News

  • Partner with indie authors to share diverse stories

    Despite efforts to increase representation in publishing, the industry remains predominantly white. Authors of color often face a range of challenges, including difficulty finding literary agents, limited access to publishing opportunities, and insuf...

  • I Partner with my Public Library Award

    Do you work at a public library? Has a community partner made a difference by collaborating with you?

  • Singing the unsung heroes who make libraries successful

    Community partnerships play an important role in creating successful libraries, and Berks County Public Library is no exception. Each year, the library honors individuals and groups in the community who demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation,...

  • Co-creating library services through human-centered design

    Much of the work of co-creation happens before you start to plan a concrete service or program. It’s worth spending the time up front to establish authentic, asset-based relationships and craft a scope that aligns with both community aspirations and ...

  • Hopkinton Public Library unites community in library planning

    At Hopkinton Public Library in Iowa, community engagement is thriving. And the secret to this success is including community members in in the planning, from beginning to end. From an annual haunted house to community bake-offs, the library incorpora...

  • Align library services with community aspirations

    The most successful library services are often those that help the community meet its aspirations while also honoring the unique purpose of the library. But balancing the community’s goals and the library’s scope is not always an easy task.

  • Together we heal

    Like many small-town libraries, Jarrell Community Library is an important place for connection. And through a recent Libraries for Heath grant, the library is offering new kinds of connections—to peer mental health specialists and an array of resourc...

  • Easy as ABCD: Using asset-based community development as a lens for authentic relationship-building

    Building relationships with systematically excluded communities is one of the most important things your library can do to support relevant, meaningful services. Co-creation can help librarians embody our EDISJ (equity, diversity, inclusion, and soci...

  • Centering Community VOICE

    Are you looking to deepen or expand your library’s outreach services for children and families from underserved communities, or would you like to build your library’s outreach efforts but don’t know where to begin? Have you been looking for ways to i...

  • Stronger Together: Collective Impact and Climate Action

    Climate change is the grandest challenge of our generation. This requires a level of collaboration that has not been seen before.