Partnerships that Work: Tikatok, Drop-in Science, and Community Learning Too

Wednesday May 6 2009 10:45-12:00pm

Boston Public Library (BPL) Director of Partnerships and Communications, (and 2009 Library Journal rising star), Koren Stembridge facilitated a panel to discuss the benefits of community partnerships and to highlight three from the BPL.  The BPL has over 100 different types of partnerships going on at any given time.  Most of these are neighborhood specific and can range from creating murals, to raised garden beds, to festivals.  This session focused more on system-wide partnerships.  But first....

Why partnerships?

• Partnerships double our ability to reach outside of our own institutions to those who can help us.
  
• As the technological landscape has become more participatory, it stands to reason that users now expect to participate more in our libraries.
• The tough economic climate provides an excellent opportunity for libraries to serve as a port in the economic storm by providing career support, increased programs for kids and stress relief.  The evidence so far supports this, as use at BPL is increasing.  Overall use has gone up 10% every month for the last year and card signup has increased by 33% in the last year.

Before entering into a partnership, your institution should ask the "Five W's" (who-what-where-when-why),  Some of these questions may include:

Why

• Does it add value to your institution? 
• Does the partnership fill a need?

What

• Programs
• Services
• Giveaways
• Fundraisers 

Who

• Schools
• City departments
• Individuals
  
• Vendors.  Yes even vendors.

When

• Timing is everything.  Partnerships have an ideal time.  Strategize for the maximum impact

Where

• Onsite vs offsite?  Benefits to both.

Whatever you decide to do, think outside the box.  However don't work outside the capacity of your organization.  Don't partner with orgs that don't support the core values of your library.  Use a partnership checklist.  (available at the back).  Be hands-on.

The following examples work for the BPL, but could easily scaled back for a smaller institution.

Tikatok Books

Tikatok Books is a primarily web-based 2.0 community where kids can write, illustrate, share and publish their own high quality hard, softcover or digital "print on demand" books. Tikatok works with BPL and other libraries to create a flexible online and offline program to help kids write books.  A couple weeks later, the kids have the books in their hands!  

Libraries are perfect environments for bookmaking activity, as they provide an environment where childrens librarians are enthusiastic and highly skilled at stimulating cretivity and patrons are education-focused.  

Drop-in Science

Beverly Nadeau, Boston public schools science elementary science specialist, gave an overview of how Drop-in Science works. Drop-in Science is a grant-funded program that provides easy-to-create youth explorations in science kits. These kits provide materials to create objects that educate students about scientific concepts.  Objects such as a mini-catapult, a thumb piano, or a mini-wind turbine.  The lessons associated with the kits fit into the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks as well as MCAS tests. After the lesson, the kids get to keep the item.  Lessons revolve around Physical Science (Chemistry and Physics) for grades 3-5.  The best part is that each kit comes with a manual designed for a non-science person.  So anyone can learn.

Melisa Baily, from the BPL talked about how successful the program has become.  Students at BPL, which has a large percentage of Latino and African-American students has been a huge success.  Instructions included to use when assembling kits with kids.  Having helpers is good as well.  Pairing little kids with older people helps as well.

Benefits: A whole different group of kids are coming in to work with the kids.  Word of mouth is positive.  Appeals to boys.  Not in school, which appeals.  Kids love being able to take the projects home and share with family and friends.

Countdown to Kindergarten

Krystal Beaulieu spoke about the Countdown to Kindergarten program whose mission is to enhance early learning opportunities for pre-k kids.  The program was started 10 years ago to ease the transition to kindergarten from pre-school, home, or wherever.  The program benefits kids and parents by explaining the process of choosing a kindergarten and how to prepare for kindergarten. 

The program includes:

• Workshop for spanish speaking families.
• Info to parents to help in choosing a school.
• Working with the Boston Children's Museum on a Countdown to kindergarden night.  Such a sucess that it was turned into a permanent group.  
• Transition activities such as

• Talk, Read Play: A guide to help parents work with their kids to reach developmental milestones.  
• Play to Learn: Free facilitated, structured play times.

The whole process takes place over the course of a year.  CTK works with libraries to have kindergarden days. Teachers from neighborhood schools come to the events.  Programming includes pennant making, face-painting, physical activities, and a parade to a local business.  Kids can also sign up for library cards at the library events.  Working with the library makes sense as they share the core learning values of the program. 

Sherry Eskin from the Honan-Allston Branch of BPL talked about how the program works from the perspective of a library.  Because the shirts that kids need to attend all CTK events are only available at BPL branches it brings people into the library that might not otherwise come.  The shirts are displayed in the library. Info on the program is available in 8 different languages.  The event shows that the library is a place for community gathering, and fun.

Writers Live! Libraries Bringing Authors and Readers Together

Wednesday May 6, 2009 4:00pm-5:15pm

A very informed and frank panel discussion of how to bring writers, known and unknown to your library and to make it work!  

Virgina Stanley Director of Library Marketing for HarperCollins started us off with these tips.

• There are many ways to spread the word.  For your first author event, start small with local authors.  The bigger the author the bigger the expectations.  Chapple Langemack has written a great book on how to host author events.
• One of the best ways to stay in contact with patrons is to collect email addresses. http://www.constantcontact.com is a great way to create a database of patrons to email, especially if an event happens last minute.  In some cases this has tripled attendance at events.
  
• Don't expect to get the big names if you've never done an event before.  Star small. Possibly with a local author.  Get to know your audience.

Judy Cooper, coordinator for Public Programs at Pratt County Library in Baltimore had this to say:  

• Although it may be easier to get authors to larger cities, it might be worthwhile to make partnerships with people at the larger city libraries to funnel authors to smaller libraries. A followup comment from the audience was that often times in big cities, there is a lot of competition for people's attention.  Something that might fail in a large city might do really well in a small city where there is less going on. 
• http://www.programminglibrarian.org. is a great resource for programming library events.
• Why should libraries host library programs?  It is very important to connect readers to writers and would-be writers to writers.  
• A successful author program must happen with other institutions in the community such as a college, the ACLU, whatever.  
• Programs help sell books!  A writers series is very good PR for your library.
• Bookstores are not competitors.  It's good to work with a local bookstore to sell books at an author event.
• Before you call a publisher, have an idea for an event.  Describe your community and why the event will be sucessfull.  Know what will work in your community.

Talia Sherer, Library Marketing Director from Macmillan.  

• Who is the target audience? How well do you know your patrons and what they are reading?  What kind of events do local bookstores host?  Are they successful? Do research.
• Work with speakers bureaus.  It can't just be you alone.  Everyone on staff needs to be in on it and excited about the program.  
• Sometimes panels of authors from different genres can attract a wider range of interested readers.  
• Get in contact with a publisher to discuss possible collaborations.  
• Go on websites and ask to recieve seasonal catalogs to see authors tours, addresses, etc.  Some authors can be contacted directly.  
• In New Caanan, CT, author events are videotaped and circulated in the library collection.

Audience comments

Academic Librarian.  Felt it was difficult to get people to come to events in an academic setting, even with a wonderful lineup.  Virginia suggested programming events with more of a popular cultural appeal. Students won't go out at night to learn, they want to be entertained.  

Public Librarian.  Sometimes regular times and events can build up an audience.  At their library they hold book events every Monday morning and there is a regular crowd.

Q: How do libraries find out about book tours?  

A:No easy source.  Get in touch way ahead of time.  Book tours are usually booked a year in advance.  Develop relationships with library marketing people at publishing houses.  Don't be discouraged.  Don't give up.  Keep coming back and something will eventually work out.  

Links

harpercollinscatalogs.com for "up to the minute" catalog info.

librarylovefest.com Virginia's blog

talia.shererATmacmillan.com

virginia.stanleyATharpercollins.com

Saving Our Libraries

Library closure…

Don’t think it can happen to your small town library?

Don’t be so sure!

Libraries must be prepared because closure sometimes comes without notice. Library funding has been cut drastically within the last four years according to the ALA.

So what can you do if your library does close? The town of Hamden experienced a closure from June 2005 till June 2006. Community members held book swaps to demonstrate the community’s need for books. While they attempted to talk to town officials, that got them nowhere. They decided to hold an advertising campaign to keep the library on everyone’s minds; put out newsletters, hold events, plan fund raisers. Look into the possibility for partial corporate financing. Use your local cultural councils to help with funding. Maybe you can charge dues from your member. Or buy promotional items and give them away, it will pay off in the future.

Think out side the box!

Dracut library closed in 1992. The town experienced financial problems. The library was only given a month to attempt to stop the closure. The director was assured that the library would never close. They were wrong. The library closed. The doors were locked. The public were shocked. The act of actually closing the library had never been done before… Ultimately, it was a good thing. It woke up the community. They realized how necessary a library is for a community. Within six months enough money had been raised to reopen the library as a private entity (while they did not stay private very long). In 2002, another referendum went on the ballot. This one was to build a brand new library. And it passed at almost one hundred percent! The community refuses to have such a thing happen again. It seems like you don’t know what you have until you lose it.

How might we prevent this?

• Develop a “Friends of the Library” committee
• Pay attention to the children programming and have your cameras ready.
• Stay involved politically but stay neutral
• Establish relationships with the community
• As a librarian do not take what happens personally...it is not about the library but about money
  

MassBlast: Building Library Awareness and Staff for Tomorrow

Internships for high school students

▪A 40 hour program that pays stipends to the interns.

▪Many teens believe that librarians just put books on the shelves.

▪This program helps teens to understand exactly what librarians do.

▪They learn library skills and enjoy hands-on work

Recruitment – Actually, it was quite easy, Just ask! Sadly, some had to be turned away.

Staff of the library must believe in the program in order for it to work.

What do the teens do?

▪Shelve books (however not very often)

▪Order and catalog books

▪Interlibrary Loan (students enjoy the search)

▪Learn research skills (to prepare for college)

▪Participate in field trips and guest speakers

▪Resume building and Career exploration

While the program started as Simmons, it has grown to include 7 libraries across the state

Funding – Initially, by a small grant. Larger grants have been sought and awarded. This increase has allowed for the documentation of the program and sharing so that other libraries can develop new programs.

Detailed schedules are on the website. The program runs 2 days a week for 2 hours each time. The program begins with an icebreaker party. The plan is mostly to introduce the teens to the librarians. At the beginning of the program the students will work with a collection development librarian ordering a book, the book is received into the library, cataloged by the student and eventually receives a dedication label with the student’s name and is place on the shelves.

MassBLAST Website http://www.simmons.edu/massblast/

This session was meant to encourage other libraries to start programs similar to this one. Online there is curriculum for both academic and public libraries.

This program offers the teens a once in a lifetime opportunity. One of the main benefits is their increased comfort level in a library. It also introduces the idea of librarianship as a possible career.

Springfield Public Library

▪Altered curriculum to include more on customer service

▪ILL was different from academic (public doesn’t use OCLC)

▪Teens contributed to a program on adult literacy

▪They spent time on children's and YA services

▪Visited branch libraries and the teens were able to run a story hour

Springfield Public found that it was very important that staff understand the desired goals for the program. Beware that this program takes time to plan and implement. It can also be expensive. Overall, the program has been very productive and encouraging.