Expect More: Demanding Better Libraries For Today’s Complex World

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Libraries have existed for millennia, but today many question their necessity. In an ever more digital and connected world do we still need places of books in our towns, colleges, or schools? If libraries aren’t about books, what are they about? In Expect More, David Lankes, winner of the 2012 ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Award for the Best Book in Library Literature, walks you through what to expect out of your library. Lankes argues that communities need libraries that go beyond bricks and mortar and beyond books. We need to expect more out of our libraries. They should be places of learning and advocates for our communities in terms of learning, privacy, intellectual property, and economic development. Expect More is a rallying call to communities to raise the bar, and their expectations, for great libraries.


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Collaboratory Members

Expect More is made possible with the generous support of the following organizations

Lead Library Partners

  • Cuyahoga County Public Library (Ohio)
  • The Northeast Kansas Library System
  • RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System)

Library Partners

  • New York State Library
  • ILEAD USA
  • Maine State Library
  • Topeka Public Library (Kansas)
  • Chattanooga Public Library (Tennessee)
  • Fairfield Public Library (Connecticut)
  • Enoch Pratt Free Library (Maryland)
  • F. Franklin Moon Memorial Library, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
  • The Califa Library Group
  • Fayetteville Free Library (New York)
  • State Library of Pennsylvania
  • Toronto Public Library
  • California Library Association

Commercial Partners

  • Tech Logic

Education Partner

  • Syracuse University iSchool

Translations


Using Expect More Videos:

The following videos deconstruct the Expect More text and talk about using the text within a larger conversation about libraries and library service.

1. The Arab Spring: Expect the Exceptional

Chapter 2: The Argument for Better Libraries: Expect Impact

Chapter 3: The Mission of Libraries: Expect More Than Books

Chapter 4: Facilitating Knowledge Creation: Expect to Create

Chapter 5: Improve Society: Expect Grander

Chapter 6: Communities: Expect a Platform

Chapter 7: Librarians: Expect Brilliance

Chapter 8: Action Plan: Expect More