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CHAPTER ONE Taking Stock of Your Library Stefanie Buck Introduction When you work with online or distance patrons, you may fi nd that you are full of ideas about how to serve them, but before you dive in and start creat- ing online tutorials and services, it is best to take a step back and take stock of the situation. Taking stock means getting to know what resources are available to you, understanding policies and procedures, identifying what services are available to online learners, and knowing who your partners are. In this chapter, we will look at some of the questions you should ask in order to gain a better understanding of your situation. We will look at partners and stakeholders, tools and technology, collections, and policies. Some of these topics, such as conducting a needs assessment of your population, will be covered in more depth in later chapters. Because each situation is different, this chapter is made up in large part of questions to ask so that you have a good understanding of your environment. The answers to these questions will help you develop your plan for what you want to accomplish. While there may be few librarians in your organization who focus on online patrons, chances are there are other librarians in your state or region who would be willing to share what has and has not worked for them. One good place to begin is by reading about the experiences of oth- ers. Some of their situations may provide guidance for your work. A few articles listed in the References to help you get started include Cannady, Fagerheim, Williams, and Steiner’s Diving into Distance Learning Librarian- ship: Tips and Advice for New and Seasoned Professionals (2013) Corbett and Brown’s The Roles That Librarians and Libraries Play in Distance Education Settings (2015) Holloway’s Outreach to Distance Students: A Case Study of a New Distance Librarian (2011) Huwiler’s Library Services for Distance