So you’ve inherited an academic library: promotion through physical space

A new academic library director inherits the library building, its infrastructure, its people, and its previous reputation and role within its parent institution. From an academic library administrative perspective, the power to change or enhance all these things may also be inherited. This chapter examines the particular challenges to the new director as well as the construction of the academic library, both literally and figuratively, in respect to concepts of proactive marketing. The new library director needs to create anticipatory planning that will effect real change – not merely restructuring for the sake of restructuring. This chapter therefore includes examples of successful methods of promoting physical space.