This issue is full of interesting insights. There’s a complete case study of how one public librarian built a business-reference program from scratch. There’s an article on using AI tools in marketing. There’s an interview with a marketer from South Africa! Then there are two pieces of coverage about this summer’s ALA conference. Dive right in; the reading’s fine.

Examples to Emulate

Building the First Business Outreach Program at Wilmette Public Library
By John Amundsen
A library PR person who got an M.L.I.S., then an M.B.A., combined all of his knowledge to create the first outreach project to the business community in the Wilmette Public Library District in Illinois. John Amundsen built up the business reference resources and programs, then made a plan to tell the community about this useful collection, with the help of well-positioned partners. And he’s been able to prove the project’s success via growing usage statistics.

How-To

AI Tools to Help With Library Marketing
By Regina Burgess
AI seems to be playing behind-the-scenes roles in many fields, including ours. A brave early adopter, Regina Burgess, has toyed with many tools, and she shares her knowledge with MLS readers. Burgess explains how she’s used AI tools for generating textual and visual content, along with videos and music. She also covers editing text, brainstorming, and even marketing planning. Finally, she names her favorite tools so you can try them too.

Interviews With Marketing Masters

Schoeman’s Work in South Africa Mirrors the Wider World
By Judith Gibbons
For this issue, Judith Gibbons reaches across the ocean to connect with Theresa Schoeman in South Africa. Schoeman details her education and experience, which has informed the marketing she’s done in recent years at the Stellenbosch University (SU) Library and Information Service. Learning about the technologies and partnerships she employees shows us that no matter which hemisphere we’re in, our work is quite similar.

Special Report

ALA 2024 Hosts Sessions on Entrepreneurship, Outreach, and Social Media
By Brandi Scardilli
Brandi Scardilli, the seasoned editor of a related Information Today, Inc. publication, covered the ALA Annual Conference that took place in San Diego in June. She switched hats to attend sessions on outreach and promotion for MLS, providing a glimpse of the conference for those of us who couldn’t be there in person.

Special Report

ALA ’24 Awards and Accolades
To share some of the award excitement with people who didn’t attend ALA in San Diego this past June, Mark Aaron Polger agreed to provide their photographs for MLS subscribers. They covered the PR Xchange Event, the PR Xchange Awards ceremony, and the John Cotton Dana Award gala. See the happy winners on the back cover of this issue!