Public Library and Public Schools Partner to Better Serve Communities

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

The Branch Manager of MDPLS’s Palm Springs North (PSN) Branch Library has reconnected with schools through volunteerism, volunteering to assist a school’s new media specialist with organizing the media center in preparation to reopen the center for students. This opened the door for additional resource sharing that has led to other ways we are able to now offer our assistance within the schools, such as hosting a book club at detention once a week to help troubled students learn to love reading by introducing them to a variety of young adult selections. Palm Springs North Branch Library staff were contacted by a school counselor at Lake Stevens Middle School to see if library staff would be available for an after-school program in which library staff would share information about the library’s programs and services offerings. During this outreach, the PSN Branch Manager connected with the school’s new media specialist who was also new to librarianship. The PSN Manager offered to assist the school’s media specialist with preparing the media center to open for the school year. Public library staff helped the school media specialist by reshelving books and reorganizing the media center in a way that would benefit the school’s students. Library staffs’ willingness to assist the media specialist opened new doors for MDPLS to assist the school in other ways. The PSN Branch Manager attended school staff meetings to help other teachers learn about the services provided by MDPLS, which in turn created other connections that led to a PSN Branch book club held at the school during detention.   Because book club sessions were mandatory for students who had been assigned to go to detention, attendees were exposed to new themes and books they would not have been aware of otherwise. Some students expressed interest in reading the books after detention hall was over. Some students developed a love for reading during the book club sessions. Library staff created a book return system for these children since many of them did not have a way to return the items to the library due to transportation issues, one of the reasons some of the students had never been to visit the library before. Library staff found a way to combat this issue by bringing the library and all its resources to the school, and they also created a relationship with the school. Palm Springs North Branch Library staff are creatively coming up with methods for partnering with schools to reach students and teachers alike. The Library’s efforts have proven to be a successful and effective way to reach the children in the community served.