Back to School Collaboration

In the spirit of work at the national level through ALA’s State Ecosystem Initiative and the new Public Library & School Library Collaboration Toolkit done through collaborative efforts of AASL, YALSA, and ALSC, WEMTA, WLA, and DPI are working together to support and foster communications and collaborations among Wisconsin public and school librarians in order to better support the communities we serve. Each quarter we will share a resource, strategy, or example with you that could be used as a talking point in your community. Please use these ideas to initiate or continue to build relationships with public and school librarians.

When thinking beyond Summer Reading Program promotion, how often are we public librarians in the schools? How often are we school librarians present in the public library? Finding simple strategies to engage throughout the year can foster better relationships between school and public libraries that benefit the entire community. What’s our first step? Know our contact at the school/library so that you have a go-to person for communication and collaboration!

Ways to break the ice:

• Set up a breakfast meeting to chat, share information and learn about each other
• Stop by and visit the school library or public library and chat with colleagues; get to know their space
• Ask how you can help your colleague
• Invite a school or public library colleague along for a road trip to the CCBC to look at books or attend a book sale

Ways to engage: 

• Public and school collaborative library presentations at school faculty meetings and/or public library staff meetings throughout the year (Key: Keep it short!)
• Sharing important dates in advance (testing; big programs for either organization; closed dates; etc)
• Co-teach a library resources class during a professional development day 

Extending engagement:

• Offer to do a program for your public library and promote it with the kids at your school
• Offer to lead a story time/author study at the school and/or public library
• Offer to come to classes during Poetry month or at another time to do mini-popup booktalks
• Consider developing a mutual event (literacy night; reading carnival; book club; cooperative winter reading program) and plan it together

The key is to open the conversation, listen, and see where opportunities lie to strengthen service to families in our communities. Anytime is a great time to start collaborating with our peers in the public or school library!

This message brought to you through the collaboration of Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association (WEMTA), Wisconsin Library Association (WLA), and DPI School and Public Libraries. If you are interested in working on future tidbits or have other suggestions for collaborations, please contact Marge Loch-Wouters (WLA) or Micki Uppena (WEMTA) .