data from IMLS.

Bossaller is associate professor at the School of Information Science & Learning Technologies at the University of Missouri. Prior to that she was assistant professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. She has received grant support to prepare dozens of students to work in public libraries. She was honored with the ALISE/ Connie Van Fleet Award for Research Excellence in Public Library Services to Adults in 2022. Adkins is professor and associate director of the School of Information Science & Learning Technologies, University of Missouri, and former coeditor of the Journal of Education for Library and Information Science. Prior to her academic career, Adkins was a public librarian serving diverse communities in the southwestern United States. Her additional past experiences include a Fulbright Scholarship to Honduras and a Fulbright Specialist to India, as well as serving as president and treasurer of REFORMA, executive board for ALISE (Association for Library and Information Science Education), and councilor-at-large for ALA.

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