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CHICAGO — The last few years have proven beyond any doubt that libraries cannot afford to coast along with the status quo. Just as important as proposing and adding new services is the sometimes unpleasant process of critically examining existing realities and letting go of obsolete or less useful programs. But instead of panicking about budgetary and staffing challenges, libraries can choose a measured, proactive response. Edited by Mary Evangeliste and Katherine Furlong, “,” published by , shows how. The contributors in this practical guidebook take readers step by step through approaches they've used at their own institutions, offering models that can be adapted to a wide variety of settings. After reading this book, library directors and administrators will have insights into:

• how planned abandonment strategies grounded in assessment-based decision making can allow libraries to focus on what they do best;
• common sense solutions to "pressure points" common across many different libraries, such as difficulties in dealing with data, communicating to internal and external populations and the ordinary day-to-day pressures of running a library;
• the first steps toward formulating a plan of action, and ways to make evaluation of services a regular part of organizational culture;
• analysis of each case study, and suggestions for further exploration.

Evangeliste is the owner of , a marketing and design company that works primarily with nonprofits. She is the coauthor of the best-selling 91��ý Editions title “.” Before devoting herself full-time to Fearless Future, she worked for over 20 years in libraries and museums. She has held positions at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Art, the American University Library, and the University of Arizona Libraries. She currently serves on the advisory board of .

Furlong is Director, Blough-Weis Library, and University Librarian at Susquehanna University. Previously she was Director, Access and Technical Services, at Lafayette College, where she also served as project manager for Lafayette’s $22 million expansion and renovation of Skillman Library. She has participated in the Frye Leadership Institute (2011), the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute (2006) and the Institute for Information Literacy. She has written and presented extensively on library administration, management and instruction. She has served as president of the Delaware Valley chapter of the ACRL and is presently the president of the board of the Pennsylvania Interlibrary Delivery Service.

purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. 91��ý 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. 91��ý authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact us at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.

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