Archived Event

Getting Out from Behind the Desk: A Case Study in Community Outreach

Date : Sep 22, 2004
Start Time : 12 p.m. Eastern
Length : 00:50:13

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Take time to participate in this critical Dynix Institute session that will cause you to think about your approach to library service.

Are you geared to be proactive or reactive? Does a desk schedule rule your institution? Are staff members trained and confident to leave the security of a desk behind, walk the floor of your institution and walk out the door armed with techniques and selling points to make them part of an indispensable service the community can't live without?

Curious? Register for this Dynix Institute Web seminar, scheduled for Wednesday, September 22.

Maxine Bleiweis ?Director, Westport Public Library

Maxine Bleiweis has been the Director of Westport Public Library (Westport, CT) since 1998. For more than 30 years, Maxine has been known for her innovative approach to building and running libraries. From her six years as Library Director in Suffield, CT, to her 18 years as Library Director in Newington, CT, through her current position in Westport, Maxine has been lauded for her ability to predict trends and determine ways to meet the latest ""customer"" needs on an almost up-to-the-minute basis.

Throughout her career, Maxine has brought a marketing orientation to the mission of librarianship and has used classic marketing principles as a hallmark of her efforts to keep libraries at the forefront of meeting community needs. One example was her early recognition of the importance of the public library in addressing the needs of the business community.

Maxine's success in targeting and specifically addressing the needs of business has been borne out by Westport Public Library's increased usage by business people during the six years since her arrival. She has shared much of her learning with other library professionals by writing a highly touted book entitled Helping Business: The Public Library's Role in Community Economic Development. Maxine also speaks frequently at conferences and in-service days throughout the United States.