Serious library activists must help the library move beyond good to better and best. Good library experiences help to make dedicated library advocates, ready to raise their voices for libraries, recruit allies, influence decision-makers and contribute as volunteers and donors.

Responding to current and emerging community needs strengthens the library.

Serious library activists must attend to the quality of services provided by their libraries. They must inform themselves about library “benchmarks” and “standards” and help the library move beyond good to better and best.

Beyond the quality of services, each community requires specific programs that meet its needs. Whatever these may be, whether after-school programs for young people or presentations for entrepreneurs, they can be powerful vehicles for raising community consciousness about the library and reaching out to many sectors and constituencies.

They may, for example, open a dialogue with the corporate sector, enabling the library to invite local business leaders to help them introducing a visible new service to the community. Or they may prompt the library to touch groups that are underserved or unaware of all that the library has to offer. They may, additionally, provide the basis for partnerships and collaborations with local agencies. They may even provide the basis for working with a local community foundation or other philanthropic entity.

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