Unintentional Librarian by Nathan Hansen

Author:Nathan Hansen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scipionic Circle LLC
Published: 2021-07-27T22:37:59+00:00

Chapter Six

Community Connection

Connecting to the community happens in one-on-one interactions at a public library every day. However, those aren’t the connections that this chapter is going to focus on (if you’re looking for information on those see the chapter on Service and Patrons). This chapter is going to be about connecting with other community organizations.

The long-term success of a public library rests on those who work for the library not only connecting to individual patrons but also connecting with other key organizations in the community. Connecting with the local schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, United Way, Rotary organizations, Chamber of Commerce, government organizations, and many other groups that exist in the community will bolster the institution’s ability to have the greatest impact on their patrons. Many of these organizations have the overall health and vibrancy of the community as one of their primary concerns—that aligns directly with many public libraries’ objectives.

Because many organizations’ objectives align so closely with the goals of public libraries, some unique and mutually beneficial partnerships can be formed. Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce can help the library show entrepreneurs how libraries can help businesses. In return, those entrepreneurs have expertise in areas that may make great library programs. Those programs, ultimately, position that local business owner as a subject matter expert in our community, leading to more business for them. It becomes a cycle that benefits the community, and you, as a library employee, can feel good about helping a local business owner find a new audience.

I have personally partnered with the Small Business Development Center, two historical societies, a local finance blogger, an employment agency, a freelance education advisor, a league of local authors, a local publisher, human resource managers from businesses all over town, the Chamber of Commerce, local banks, the English club at the local community college, and so many other groups, always with success. Many of my contacts were formed before I came to work at the library, but not all of them. So, if you don’t have a big pile of people you can call on from groups all over town who you’ve formed relationships with already, how do you start?

Call them up and introduce yourself, say you work for the library and see what happens. Many times people are enamored with the seemingly novel idea of speaking to someone who works for the library and it acts as a great icebreaker. Recently, I had a dental hygienist so taken with the fact I worked at a library that she had to tell me what her favorite books were and why while I was sitting immobile in the chair getting my routine cleaning. The best part of that was seeing her passion for books and not having to admit that I do not, in fact, cannot, list my favorite books without being directed into a narrower criterion. Let them know you are from the library and you are looking to form a relationship with their organization. Most often they get excited about the prospect.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.