Acknowledgements

As with anything in life, nothing is a solo endeavor, and this book is no different, so I must acknowledge and thank all the people who made this work possible.

First, I must start with my family. Thanks to Kim, Skylar, Parker and Lainey. During a stressful year when we welcomed Lainey into our lives, you put up with me working on this book. Your support made this possible.

I want to send a very special thank you to the people who read my manuscript as it was in process. I especially want to thank Marea Kahn who read the first drafts of each chapter and gave me very valuable input and direction. Your input was instrumental in shaping this text.

Back in 2003, I had never heard of a blog until Jenny Levine (@shifted) introduced me to them. Then she hosted our first blogs for us. The very talented Larry Sloma led our implementation, and Michael Stephens showed us how blogs can connect people. Jenny, Michael and Larry helped our library move into social media before we understood it. Thanks!

I want to thank Carolyn, Vandella, Larry, Emily, Lori and Julie, all of whom were in my cohort from the 2004 SYNERGY: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative. They helped me to understand my career path and ultimately to recommit to community college libraries. This led to my PhD and some of the foundational research that became this book. Professional and personal development is a team sport, and I have had a great team.

Finally, thanks to all of you who believe that libraries are more than books, articles and quiet spaces. We know that libraries are powerful and transformative organizations. Our challenge is to demonstrate our value and change our world. It is my hope that this text is a small step in the right direction.