Outreach
Outreach meets community needs with both traditional and new services, in dynamic and changing environments. Whether providing services to those who can't come to the library, or reaching out to those who are underserved, library outreach and community engagement ensures equitable delivery of library services to all people.
Self-paced courses and webinar recordings on this topic are freely available in the WebJunction Course Catalog.
Photo: Bart Heird, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Most Recently Added
Public Health is Part of Library Outreach
Publish Date: News / 3 November 2021
Outreach efforts in the public library increasingly center around building, sustaining, and leveraging community partnerships, including with public health partners. That fact was evident at the 2021 Association of Bookmobile & Outreach Services’...
Perspectives from the Field: Association for Rural & Small Libraries
Publish Date: News / 18 August 2021
Small and rural library staff have long had a champion through the professional organization, the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL). Hear from executive director Kate Laughlin as she shares the experience of the association as they n...
OurStoryBridge: Creating Community Through Stories
Publish Date: Webinar / 17 August 2021
The OurStoryBridge project has released a free toolkit of resources for libraries to create online, three-to five- minute oral histories.
A Year in the Life of a Librarian-Turned-Contact-Tracer
Publish Date: News / 11 August 2021
Before the pandemic, Lisa Fagundes was working as an adult services librarian in the Information Services Department of the San Francisco Public Library. Lisa’s role was essentially the first stop for patrons at the Main branch: fielding questions, a...
Exploring the SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results) Model
Publish Date: Webinar / 5 August 2021
Explore the SOAR model as a strategy for developing asset-oriented initiatives as a step toward developing a more community-centered library.
On Implicit Bias and Communication
Publish Date: Webinar / 8 July 2021
Reflect on how life experiences, traditions, and beliefs impact communication and explore strategies for facilitating deeper discussions and stronger connections as steps toward developing a more community-centered library.
Food Access and Seed Libraries in Rural Public Libraries
Publish Date: Webinar / 9 June 2021
Presenters from small and rural locations in South Carolina will share their experiences with seed libraries and community refrigerators.
Building Connections with Community Assets
Publish Date: Webinar / 3 June 2021
Explore strategies for connecting with community assets in-person and online as a step toward developing a more community-centered library.
Community of Practice for Telehealth at the Library
Publish Date: News / 1 June 2021
Even before the pandemic, Pottsboro Library in Texas had begun to focus more on health, through their community garden, and programming like cooking classes for families on a SNAP budget. But when director Dianne Connery witnessed the added challenge...
Libraries and Museums as Vaccination Sites
Publish Date: News / 26 May 2021
Libraries and museums are innovative community centers, and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been essential to the community and national response. In addition to continuing to provide for their communities with curbside services and virtu...
