WebJunction

Demonstrating your library's impact in your community depends as much on the relationships you foster as on the services you provide. Building partnerships with boards, agencies, and organizations in your community can enhance your ability to serve your community-and make the services you provide more visible and valued.

Take Three Steps
We asked WebJunction members for their experiences and advice on how they build successful community partnerships-especially in ways that get their library a seat and the decision making and resource allocation table. From those rich responses we share with you the key steps that WebJunction members use to build effective partnerships in their communities and get their libraries "a seat at the table":

Step 1: Be There and Be Visible

Step 2: Join the Team

Step 3: Getting a Seat at the Table

When your library becomes seen as an integral part of your community's community service team by other service providers, decision makers, and elected officials you'll be in better shape when tough decisions have to be made around allocating scarce resources.

Success!
WebJunction members also sent in specific examples of successful partnerships from their communities. We've collected some of these inspiring Success Stories of Building Community Partnerships.

Twenty Questions
A useful tool that can be adapted by any library as a guide to exploring partnerships has been developed by Yolanda Cuesta and used by libraries participating in WebJunction's Spanish Language Outreach Program. Take a look at the Community Leader Interview Guide.

Staying Connected
Another great set of tips and tools for building partnerships is Chapter 10 of the Staying Connected Toolkit: Develop Effective Partnerships.

On the Road
While partnerships and strong relationships with decision makers and funding bodies are necessary to get a place at the table, once you are there you will still need to make a strong case for your library. We've updated our Demonstrating Impact Roadmap for 2006 to help you with your strategy and plan for showing how your library makes a difference in the lives of folks in your community.

The Cost--and Value--of it All
One exciting new tool is the Cost Benefit Analysis Manual for Medium and Small Libraries developed by Dr. Glen Holt and his colleagues as part of an Institute for Museum and Library Studies research grant to the St. Louis Public Library. The Cost Benefit Analysis Manual includes a "how to do it" guide that includes specific survey tools that you can use in your community to show the value of the services you provide.

Live! on All Aboard Discussions
How does your library make itself visible and valued in the community it serves? Join hosts Bob Watson, director of the Lake Villa District Library (IL), and Bette Dillehay, director of Mathews Memorial Library (VA), for a special three-day message board discussion of challenges, ideas, and strategies for "Getting a Seat at the Community Table."

Our special guest hosts will be present for three days only, Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, January 24/25/26, in the "Funding & Advocacy" forum on the All Aboard Discussions.