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Partnerships & collaboration

Photo of people working around a tabletop whiteboard.

When the library builds partnerships, it strengthens the ties to its community, shares resources, and builds positive relationships with diverse stakeholders. Reaching out to initiate community partnerships begins with identifying both traditional and non-traditional partners and exploring new ways to work together. Effective collaborations are sustained through a shared commitment to serving the ever-changing needs of the community.

Photo: jenlen, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Most Recently Added

Building Resilient Communities

Publish Date: News / 15 October 2024

The Building Resilient Communities Project aims to enhance the collaborative efforts between public libraries and community-based organizations in addressing the pressing challenges posed by climate change and its associated social and health impacts...

Data for Good

Publish Date: News / 8 October 2024

Businesses make use of data analytics to gain valuable insights about their services, customers, and growth opportunities. Similarly, libraries are well positioned to play a pivotal role in analyzing raw data to assist community partners in identifyi...

Case study: Teens build data skills at the Providence Public Library

Publish Date: News / 7 October 2024

The Providence Public Library (PPL), located in downtown Providence, is a one-site system that serves the approximately 179,000 city residents as well as those living across the state. PPL staff and leadership foster an innovative and risk-taking min...

Case study: Raising awareness of data analytics in Pottsboro, TX

Publish Date: News / 7 October 2024

Pottsboro, a rural community of just over 2,500 residents in north Texas, is part of an area of the state referred to as “Silicon Prairie.” Sherman, Texas, about 30 miles from Pottsboro is home to a new microchip factory which is expected to have an ...

Case study: It takes a team in DeKalb

Publish Date: News / 7 October 2024

The DeKalb County Library System serves the 764,382 people who live in DeKalb County, Georgia through 23 branch locations. Library staff describe the county as “extremely diverse,” with a majority Black population of 52.4%. English is the primary lan...

Tuzzy Consortium Library, Iḷisaġvik College

Publish Date: News / 24 September 2024

Crisis management and planning have become an increasing focus for the staff of libraries, archives, and museums. This illustrative example demonstrates how a remote Alaska library consortium balances connecting the community to information and resou...

Food for thought: Library kitchens and cooking programs

Publish Date: News / 10 September 2024

As community hubs, libraries can play an important role in promoting public health and wellness initiatives, including food and cooking literacy programs. But eating well involves more than just quality ingredients and culinary chops—joy, creativity,...

Local games and interactive stories to Engage Beyond Our Walls

Publish Date: News / 27 August 2024

Libraries are creating their own outdoor games and interactive stories featuring local history, landmarks, and voices. These playful activities, often made by library staff, include texting with a mural, an audio tour by a Black feminist historian, a...