McCRACKEN, Linda D. 1950-

PERSONAL: Born February 6, 1950, in Yakima, WA; daughter of Clifford (a mechanic) and Clara June (a fruit industry worker; maiden name, Townsend) Huebner; married Coy McCracken, March 11, 1974. Ethnicity: "White." Education: Attended Oregon State University, 1968-71; Central Washington University, B.S., 1974. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, camping, travel.

ADDRESSES: Home—102 North 53rd Ave., Yakima, WA 98908. Office—Yakima Valley Regional Library, 102 North Third St., Yakima, WA 98901. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Yakima Valley Regional Library, Yakima, WA, library assistant, 1974-81, supervisor in reserve department, 1981-91, adult services manager, 1991—. Yakima Literacy Coalition, president, 2000-02.

MEMBER: American Library Association, Public Library Association, Pacific Northwest Library Association, Washington Library Association.

WRITINGS:

(With Lynne Zeiher) The Library Book Cart Precision Drill Team Manual, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2002.

Contributor to library journals.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on the coalition-building process, and on team-building and marketing library services to the community.

SIDELIGHTS: Linda D. McCracken told CA: "As funding became more critical for our library, we began to look for new ways to promote our services to our communities. Forming a book cart drill team was an inexpensive, fun way for us to do that. One small article in an administrative journal led to a longer article in the U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian, which caught the eye of Robert Franklin at McFarland & Co. Publishing. He proposed a book and I began writing. As I wrote, I tried to keep in mind the audience that I was writing for, and the fact that we wanted the tone of the book to be casual and upbeat. That helped to focus and select the information that would be included. I have always dreamed of writing mysteries but have never really attempted it. To have a nonfiction book actually published was beyond my expectations. Despite the fact that I found writing to be hard work, I may now be inspired to take a chance with a mystery."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Libraries, February, 2002, Cathleen Bourdon, review of The Library Book Cart Precision Drill Team Manual, p. 64.

Booklist, March 1, 2002, Patricia Hogan, review of The Library Book Cart Precision Drill Team Manual, p. 1177.