Developing Effective Library Partnerships

Could your library do more if you had more money, more staff time and expanded marketing? Not surprisingly, you’re not alone. Organizations, businesses and projects all around your community could say the same. So, why not work together?

With funding and staffing shrinking for most organizations while demands for services grows, collaborating to reach shared goals just makes sense. This course will demonstrate how to identify, nurture and grow partnerships that will expand your impact and enhance your value.

YOU can become the person in your library who:

• Learns how to involve all library staff in building partnerships
• Understands how to identify, approach and engage just the right partners for each project
• Builds effective project management teams to successfully carry through on partner projects

Course Description: This four-week online course will provide readings and hands-on practice to help learners develop sustainable skills that will impact their libraries now and in the future. Through assignments and discussions, learners will share with each other challenges and resolutions to building community partnerships. Throughout the four-weeks, learners will be encouraged to apply the concepts they learn to their own library and community.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

• Week 1: Why Partnerships?
  • Convince team members and leadership that developing partnerships will move them closer to achieving their mission.
  • Examine successful collaborations and understand what went right.
  • Consider unsuccessful partnership attempts and understand what went wrong.
• Week 2: Impactful Projects
  • Analyze current community challenges.
  • Determine solutions to those challenges.
  • Identify at least one opportunity in which the library can facilitate a solution.
• Week 3: Connecting Shared Missions
  • Pinpoint potential community partners whose mission is parallel to that solution.
  • Consider how to tie project goals to the mission of the partner organization.
  • Solicit staff with existing relationships to partner to join in recruiting efforts.
  • Provide basic ambassador training to prepare all involved for success.
• Week 4: Connecting, Celebrating and Learning
  • Demonstrate effective and compelling communication skills that can engage and sustain strong partnerships.
  • Prepare an articulate and targeted communication to bring together partners.
  • Value defeat, as well as success, and be prepared to learn from both.

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2½ hours per week, for a total of ten course hours. Each week's module contains readings and various options for assignments, discussions, or online meetings. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone whose work or organizational mission could benefit by having additional support, revenue, personnel or marketing.

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at: infopeople.org/training/online_learning_details.

Learner Requirements: None

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

Keywords: Marketing and publicity, Outreach, Partnerships