Winning Grants (book & CD)

MacKellar, P.H. & Gerding, S.K. (2010). Winning Grants. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Written by two experts who have won millions in grants from an astonishing variety of funding sources, Winning Grants is a combination workbook, how-to-manual, and multimedia workshop.

Now presented in Neal-Schuman’s newly revised How-To-Do-It series layout, Winning Grants gives you MacKellar’s and Gerding’s combined decades of successful grant-getting techniques in an accessible design so you can master these complex processes more easily. The authors’ expertise is unique as they have been on all sides of the grant process as grant writers, reviewers, project coordinators, consultants, and trainers. They have maintained the popular Library Grants Blog for over five years, helping librarians find grant opportunities easily and at no cost.

This multimedia package features three sections. Part I, “The Grant Process Cycle,” presents the full grant process cycle with MacKellar and Gerding sharing invaluable procedural advice that distinguishes proposals that receive sustained funding. Part II, “Library Grant Success Stories,” showcases real-life success stories that demonstrate the process in practice and provide motivational tips from successful library staff. Part III, “The Winning Grants Multimedia Toolkit and DVD,” includes time-saving tools, such as reusable checklists, worksheets, and templates. All of these tools are both in the book and reproduced as Microsoft Word documents on the multimedia DVD so you can make these templates your own and share them with colleagues. The DVD includes the entire text of successful grant proposals plus ten instructional videos to walk you through each step of the grant process cycle.

(book description)

Collection Development & Management for 21st Century (book & CD)

Gregory, V.L. (2011). Collection Development and Management for 21st Century Library Collections: An Introduction. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Covering virtually every aspect of its subject, Collection Development and Management for 21st Century Library Collections is a soup-to-nuts guide perfect for students and beginning librarians, yet full of sage advice and new ideas for experienced practitioners.

This landmark new text was overseen by a stellar editorial advisory board: Karen Brown (Dominican University), Kay Ann Cassell (Rutgers University), Alma Dawson (Lousiana State University), Ann O’Neill (Emporia State University), and Patricia Oyler (Simmons College). Vicki Gregory, Professor at the University of South Florida, takes a process approach to her subject, making the book easy to consult about a specific question or problem. Practical and to the point, here’s an authoritative guide to collection development and management that covers the entire gamut.

Each chapter includes discussion questions, activities, references, and selected readings. Special features include samples of a needs assessment report, a collection development policy, an approval plan, and an electronic materials license.

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Mystery Theater for Teens (book)

Siwak, K.J. (2010). Library Programs for Teens: Mystery Theater. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.

It's no mystery that fun and exciting programs bring teens into the library. Theater programs provide a venue for teens to express themselves creatively, encourage their participation in library programming, and offer them the opportunity for lively interaction with peers and adults. In Library Programs for Teens: Mystery Theater, Karen Siwak provides readers with complete instructions for creating a successful mystery theater program. With this guide, Siwak solves the ever puzzling programming issues of timing, setting clues, props, costumes, decorations, and food.

In addition to providing a basic formula for such programs, Siwak presents nine original teen-tested scripts—from the intriguing "Medieval Murder" to the hijinks of "Case of the Looney Librarian"—that will appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Reproducible graphics, flyers, bookmarks, invitations, nametags, book tie-ins, and player worksheets are included with each script. Programming is no longer perplexing with this heavily-illustrated collection of original mystery theater scripts for teens. Public and school librarians will find this volume a valuable tool for educational and entertaining programming and also for simply planning a fun party.

(book description)

Let's Pretend (book)

Bane, R.C. (2010). Let's Pretend: 50 Start-to-Finish Preschooler Programs for the Busy Librarian That Foster Imagination. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Nothing comes as naturally to children as pretending. This book harnesses that wonderful capacity to nourish learning, literacy, cognitive development-- and pure enjoyment. What sets the book apart is Bane’s unique integration of storytelling, crafts, and play. Fifty compelling themes encourage kids to use their imaginations to learn about subjects as diverse as camping, the beach, the Old West, pirates, jungle safaris, dinosaur digs, plus 44 more scenarios.

Bane begins each program with a short storytime, then uses songs and props to guide children through play that fosters the development of thinking, language, social, and physical skills. Step by step, she spells out detailed, creative programming ideas for props, crafts, and songs--a welcome timesaver for increasingly busy librarians. Over 80 color photographs of sample scenes make setup a snap. Props are made from inexpensive, easily accessible materials with an accent on recycling and an eye to reutilization. Bane even gives guidance on how to apply her concepts to your own ideas or to open-ended imaginative play. Particularly valuable to children’s librarians under pressure to offer more and better programs despite budget cuts, Let’s Pretend is an all-in-one guide that will make your job easier--and a lot more fun.

(book description)

Making Library Web Sites Usable

Making Library Web Sites Usable : A LITA Guide, by Tom Lehman and Terry Nikkel. New York : Neal-Schuman Publishers, c2008

From the publisher:

If your library's website is not as user-friendly as it could or should be, you need this book. A LITA guide, it is the most authoritative, current reference on usability testing for libraries. It gives you practical advice in clear, non-technical prose, plus success stories from 18 academic, public, corporate, and government libraries. Read it and you will learn what usability assessments are, why they are important for libraries, why you should do them regularly, and what the most common challenges are. You will also learn all of the necessary how-tos, whats, and whys for the most common assessment techniques and how to interpret your results, document findings, and effectively communicate results and recommendations.

Usability-in-action success stories from Purdue, the University of Virginia, and Wright State University libraries; the Clinton Macomb Public Library in Michigan; the MITRE corporate library; and the library at NASA Goddard offer rare insights and practical advice for facing challenges like limited time, working within a budget, and rallying support for website changes. For library webmasters, members of library Web or usability teams, and library administrators committed to putting their patrons at the center of their website design strategy but unsure of how to begin.