Launching large-scale library initiatives

CHICAGO — The necessity for library leaders to demonstrate that libraries are innovative, collaborative, and can provide eye-catching, transformational services and programs to their communities cannot be understated. But libraries do not suffer from a lack of big ideas. What library workers really need is a roadmap for making those impactful ideas become reality. Based in part on her extensive experience, Valerie Horton’s guide “Launching Large-Scale Library Initiatives: Innovation and Collaboration,” published by ALA Editions, will walk you through formulating and shaping your ideas into sellable, actionable projects. You’ll learn:

• techniques drawn from project management experts and researchers from many fields;
• why Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG) are worth your time and effort;
• guidance on upscaling your idea into a project or service that can be launched at a statewide, community wide, or library consortium level;
• several case studies of large-scale library projects, with analysis of why they were successful;
• how to successfully combine foundational principles of innovation with practical methods for collaboration;
• methods for extending your reach beyond your usual sphere to partner with other libraries and organizations;
• how to sharpen your skills of persuasion;  
• no-nonsense advice on leading teams of disparate individuals; and
• evaluative tips for affirming the project is on the right track and then correcting course as needed.

Past winner of the ASCLA Leadership and Professional Achievement Award, Horton is a library consultant. She has served as the director of two library consortia: Minitex and the Colorado Library Consortium. She was also the library director at Colorado Mesa University, and worked at New Mexico State University and Brown University. She received an ALA International Fellowship to automate libraries in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. She has authored or co-authored three books for the American Library Association and was the co-general editor of the journal Collaborative Librarianship.

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