Strong Community Connections

Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL) in Ithaca, New York, has numerous and diverse partnerships through out the community.  In a video produced by TCPL, in June of 2012,  The Strength of Community Connections at Tompkins County Public Library, Susan Currie, Director  of TCPL,  boost that, "Everywhere I look our community through out the entire county is connected. And we want the library to be a resource for our entire community."

TCPL highlights eight partnerships that are benefiting the community:

1.  Family Reading Partnerships- The library gives all newborns a copy of Lola at the Library and an invitation to apply for a library card for their new baby.
2. Kids Discovery the Rail- Promotes early childhood literacy through a partnership with the local school district.
3. Academic Partnerships-  Sharing resources and expertise with a local community college and university.
4. Greater Ithaca Activities Center- Placement of youth volunteers at the library.
5. Lifelong Center- Provide tax services to seniors and people with low income.
6. MLK Community Build- Provide location for panel discussions.
7. Challenge Workforce Solutions - Placement for youth and adult volunteers to gain work experience.
8. Ithaca City Asylum- Provide exhibit and event space.

All of these partnerships service a specific purpose which meets a need for the community.   Please watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dGmAkWkcmE, for a detailed view of how each of these partnerships strength the community. 

All information was gathered form the video, The Strength of Community Connections Tompkins Public Library at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dGmAkWkcmE.

Defining Partnerships

Williamsburg Regional Library(WRL) in Virginia has adopted a unique way of  describing the various levels of partnerships between the library and community organizations.  WRL's usage of dating terms to describe the levels of partnerships is quite cleaver and detailed. This information may be useful to a library trying to expand or begin community partnerships.

 Instead of trying to reword this information i have listed it exactly as it appears at http://www.wrl.org/about-us/community-partnership-program:

PARTNERING IS A STRATEGIC TOOL:
Williamsburg Regional Library collaborations with community partners strengthen the library's ability to fulfill its mission and helps the library  meet the needs of all members of the community.  The library's partnerships

•  flow out of the library's mission and vision
•  are a library-wide strategy
•  are centrally coordinated
•  are a formal process

DEFINITION OF A PARTNERSHIP: Libraries have collaborative relationships with many community entities. To acknowledge the importance of all library-community relationships, but to differentiate between the levels of library-partner involvement, the Williamsburg Regional Library has defined the term "partnership" to include four types of relationships: glances, dates, engagements, and marriages.
GLANCE: any overture or contact between the library and a community group.
DATE: an agreement between the library and a community partner to accomplish a specific short-term activity or commitment.
ENGAGEMENT: an agreement between the library and a community partner to work together toward a marriage after an initial experimental phase. Engagements are temporal: they either evolve into a marriage, dissolve, or downsize to a date.
MARRIAGE: a formal agreement between the library and a community partner with compatible goals, to share the work, share the risk, and share the results or proceeds. The library and the community partner jointly invest in resources, experience mutual benefits, and share risk, responsibility, authority, and accountability. Marriages are formed for the long-term benefit to the partners.
POTENTIAL PARTNERS:
*Businesses
*Civic Groups
*Nonprofit organizations - local, state, national
*Schools and colleges
*Libraries
*Government agencies - local, state, federal
REASONS TO USE THE PARTNERSHIP TOOL:
*Reach new library users
*Reach current library patrons in a new way
*Tap into community assets and strengths
*Gain support for library resources/programs
*Gain valuable feedback
*Create new library resources

From Partnering with Purpose (Libraries Unlimited, 2004)
For more information about the library's partnership program, please contact
Janet Crowther, Outreach Services Division,  jcrowthe@wrl.org, 757.259.4066

For more information about Williamsburg Regional Library visit http://www.wrl.org/about-us/community-partnership-program.

Living History Cemetery Tours

I remember when I was younger my mom took my siblings and me to one of the local cemeteries.  When we got there, my old kindergarten teacher was at the gate dresses in a Civil War era dress greeting everyone who walked in (she was very interested in Abe Lincoln and after she retired she would visit area schools and the local historical society and teach about him).

Scattered throughout one or two of the older sections of the cemetery were men dressed as Civil War soldiers who would give an account of actual veterans buried there.  They told about their lives and the battles they saw and what happened to them after the war (if they survived, that is).  Now, about fifteen years later, don't remember exact details about their lives but I remember realizing that the Civil War was an actual event that involved real people who lived in my town.  They were buried right there.  I was already interested in the Civil War because of my kindergarten teacher but I remember that as one of the moments that solidified my interest in history, specifically  military history.

Similar living history cemetery tours are not uncommon.  A simple Google search brings up events from all over the country.  Some are held around Halloween. Some are summer events.  Some specifically feature a certain era or event like the Civil War.  Others may tell stories about individuals linked to a local famous (or infamous) person.

Libraries and local archives typically contain a wealth of knowledge about the history of the city where they are located.  Even a collection of newspapers can shed light on past events and people.  Librarians and archivists can partner with a local historical society or community theater to host a cemetery tour and call for volunteers.  It could also be advantageous to partner with a local school - either high school or college.  The students could research individuals buried in the cemetery and then compose a brief biography to memorize and portray.  The event would have its volunteers while teaching students about how to use a library and/or an archive to research.  The students or other volunteers can then share what they learned with their friends and families.

This kind of an event also teaches people about the place where they live and can encourage the community to invest in it.  Cool things have happened everywhere but not everyone knows about them!

Partnerships between Libraries and College Organizations

Jefferson County Public Libraries believes that "community partnerships strengthen libraries". Phi Gamma Delta  Fraternity members from Colorado School of Mines volunteer at Golden Library providing free tutoring in all subjects. This partnership was formed when the engineering fraternity contacted the library seeking a service project opportunity for the organization. This partnership provides an opportunity for the fraternity members to be of service to the community by sharing knowledge with students. The library serves as a safe location for this to take place, as well as being able to add tutoring services to their programs at no cost to the library.

Jefferson County library produced a video called Community Partnerships Strengthen Libraries. View video below. All information was gather from this video.

Literacy Grants for Rural Libraries

The Children's Literacy Foundation has provided grants for rural public libraries in Vermont and New Hampshire to purchase children's books for their libraries, as well as storytelling presentations for local preschools and elementary schools in those towns.  

Through their Rural Libraries program, CLiF provides resources to rural libraries (located in a town of 5,000 residents or fewer) to encourage literacy.  Each library that is approved for the sponsorship receives the following:

• $2,000 in new, high-quality children’s books for the public library (selected by public librarian)

• 25 new books for the school library (selected by school librarian)

• A total of four storytelling presentations at the elementary school and childcare centers

• Brand-new books for all participating children from birth through grade six 

(Children's Literacy Foundation, 2014)

This sponsorship allows rural public libraries and school librarians to purchase materials they may not have been able to afford otherwise.  Providing children with new materials is a great way to spark or encourage an interest in reading.  The storytelling presentations are another way to engage students and build literacy skills.  

While this particular program is only available in Vermont and New Hampshire, similar programs and grants to encourage literacy exist, and they are just a small example of the many resources that are available to libraries willing to do a little research.

Children's Literacy Foundation. (2014). Rural libraries sponsorship webpage. Retrieved from http://clifonline.org/literacy-programs/rural-libraries/

Art at the Library: The Gratiot Quilt Trail Project

I always enjoy seeing art in libraries, especially art produced from local artists.  Art provides something additional to view in the library, has the capacity to draw in people who may not typically visit the library for other reasons, and gives local artists a chance to showcase their work to a broader audience.  My local library, the Ferndale Public Library in Ferndale, Michigan, displays art in several areas of the library.  

I was happy to see that the newly proposed Gratiot Quilt Trail Project intends to include quilt blocks in the county libraries.  "The purpose of the Gratiot Quilt Trail project is to promote tourism, the arts, the history of quilting, the history of our local farms and businesses and to better connect our rural areas and the towns of Gratiot County." (Sowle, J. 2014).  The quilt blocks will be designed and painted by local artists, with the intention of creating a quilt trail for people to follow throughout the area.  The blocks may be displayed on barns, businesses, and township halls as well as the libraries.

This is a great way for the libraries to partner with the community because it allows them to brighten up their space with local art, to be seen as a vital part of the community, and to perhaps attract additional patrons to the library.

Sowle, J. (2014, November 11). Quilt Trail Coming to Gratiot County. Morning Sun News. Retrieved
from http://www.themorningsun.com/general-news/20141111/quilt-trail-coming-to-gratiot-county