Outreach Services in Academic and Special Libraries

Citation

Cleyle, S.E. (2005), "Outreach Services in Academic and Special Libraries", The Electronic Library, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 250-251. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470510592979

The editors have gathered together a varied and skilled collection of contributors who have produced an interesting read. All librarians understand the importance of outreach, but some libraries do it better than others. Academic and some types of special libraries have been slower to grasp the importance of outreach and what it can do in terms of customer “awareness”. The contributors from these two specialties have done some amazing outreach activities. Although the majority of the articles are from an academic background there is useful advice for everyone.

The 12 papers are not arranged in any particular order so it is very useful that an index is provided. The papers are well cited and as a result this resource can also serve as a bibliography on the topic of outreach. The topics are varied and cover everything from librarian recruitment, marketing, partnering with local organizations, outreach services for firefighters, instructional outreach and many others. There is little repetition and even though the book is only just over 200 pages, it is heavy with guidance and suggestions.

This is a “how we did it” book and it works for this topic. We are a profession of doers that love to build on the experiences of others. Each chapter is pragmatic and through the authors’ explanations provides insights and lessons learned from the variety of implementations discussed. The reader can create a new service using the experience and advice provided by this book, and so avoid many potential obstacles. There are just too many take‐aways to mention from this book. This is a must read for any library wishing to improve or start an outreach service. The contributors have been there and they have provided valuable advice that should not be overlooked. The editors have done a fantastic job pulling together this very useful outreach resource. Well done!