Children’s librarians do a lot of outreach. A lot! But are you embedded within your community? Embedded librarians are actively connected to community organizations. Instead of being “in front” of the table, you now become “part of” the table. Are you infiltrating your community organizations or have you thought about making connections in this way? Do you sit on the Chamber of Commerce board, the City Council, or the United Way? By being part of these groups, librarians can endear themselves to their communities by offering insight, helping with reference type questions, or providing a new solution to a community problem.
Some ideas that came from the brainstorming part of this session included: Going to the local farmer’s market, or be part of the organizing of the farmer’s market; become friendly with your local Tribal Council (if applicable); join your workforce investment board; chamber of commerce; school board or PTO; or even church boards. Don’t forget for-profit companies – they often have boards for community outreach or literacy programs.
So go ahead – blur the lines of traditional library boundaries and become a new model for non-passive librarianship!