In big and small ways, collaboration is a way of life for many school and public libraries. From teen book festivals to maker space initiatives, school and public libraries are teaming up to bring new services and programs to their young adults. Below are stellar examples of librarians working together to meet the needs of their communities.
Are you collaborating with your school/public library counterpart? Tells us how in the comments section.
LitWorks: A teen book festival
Now in its sixth year, Litworks is a cooperative project between Eisenhower Public Library District (EPLD) and Ridgewood (IL) High School. The library brings in six authors (past years have included Jack Gantos, Jennifer E. Smith, Ann Angel, Marie Lu, Todd Strasser, Brent Crawford, Ron Koertge and a host of others) for an all-day celebration of books. The event is free for teens, five dollars for adults, and includes snacks and pizza. Attendees meet the authors in an open panel and then join one of three small 45-minute breakout sessions. The day concludes with a giant autograph party. The event is supported by the public and school library, the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, local banks and businesses, the Parents’ Club of Ridgewood, the Friends of the Library of Eisenhower, and area schools. EPLD also supports the school library by keeping the high school summer reading books as well as the Illinois High School Choice Award books.—Penny Blubaugh, Eisenhower Public Library, IL
Sharing collections and expanding services
The Ida Rupp Public Library in Port Clinton, OH works with the two school districts in its area: Port Clinton City and Danbury Local School Districts. The public library allows the schools to have a school library card to order interlibrary loan books for students and teachers and then delivers the orders. They send their children’s and young adult librarians to the districts each week to read stories to students, teach library skills, and work with the faculty by bringing reading and audio/video materials to supplement the curriculum. Lastly, and most amazingly, the Ida Rupp Library recognized the needs of its community and has plans to create a new branch library in the Danbury School District area to serve the population of this peninsula and a connected island on Lake Erie.—Lorrie Halblaub, Danbury School District
Supporting curriculum and enriching the student experience
From March 2014 through October 2014, Team FATE, three librarians from Evanston/Skokie (IL) School District 65 (Tracy Hubbard, Patricia Connolly, Kefira Philippe) and two librarians from the Evanston Public Library (Laura Antolin and Renee Neumeier) participated in ILEADUSA through the Illinois State Library. The project was designed to establish formal collaboration and communication between the two library communities, which share the same goals—to provide enriching experiences to students. Team FATE hoped to reach and engage more students and develop strategies that would involve students who are not typical library users.
As a result of this project, the Evanston Public Library has launched teacher checkout for over 300 staff members in Evanston/Skokie School District 65. Evanston Public Library staff has also provided professional development to the 15 librarians in Evanston/Skokie School District 65, and these librarians have begun incorporating maker spaces and projects into their curriculum. The team will continue to offer joint professional development, collaborate on projects and programming, and further investigate shared resources.—Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL
Are you collaborating with your school/public library counterpart? Tells us how in the comments section.
