Ellen Miller Group

Publications

Reviews

About The Library Board Strategic Guide:

1. ". . . required reading for all library board members, library directors and local administrators who oversee public library operations." — Booklist

". . . In all of my 35 years involved in the library world, this book is the best I've ever read on the 'How To's' for all boards. The book is a road map to help navigate the highways and byways of the boards' reason for being." — Lil Edelmann, New Hampshire library trustee

". . . [It] lives up to its billing. It is practical, useful, full of the observations and advice that come only from experience thoughtfully considered. But its highest and best use is the focus on the mission of the library and the role of the trustees. No trustee's library is complete without it." — Crosby Kemper III, chief executive, Kansas City Public Library

"I liked the realism of this book as soon as I opened to the Table of Contents and saw the title of the first chapter: 'Strategic Plans: Dust Catchers or Power Tools for your Marketing Plan?' I think it'a a good sign when a book starts out honest.

"And Blueprint for Your Library Marketing Plan does just that. It starts by defining a strategic plan, differentiating it from a marketing plan and describing the relationship between the two. [Ellen Miller] points out, rightly so, that, 'Unlike the chicken and the egg, we know that a strategic plan comes first. Your strategic plan identified ends, whereas its companion marketing plan deals with means.'

"Overall, I think that Blueprint for Your Library Marketing Plan is a well-thought-out, logical guide that really can 'help you survive and thrive,' just as the subtitle promises. If you are unsure of what steps to take on your marketing journey or what order to take them in, jump into this book and go along for the ride."

— from a review by Kathy Dempsey, MLS, January/February 2007

One sign of Ellen Miller Group's experience in the library field is its publications .

Publications


Books and Articles


  • "Effective Governance for Rural Libraries" by Patricia H. Fisher, Ellen G. Miller and James Connor on WebJunction
  • Ellen G. Miller, "Statewide Trustee Education Starts Fast in Kansas," The Voice, Association for Library Trustees and Advocates, Winter 2008.
  • Library Board Strategic Guide: Going to the Next Level by Ellen G. Miller and Patricia H. Fisher (Scarecrow Press) — a strategic guide to help library board leaders handle important issues such as managing risk, local values vs. first amendment rights, leadership that's capable of achieving the library's vision, getting and growing diverse funding sources and becoming part of the community leadership team.
  • "Local values, the First Amendment and challenges," by Ellen G. Miller and Patricia Fisher. Texas Library Journal, Winter 2006.
  • "Getting on your community's leadership team," by Ellen G. Miller and Patricia Fisher. Georgia Library Quarterly, Spring 2007.
  • "Strategic plans: Dust catchers or power tools for your marketing plan?" chapter 1 of Blueprint for Your Library Marketing Plan, by Patricia H. Fisher and Marseille Pride (ALA Editions, 2006).
  • Water Board Bible Series —

    Beginning in 1993, with the original Water Board Bible, this series of books — coauthored by Ellen Miller and Elmer Ronnebaum of the Kansas Rural Water Association — have become indispensible tools for water system managers and board members nationwide.

    The Water Board Bible series has sold more than 40,000 copies nationally.