During some recent discussions to restructure the ALSC committees, it was decided that the ALSC Building Partnerships committee would end after ALA Annual 2020. The hope is that partnerships can be worked into all of the different committee work that ALSC does, rather than have a separate committee for this charge.
Category: Blogger Building Partnerships committee
Building Partnerships from Worry and Good Will
This is not the blog post I imagined writing when I signed up to do it months ago. And I am pretty confident in assuming that your work lives and professional aspirations are also significantly altered. In addition to trying to stay healthy or recovering from this deadly virus, many of us are furloughed, nervous about our next paycheck or capacity to work, or embarking on work we never imagined would be part of our day. It also may not seem like the time for developing partnerships. Or reading a blog post about developing partnerships. However, as we rebuild and recreate how we serve our communities, while also trying to remember what day of the week it is, other organizations and entities are also in the process of reimagining how they can start back up. And none of us has enough resources to cover all of the needs. Now more…
Building Public and School Library Partnerships During Covid-19
Working through the Pandemic has forced all of us to reevaluate, alter, and adjust to new ways of working. With so many uncertainties, and lack of information, it has also stagnated some of the decisions in how to move forward. As many states have closed schools for the remainder of the school year, both school and public libraries need to strategize ways they can best serve displaced students. Cultivating and deepening partnerships between the two is essential, now so more than ever. As many vital teacher librarian jobs have been reduced and deprioritized in systems all across the country over the last few years, public library staff need to recognize the vulnerable positions that teacher librarians are in, and the potential of one’s teacher librarian job outsourced is upsetting. Public libraries need to find ways to support school libraries and staff, and to share resources, so that we can all…
Library Partnerships in a Time of Crisis
Every month the ALSC Building Partnerships committee is responsible for writing a blog post, normally it highlights a successful program or event that was made possible through a partnership with an outside organization. In light of recent COVID-19 related events, in which many of the libraries across the country have been forced to cancel programs and close our doors to the public for the foreseeable future, I thought it might be timely to follow up on Cecilia McGowan’s earlier post about how we are responding in our communities— specifically as it relates to some of our partner organizations and institutions. As youth librarians, our most important partners are our schools and educators— which these days also includes many parents who have been thrown into homeschooling for the first time. In my library system, our youth services staff have already been busily trying to figure out ways that we can help…
Your Library and Junior Achievement
Baltimore County Public Library partnered with our local Junior Achievement thanks in part to a grant from the Maryland State Library. This grant supports Junior Achievement’s Biztown program, which is an interactive space where 5th graders from Central Maryland go for a day to learn the ins and outs of how to be a part of the economy of a town. There, the students take on a role in Biztown as anything from the CEO or CFO of a company, to the Mayor of Biztown, or to the Library Director. Staff at Baltimore County Public Library helped design the Biztown Library and develop the role of the Library Director, as well as provided volunteers to help staff it. In addition to partnering Junior Achievement’s Biztown, the library participated in Junior Achievement’s Inspire Career Fair. Staff from the library demonstrated what it is like to work in a 21st century library with…
A Partnership Every Kid Can Rely On: Schools and Public Libraries!
It’s been a tough time to be a school-aged kid. School libraries are losing their librarians at an astounding rate, and schools with libraries don’t always have the time to utilize their resources. Public librarians can support kids and school libraries by stepping in to help: class visits and outreach into the schools lets kids and teachers know we are here and available, and by working with teachers and school librarians, we can offer kids an expanded selection of books and topics. A lot of time is spent trying to find the right person to talk to in each school. If the school doesn’t have a dedicated librarian, look for other partners. Some schools have a community coordinator or a parent coordinator to work on relationships between the community at large and the school community. Some schools have class trip organizers for each grade. Once you find a person or…
One Book, One San Diego
For the past dozen years, KPBS, the local San Diego PBS affiliate, in conjunction with the San Diego Public Library, the San Diego County Library, and other community partners has sponsored the popular community reading program One Book, One San Diego. In the past several years, the program has expanded to include books for teens, for kids, and a Spanish language title for adults on both sides of the border. This past year, after meeting several times, the selection committee for kids and teens chose Dreamers by Yuyi Morales and The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, respectively. It didn’t hurt that both titles were also available in Spanish language editions. The latter was also available as a graphic novel; each previous teen book choice had been a graphic novel, so that allowed the streak to continue, in a manner of speaking. All choices were announced at the second annual Festival of…
Partnering to Expand Inclusiveness in Your Collection: Girls of the Crescent
When putting together a library collection many librarians strive to collect a variety of materials full of the latest and greatest books. In a youth collection this also means collecting books to suit all reading levels and building an inclusive collection that is reflective of everyone in the library community. Building an inclusive collection of materials is important in all library collections, but it is especially important in a youth collection because a child who does not see themselves in the world of literature may be discouraged enough not to read. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find inclusive books and that’s when it’s helpful to build a partnership that will improve your collection. Rochester Hills Public Library was approached by two high school Muslim girls named Mena and Zena Nasiri, who were always avid readers, but grew up longing to see themselves in literature. They decided to make…