The Art of Communication: A Librarian’s Guide for Successful Leadership, Collaboration, and Advocacy

Librarians will learn communication skills that help them develop as leaders, build community, and advocate for their libraries.

Librarians understand the importance of making the value of the library known to stakeholders. In this informative and conversational book, Hilda K. Weisburg gradually builds librarians’ communication skills, which are intrinsic to the success of library programs and services. Being able to effectively communicate as a sender and receiver of messages is a vital leadership skill, and librarians must master all the multi-faceted ways people exchange information in order to grow as leaders.

Throughout the book, librarians will learn communication basics and the obstacles that interfere with successful communication. The chapters in part one detail the three components of communication; part two prepares librarians to cope with difficult communications; and part three gives librarians further techniques to ensure their messages are cohesive and strategic as they reach out to stakeholders.

The book’s goal is for librarians to feel confident about using their newly learned communication skills for advocacy. As their value to the library community grows, they will be able to strategically use the relationships their communications have built to create positive change.

Learn to communicate strategically and use communication to advance the library program

Understand leadership both as a job necessity and as a tool

Connect with timely topics, such as anti-racist communication and unintentional racism

Discover how librarians may have inadvertently muddled their messages and how to ensure they come through loud and clear

Learn to recognize the role of emotions in communication and how to manage them as a sender and a receiver