Book excerpt: Effectively marketing libraries by persuasively communicating their relevance is key to ensuring their future. Speaking directly to those in senior leadership positions, Anderson lays out the structural and organizational changes needed to help libraries answer the relevance question and maximize their marketing and communications efforts. Focusing on big-picture strategies, she shares lessons learned from her 20+ year career in library marketing and communications. No matter what type or size of library you help to lead, by reading this book you will - gain insight into why libraries need to tell their stories more effectively than they are today; - be able to craft a strategic roadmap for marketing your library and communicating its value in a variety of ways that resonate with key audiences; - see why improvements to the structure of your marketing and communications team can lead to better results; - learn practical methods for incorporating audience research into your planning; - know how to remove customer barriers and discontinue practices that are thwarting your marketing efforts; - receive guidance on preparing for potential crises; - understand how to be more community-focused by forming and sustaining partnerships; and - feel confident in engaging with stakeholders so that they become your library's best ambassadors. This book will shake up your marketing and communications approach, helping you implement real changes for lasting results.