NCompass Live - August 24, 2022 http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/ We all know teamwork makes the dream work, but obstacles big and small can keep us from doing as much collaborative work as we'd like. Based on results of the IMLS-funded HEAL (Healthy Eating and Active Living) at the Library via Co-Developed Programming, you'll learn some of the amazing ways rural librarians are already teaming up with everyone from regional hospitals to passionate individuals to make their communities healthier, more inclusive places. This highly interactive session will include community conversations about your experiences teaming up with others - with the ultimate goal of creating a publicly accessible, real world toolkit to help rural librarians do more by leveraging the power of partnerships. Presenter: Noah Lenstra, Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science, University of North Carolina Greensboro.

1. Welcome Day-Spring 2020
Team Up with Your
Community!
Dr. Noah Lenstra, MLIS
Associate Professor of Library & Information
Science
lenstra@uncg.edu / @NoahLenstra
Design courtesy Tammy Gruer
This presentation is part of a project
financially supported by the U.S. Institute of
Museum & Library Services: RE-246336-
OLS-20

2. Ripped from the headlines
LEXINGTON, Nebraska — There were over
200 people in attendance at the Lexington
Public Library’s first community potluck and
street dance on Friday, Aug. 12.
The community members were asked to
provide a dish to share at the potluck, while
tacos were provided by El Sazon Taquisas.
The music entertainment for the street dance
was provided by DJ Lopez, a Lexington native.
In addition to the dancing, children in
attendance were able to jump around in two
bounce houses provided by Angel Vazquez
Diversiones and Chavez Saavedra.
Funds for the event were provided by the
Lexington Community Foundation.

3. Also ripped from the headlines

4. Getting started
What or who are your library's "go-to" partners - the
ones you work the most or the best with?
Take a moment to write in the chat
Or, alternatively, what are your biggest frustrations
as it relates to community partnership work

5. For today
Part 1 – A bit of background and
research
Part 2 – Introducing our model

6. LetsMoveInLibraries.org
What does Teaming Up With Your
Community look like for you?
What comes to mind when YOU think
of teaming up with YOUR community?

7. LetsMoveInLibraries.org
What librarians often ask What librarians could ask
Do I have the space for this? Who could I work with?
Do I have the budget for this? Who could I work with?
Do I have the staffing for this? Who could I work with?
Can “I” do this? Who could I work with?

8. Research
LetsMoveInLibraries.org
Semi-Structured interviews with individuals from organizations that have worked with public
librarians on community-based Healthy Eating and Active Living initiatives
# Interviews
Library front-lines 44
Library leadership 25
Total 69
Grant # RE-246336-OLS-20
S
e
c
t
o
r
N
o
n
-
p
r
o
f
i
t
H
o
s
p
i
t
a
l
C
o
o
p
e
r
a
t
i
v
e
E
x
t
e
n
s
i
o
n
I
n
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l
V
o
l
u
n
t
e
e
r
B
u
s
i
n
e
s
s
K
-
1
2
S
c
h
o
o
l
P
a
r
k
s
a
n
d
R
e
c
r
e
a
t
i
o
n
S
N
A
P
-
E
d
C
i
t
y
G
o
v
e
r
n
m
e
n
t
H
e
a
l
t
h
D
e
p
a
r
t
m
e
n
t
S
e
n
i
o
r
A
g
e
n
c
y
U
n
i
t
e
d
W
a
y
B
o
y
s
a
n
d
G
i
r
l
s
C
l
u
b
C
o
m
m
u
n
i
t
y
c
o
a
l
i
t
i
o
n
Y
M
C
A
T
o
t
a
l
# 16 6 4 4 4 3 5 4 2 5 2 2 1 1 1 60

9. My findings
Partner evolution in thoughts about public libraries
• Stage 1: Library => Book Repository
• Stage 2: Library => Trusted Resource
(Always there, people turn to them, stable, trusted:
Space to use for food distribution, programs, meetings, etc.)
• Stage 3: Librarian => Partner
(We work together to figure out what to do)
LetsMoveInLibraries.org

10. My Dream
I want more partners to get to
Stage 3 faster
How have you gotten the word out
that your library is a key
community partner?
LetsMoveInLibraries.org

11. LetsMoveInLibraries.org
Success has four ingredients:
#1 - Culture in which library staff seen as experts
#2 - Culture in which library staff encouraged to
dream, and to take risks [including with outside
partners!!]
#3 - Culture in which library staff have access to
professional development, and to resources
(via Friends of the Library)
#4 – Culture in which [insert goal] part of the work
the library sees itself doing through partnerships
My findings

12. INSERT MORE
SECTORS HERE

13. LetsMoveInLibraries.org
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2017).
Achieving Health Equity: Fun and Fitness in a
library parking lot.
https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/features/achieving-health-equity.html
Shared use of the library: An emerging model for partnerships

14. Framing (and theory) matters
LetsMoveInLibraries.org
Two ways to think about a StoryWalk:
1) A convenient way to keep providing
programming during a pandemic
2) A catalyst to community partnerships

15. Ripple Effects
LetsMoveInLibraries.org
“There are many reasons I love the {StoryWalk} project: We now
have a partnership with our county parks department. This Picture
Book Walk has truly been a joint effort, with the library and the parks
department sharing ideas and tasks. As a result, we now have a
working partnership. We know how to work together to get things
done. The potential in this new relationship is vast.”

16. Health happens in libraries
LetsMoveInLibraries.org

17. LOTS happens in libraries
LetsMoveInLibraries.org
• Health
• Economic development
• Digital inclusion
• Lifelong learning
• Cultural heritage
• Etc. [insert community priority here]

18. How can we shift
from “being all
things to all people”
to
“adding value to our
community
priorities”?

19. Part 1 - Closing Dialogue
LetsMoveInLibraries.org
What do YOU want from partners?
What do YOU have to offer partners?
How do you communicate these things?

20. How can you build
better partnerships
within your
community?
Part 2 – The model

21. Our Model:
● The overarching model of the toolkit is the garden
lifecycle.
● Some partnerships are perennials,
others are annuals.
● Learn to recognize the difference.
Learn to let go, but also learn how to nurture promising
opportunities, with the awareness that as in a real garden,
there are NO GUARANTEES OF SUCCESS
● And yet every season we’re back in the garden…

22. Four parts
● Planting the Seeds
● Nurturing the Seedlings
● Harvesting Your Bounty

23. The Seeds
The bud: You and your partners
need to build trust!
You also need to build trust
among your board, staff, friends
that this work is worth doing!
● Start INTERNALLY
● What
groups/organizations
do your library staff,
board, friends
represent?
● Use these strong ties to
build out inter-
organizational
partnerships!

24. Why am I a library
worker?
What purposes do I serve
in my community?

25. Confidence is a key
ingredient in the
process of building
partnerships.

26. Role-playing exercise
What’s your “networking introduction”?
How do you respond when someone says
“It must be great to sit around and read
books all day”?

27. Once you are established in the
community and it is known that
the library is open to partnering
with other organizations, you still
need to be out there actively
speaking on behalf of the library.

28. Part 2.
Nurturing the
Seedlings

29. Building partnerships similar to going on
dates.
First date (coffee)
Actively listen to your potential partner.
Basic small talk
Tell the potential partner about you
Do your goals overlap? Ask.
Second date (lunch)
Pitch your idea
Want to try a small project together?

30. The Seedlings
From root to stem:
You and your partners need to
have a strong foundation to
grow and blossom and flourish!
● Strategically fill in gaps
in your community
● Set up a structure to
document and vet

32. Part 3.
Harvesting your Bounty

33. The Bounty
● Take it to the next
level: Grants and other
long-term
collaborations
● Always set time aside
to celebrate your
successes.
● How do you document
what comes from
teaming up with
others?

34. Reflecting and
Getting Ready
for Next Year
● Growing pains:
Common challenges
and common solutions
● Sustaining and letting
go: Are your
partnerships perennials
or annuals?

35. Have you ever had to let
go of a partnership?
What did that look like?

36. FOR DISCUSSION
• What have you heard that is new to you?
• What is needed to better understand this topic?
• How can we do this presentation better?
Other ideas?

37. • https://letsmovelibraries.org/about-us/heal/
• Project website
• Subscribe to monthly newsletter to get key updates
Learn more
(Grant # RE-246336-OLS-20)

38. Learn more
Closing The Gap: Public Libraries and Public Health
September 8, 2022
https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/306/Navigating-Rural-Health-Resources-Webina
Navigating Rural Health Resources is a webinar series hosted by the
Office of Primary Care and Rural Health that highlights state and
federal programs relevant to rural and underserved Kansas in hopes
to connect local providers and communities to useful resources and
tools.

39. LetsMoveInLibraries.org
Thank you!
Noah Lenstra
Associate Professor of Library and
Information Science at University of
North Carolina at Greensboro
lenstra@uncg.edu
@NoahLenstra
@LetsMoveLibrary
http://letsmovelibraries.org/