Community Partnership Handbook for Small Libraries

Tyler Hahn is a Library Director in Northwestern Iowa, USA, who previously served as a college librarian and youth services librarian.

• 1. Introduction2. Understanding Library Partnerships 3. Building Effective Partnerships 4. Case Studies in Library Partnerships 5. Implementing and Sustaining Partnerships 6. Community Engagement and Partnerships 7. Ethical Considerations in Library Partnerships 8. Future Trends in Library Partnerships 9. Conclusion Appendix A: Sample E-mail Template for OutreachAppendix B: MOU for OutreachAppendix C: Partnership Evaluation FormAppendix D: Event Planner TemplateAppendix E: Rural Library Community Asset Mapping WorksheetIndex

Reading The Community Partnership Handbook for Small Libraries, I found myself regularly nodding in affirmation, and frankly, in gratitude. I would recommend this handbook for any small or rural library to use as a practical guide to building and maintaining strategic partnerships. But I'd take it a step further. Despite small and rural libraries making up the vast majority of public libraries in the United States and being invaluable to the communities they serve, they still struggle to be seen and valued at the national and even local level. This book will aid the reader is truly seeing some of the realities facing our smallest institutions and rural communities. Strategic partnerships are essential for raising awareness, expanding resources, and better meeting the needs of the library's service area. Anyone working in or for one of these beloved community hubs will find this book to be an approachable road map to building their partnerships, step by step, with actual forms, checklists, and other guiding tools. Additionally, author Tyler Hahn achieves something very uncommon by providing a compelling, non-fiction account of the day-to-day realities of America's libraries. Folks in any field wanting to better understand the unique challenges faced by small towns and rural areas would do well to read this book, which is clearly rooted in direct experience and proven outcomes. Those who work with, govern, or advocate for libraries will do us all a favor by educating themselves within these pages.