Whether in person or electronically, users come to the public library from outside the library realm. And that’s exactly where genuinely transformational ideas lie. In this book Doucett mines new territory by exploring how successful organizations ""outside the stacks"" conduct their business. By analyzing what several private-sector organizations and their leaders are doing outstandingly well, she quickly hones in on transformational concepts that are ready for application in public libraries, offering more than a hundred innovative ideas that can be put into practice to improve customer service and day-to-day library operations. Canvassing the worlds of advertising, online commerce, fundraising, retailing, and more, Doucett profiles such successful professionals as

Margaret Atwell, Kickstarter
Chris Wilson, L.L. Bean
Brian Kevin and Ginny Wright, Down East Magazine
Kate Chaney Chappell, Tom's of Maine
Walter Briggs, Briggs Advertising


An exciting survey of creativity in action, Doucett's book will encourage public library directors, managers, trustees, and staff to cross-pollinate their own expertise with innovative ideas from outside the stacks.