Building Community Relationships for Better Library Services

Format: Webinar, original date October 23, 2023
Hosted by: WebJunction
Length: 1 hour

Many libraries are increasingly focused on planning library services collaboratively with their communities. Connected Learning, Participatory Design, and Community Led-Libraries are becoming standard practice, but to successfully embark on that work, the first (and ongoing!) thing library staff need to do is build robust and meaningful connections within their communities. In this session, we explore strategies for finding community partners and building relationships with them with the goal of truly working in collaboration with people they serve. We discuss strategies for small rural libraries up through large urban systems. You'll hear from library staff who have successfully started doing this work in their own communities with partners who serve all ages. You'll also learn about the importance of this work and why it needs to be supported by administrators and supervisors.

Presented by: Sara White, Stephanie Zero, Elissa Burnley, and Rachel Beckman