Win-win: When school libraries partner with local organizations, everybody benefits

Riggs, Michelle


Jacobson, L. (2015, December). Win-win: when school libraries partner with local organizations, everybody benefits. School Library Journal, 61(12), 60+. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A436437268/PROF?u=pott50179&sid=PROF&xid=f19f1cae


Jacobson provides several specific examples of successful community partnerships with school libraries. He points out that relationships should be collaborative, with all parties involved participating in discussions, planning, and brainstorming. In addition, relationships should ideally be reciprocal, with the community organization receiving something in return, whether a simple thank you note, a social media post, or the opportunity for involvement with school activities. Jacobson also states that volunteers and partnerships in no way replace school librarians; instead, they offer librarians the valuable asset of more time to spend be with their patrons.

I found several of the ideas for community collaboration to be thought-provoking and worth exploring for my own school library. We are located in an area with very active animal advocacy, so the idea of bringing in therapy dogs made me think about ways that could benefit my population. We also have a wide variety of nonprofit organizations run by families in our district, which are an untapped resource for volunteers and collaboration. Prior to this class, I did not do much in the way of connection development, so this article was valuable in getting the gears turning.