WebJunction

Like most libraries these days, the Puskarich Public Library in Harrison County, Ohio, has its share of fiscal difficulties. But it knows that it does not stand alone. By consistently pursuing partnerships with other community organizations, the library's staff has woven a wide and deep web of relationships that has earned it some valuable and committed friends, enhanced its prestige within its community, and, despite difficult circumstances, helped it fulfill its mission more effectively.

The Puskarich Public Library serves a rural county of 15,000 in southeastern Ohio's coal district. A part of the Appalachian Region, its population is economically diverse.  In 1986, a local capital campaign raised half of the money needed to build the main library, yet many of the patrons are economically disadvantaged. Library Director Sandi Thompson grew up in the area and is intimately familiar with its people, patterns and habits. This familiarity has certainly contributed to her success as a relationship-builder, but she and her staff have also made use of determination, creativity, and intelligence to achieve a remarkable degree of success.

Who are these partners, and how have they contributed to the Puskarich Public Library's success?

A key partner has been the local school district. Sandi and her staff understand that today's school library patrons—students—are tomorrow's public library patrons. School libraries give children their first impressions of what a library can be. Sell kids on the value of the library at school, and they—and their parents—will become converts to public library use as well. As is typical, school libraries in the area have been understaffed, so Sandi and her staff decided to help close the gap. They began by bringing programming aimed directly at kids to school libraries, thereby forging a direct connection between school-age patrons and the public library. But before long they realized that the most effective solution would be to provide more direct support to school library staff. Public library staff began training school library aides in skills such as search methods, age-appropriate search tools, and basic librarianship.

If training school library staff improves the health of the entire library system, then training the Puskarich Public Library's own staff certainly makes sense as well—and so they went looking for a relationship that could help deliver results. It so happened that nearby Belmont Technical College was interested in offering online Information Services courses. Sandi signed her staff up for the pilot program, which has proven to be so successful that it has since evolved into its own partnership with Bowling Green State University. This has benefited the reputation of the local college, but it's also allowed library staffers to improve their skills and credentials without having to leave the area. By helping Belmont become successful, the library is enhancing its own capabilities and chances for success—a classic win-win relationship.

The library's own resources have provided opportunities to cultivate additional partnerships. When the library received a Gates-granted computer lab, it initially focused its efforts on individuals, and continues to offer patrons a lively program of technology classes. But it soon discovered that it could build relationships by offering targeted programs and training to community groups such as the Department of Job and Family Services, the local historical society, Head Start, and the Harrison County Genealogical Society program. These programs have proved so popular that the library no longer has to look for participants, since community groups are now taking the initiative to sign up.

Another aspect of partnership involves collection development. The Puskarich Public Lilbrary has partnered with ten other regional libraries to develop the “Digital Shoebox.” Take a look at this Web site, which showcases photos and documents lent by patrons (partnership again!) and preserved in digital format. The project provides a sense of identity and continuity that's of inestimable value to a coal-mining community in transition—with, of course, the library at its center.

The library's ability to reach out to its community has been helped substantially by a partnership of a different kind. Each year the award winning local high school's Tech Prep class develops a Web site for one of the public agencies in the area. When the class decided to adopt the library, it was a match made in heaven. The kids created a great Web site that is a point of pride for the whole community (see www.harrison.lib.oh.us), but they didn't stop there. They extended their efforts by designing and producing other outreach items such as stickers, placemats, and even a streaming media file! The library has built on this work, this time using their own internal resources, to revise and upgrade the site (the made-over version will be live in early February of 2004).

The list of partnerships goes on: the local Garden Club landscapes the library's grounds; the 4H Club handles lawn care; the Rotary Club donates computers. Twice a year the library enters floats in the local parades, and they're planning to sponsor a booth at the local county fair. This last year the library sponsored a lecture by nationally known author Homer Hickam in the high school auditorium, with over 800 people in attendance—that's another 800 people who now know that the Puskarich Public Library is a vital, well-integrated component of the area's educational system. And to make that relationship perfectly clear, one of the seats on the library board is held by the superintendent of schools.

Sandi Thompson is always looking for new partners—you just might be next on her list! Her library and the local school district have worked together to secure an LSTA grant for providing services to developmentally disabled patrons. They've set up special assistive technology workstations (with larger screens, accessible mouse devices, and scan-and-read and “window eyes” software for the visually impaired). Always seeking ways to share resources and extend the value of what she's doing, Sandi is looking for other libraries that might want to share this grant, so if you're interested, contact her!

For more information about the Puskarich Public Library and its partnership programs, contact Library Director Sandi Thompson at (740)942-3334, or email her at sthompson@oplin.org.