My first draft of this review commenced with a comment to the effect that Beyond book sales was aimed primarily at the North American market, where library trusts and philanthropy were more prevalent. That was before I heard Australia's Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, telling representatives from Australian universities not to look to Canberra for additional funding but to concentrate on alumni and philanthropists to fund programmes and research. So, as soon as someone connects the dots, libraries will undoubtedly receive the same advice. Then we will need Beyond book sales.
Susan Dowd begins by pointing out that functionally illiterate people (a shockingly high proportion of our population) are twice as likely to end up in prison than readers, thereby contributing to the massive expenditure in maintaining the justice system. This is a helpful argument to persuade funding bodies to contribute to expenditure on libraries rather than prisons, Dowd reminds us. She goes on to guide the reader step-by-step through the process of assessing the library's strengths and challenges, developing a fundraising strategy, building an effective fundraising team, identifying fundraising partners and forging relationships that will benefit both the library and its funders. She adds practical tools for a variety of fundraising activities, including annual events, memorial or tribute gifts, business sponsorships, applications for grants from corporations or foundations, online fundraising and even capital raising for building projects. Each strategy can be applied on a small or a grand scale depending on the size and needs of the individual library, and it is up to readers to determine where their libraries fit on the continuum.
Beyond book sales does indeed go beyond traditional fundraising, particularly for Australasian libraries. An added bonus is the appended 60-page fundraising toolkit, which includes templates for everything from establishing a library foundation and applying for grant money to more traditional social events, including author visits and (yes) book sales. A second appendix is a gallery of stationery ideas for flyers, posters, bookplates, bookmarks, invitations and the like. The book is clearly laid out, easy to read and comprehensively indexed.
The strategy of sitting back and hoping that library finances will improve in the future has gone the way of the card catalogue. The foreseeable future for libraries in Australasia and elsewhere is one of permanent fiscal challenge, requiring strong advocacy and the building of strong community relations for effective and innovative libraries. This book should be the first resource for all librarians and library staff willing to take up the challenge and go beyond book sales.