Community Engagement

Serving Families

It’s important to keep providing support for families of school-age children, even though kids in this age group are starting to become more independent. You can still provide quality parenting/family information, and you can also create opportunities for families to spend time together through fun library programs and activities.

School support is also another key part of supporting families and caregivers for this age group. Library staff can take advantage of opportunities to pass along tips and suggestions to families and caregivers who come to the library seeking resources and assistance with their child’s school studies. Feel free to ask families what additional resources might be needed to assist with school involvement.

Serving Educators

Keeping in touch with local schools and after-school programs in your community is a great way to learn about what other activities youth are doing. You can also get great ideas for your own library that can supplement services that other organizations are providing, and perhaps even develop a partnership that can really elevate a program to the next level. Teachers and school librarians are especially valuable resources as they have direct insight into what this age group is learning and doing. Communicating regularly with them can be a valuable way to stay connected and help provide assistance with needs and topics as they come up.

Community Outreach and Partnerships

Partnerships are a great way to increase the reach of library services and engage folks in your community. Your library probably already has partnerships in place, and those are a great starting point especially if you are new to your job. You also might have the opportunity to forge your own partnerships. You may have some ideas already of who you would like to work with, but here are some ideas:

• After-school programs (YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs)
• Bookstores
• Community or neighborhood centers
• Parks and recreation departments
• Scouts associations
• Parent associations

Besides the direct benefits of partnerships to your library, partnerships can also help your community by making it easier for them to access services through multiple locations. Families with children may not have a ton of spare time, and partnerships that combine library and other community services can allow your patrons to enjoy multiple things at the same time, rather than choosing one over the other due to a lack of time.