IN CONCERTBUILDING VALUABLE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPSANDREA COFFIN, COMMUNITY LIAISON / SERVICE SPECIALIST, WILS

MARIA ESCALANTE, LIBRARY DIRECTOR, COLLEGE OF MENOMINEE NATION

JILL GLOVER, DIRECTOR, LUCK PUBLIC LIBRARY

TOM CARSON, HEAD OF REFERENCE SERVICES, KENOSHA PUBLIC LIBRARY

Building Valuable Community

Partnerships

Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries!May 7 – 9, 2014

Blue Harbor Resort and Spa in Sheboygan, WI

Maria EscalanteLibrary Director

College of Menominee NationS. Verna Fowler Academic Library /

Menominee Public Library

CMN Library Growth

1996 – 1998Occupied ½ of a trailer

Fall 1998 – Summer 2008Occupied Lower level area of Shirley Daly Hall on CampusApproximately 2,000 square feet

CMN Library Growth

• Library becomes a stand alone building, August 2008 , work is done in phases

• Library is named “S. Verna Fowler Academic Library,” fall 2012

• Academic merges with Menominee Public Library December 2012

Why a merger?

Menominee Public Library was looking to hire a new director

I requested a merger to combine the two libraries

The College President Dr Fowler & Menominee tribal leadership were in favor

Gives the community a larger library with more programming and resources

Consolidates community resources

Allows the college to have access to funding for public libraries

Building Community Interest

“If you build it they will come…”

In order to build partnerships we had to attract the community

The library hosted events like this, targeted for the community

Building Community Interest

To appeal to youth I selected a creative image for the youth library card

Children come in wanting a library card because it is so unique

Also worked with Menominee Transit to allow the library card to work for a free ride from the library to their home

Building Community

Interest Nine DIYs in April & May 2013

to draw people in Building community partners,

drew on expertise of CMN faculty, staff, UW Extension, community as presenters

Building Community Interest

As the library was invited to have a booth at community events we set up a wading pool with “fossils”

Digging for fossils with “Fossil Phil” was a perfect way to advertise our participation in the summer reading program

Wonderful interactive event for the library

Building Community Interest

The College of Menominee Nation participated in the state wide “Get up and go” event

The library had an activity that kept children moving, and helped advertise library activities, including the summer reading program

Building Collections

As an academic library I did not have the materials that appealed to the community

Added popular DVDs, popular fiction, children’s materials (books, toys, xbox, etc)

As our patron base grows so do opportunities for partnerships

Menominee Tribal Library Statistics Reported on DPI annual report2012 Total Annual Circulation 1820

2013 Merge Libraries CirculationCommunity 5983Child, Community 1105 7088

Janu

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CommunityChild, community

Community Partnerships

Semester Community Reads With Public library status ~

contact the Aging Division to get books to the senior centers

Community really looks forward to our next book & author event

Story times Stockbridge Head start

contacted us after the merger to bring kids

Community Partnerships

Special Collections (Archives) made connections at our Community reception which led to requests for presentations in Fall 2013, and to be present at a Youth Speak Event

10/17/2013

MIHS - Intro Special Collections, especially Treaty of 1848 materialsClass 1 19

10/17/2013

MIHS - Intro Special Collections, especially Treaty of 1848 materialsClass 2 17

11/7/2013

Special Collection Open House showcasing print & digital photo collections 31

12/6/2013

Presentation to MIHS Faculty on SC Termination/Restoration materials 25

12/6/2013Library booth at Youth Speak event 100

Institutional Partnerships

To draw in the younger crowd I purchased outside games like Giant Jenga for family events

Giant Jenga has worked perfect for high school tours, much better than the paper scavenger hunts we used to do, now we are a stop for high school tours

11/14/2013

MIHS Campus Tour - stop at library for games & fun 100

11/19/2013

Oneida, Pulaski student campus tour - stop at library for games & fun 30

Institutional Partnerships

The Teacher Education Department has a grant and works with the head start

As part of a collaboration with the head start and the library they held a literacy event in the library in the fall & spring for families

Head start teachers, CMN students, and head start families attended

Some head start teachers and families had never been to the library before

Institutional Partnerships and

beyond For a recent grant the library

partnered with the Community Technology Center (CTC) on campus for creative work on literacy with families

Granting agency suggested we partner with UW Madison

This grant (IMLS – National Leadership) has broadened our knowledge of the literacy issues of children under 5

It has allowed us to work with someone outside our community & has brought new perspectives

Has really led the way for me to get even more pro-active in seeking community partners

Institutional Partnershipsand beyond

So far we have had a meeting with potential community partners Menominee Tribal School Menominee Indian School District Rep Menominee Daycare Community Resource Center (CRC) :

work with families in programs like TANF, job training, food share, badger care, summer youth program

This was a focused meeting on a specific issue & let me know what they needed & how we could work together

Sharing experiences from Appleton & Oneida Public Libraries brought new ideas & possibilities for staff

Starting programming in May with toddlers on Tuesdays & teens on Thursdays Every week age groups will

be at the library alternating with the CTC

Keys to our success

Partners that had a similar goal

People that had the time to work with us

We provided library staff to support our ideas

We provided funding We listened to what they felt

was important and we tailored our programming to meet their needs

Lucky PartnersThe Luck, Wisconsin Public

Library and Historical Museum Working Together

Jill Glover

Luck, Wisconsin

70 miles from Twin CitiesPopulation 1200

Lake Country

1850's Rest StopIn "Luck" to get 1/2 way

Luck Grows and Changes

Indian scession treaties open land for settlement 1870’s Danish immigration brings dairy farming Soo Line R.R. reaches Luck in 1900 Duncan Yo-Yo “capital” from 1946-1965 Family dairy farms give way to large farms Recreation industry gathers importance Wood products industry a main stay Luck becomes tied to Twin Cities metropolitan area –

population 1200.

Incorporated 1905

The Small Old Library

Ground Breaking 2007

The Finished Building Design

Library space (main floor, meeting room, break room and office) - 47%

Museum (and work/storage) - 35% Public areas (lavatories, lobby) – 17% Mechanical – 1%

Building for the Future

Other Things to Consider

The lot and building are owned by the village of Luck but were built with private donations

The public library is operated with local, county and state tax dollars

The Museum is self supporting through grants, donations and museum sales

Building decisions are made by a committee of the Luck Public Works Director and representatives of the Library and Historical Society Boards

Benefits of living together

Synergy of sharing space and ideas Better drawing power for both Cost savings by sharing space and equipment Able to plan and offer better and more varied programs and

activities Large group programs possible with flexible space in the

museum

Successful Things We have Done Together

Partner to show classic free movies Cooperatively sponsored Civil War speakers Offer shared seasonal events eg. Lucky Days, Winter

Carnival, visit from Santa, etc. Shared space for adult exercise classes Provide space for census training Make space available for community meetings (non

political) Provide space for Luck Senior Class Art Show Give programs for school and community field trips

Key Elements of Success

Strong rapport established during building project Friendly, cooperative staffs Broad community support Gathering point for the community Central Main Street location Open six days a week Facilities available for community activities Provides the only convenient public rest rooms on Main St. Available wireless high speed internet access Ability to accept the fact that things won’t always go exactly

the way you might like

Possible Pitfalls With Cohabitation

Don’t expect the library staff to watch the museum Importance of keeping library and museum budgets completely

separate Difficulty of determining a fair and equitable division building

operating costs Carefully planned billing procedure Coordination of schedules What if one partner defaults?

KENOSHA AND THE BIG READ

Making Community Connections and Lasting Partnerships

About Kenosha Public Library

Service population of 135,000 4 neighborhood branches, 1 Bookmobile 71,000 registered library cardholders 2013 circulation, 1.2 million

About the Big Read

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts

Designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.

Application requirements

Grant application process is straightforward Programming around themes of a specific book

Kick-off event Book discussions Book distributions Development of partnerships

Our 1st Big Read 2010

• Our first selection was The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

We started planning six months before the application was due.

Major requirement of the grant is to partner with local organizations.

Where do we start?

Planning-1st Big Read

What organizations would be a good fit? Are their missions similar to the Library’s? How would they participate?

Distribution point? Host an event?

1st Big Read

Developed partnerships with Friends of the Kenosha Public Library, Kenosha Public Library Foundation, Kenosha Unified School District, Kenosha History Center, Kenosha Public Museum, Lemon Street Gallery, Kenosha County Job Center, Carthage College, Kenosha County Detention Center

Grapes of Wrath

Grapes of Wrath

Huge success! Gave away 1200 copies of the title The Kenosha Literacy Council incorporated The Grapes of

Wrath into its jail program, using the book to improve inmates’ reading comprehension and writing skills.

Inspired other organizations to join us for our next Big Read

The Big Read 2012

Sun, Stone, and Shadows: 20 Mexican Short Stories edited by Jorge Hernandez

Sun, Stone, and Shadows

New partnership with the Boys and Girls club

Stronger ties with Bradford High School

Family Literacy Night at the Kenosha Literacy Council

Julia Durango visits Uptown Library

Children’s Author Visit

Click icon to add picture

Rewards

New partnerships created between other organizations

Stronger partnerships with Kenosha Literacy Council, Kenosha Unified School District and UW-Parkside

2013 Big Read – Edgar Allan Poe

Most successful Big Read

Our most successful Big Read!

KENOSHA. POE. 2013. The Big Read Retur ns to Kenosha October 2013! What could be creepier (or more fun!) than Edgar Allan Poe during October? Join the Kenosha Public Library for a whole month of eerily enticing performances, book discussions, art exhibits, lectures,

family fun, and special events to explore “Great Tales and Poems” by Edgar Allan Poe. For a complete listing of events, visit www.mykpl.info, find us on Facebook, or visit www.neabigread.org. A complete Big Read Event Guide will be available in September.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Poe Kick-Off Event

Click icon to add picture

Green Bay Packers provided incentives for people to participate in the Big Read

Kenosha Literacy Council

By the numbers

31 partnerships with local organizations and businesses

60 total programs included: 14 book discussions 4 lectures 6 art exhibits 4 theatrical performances 6 film events 3 workshops 2 open mic events 5 programs for teens 8 programs for kids & their families 1 bus trip 1 bake sale 1 original opera And other programs of all kinds.

Lemon Street Gallery provides a rotating art collection for all our buildings

Rewards of Partnerships

Click icon to add picture

Rewards of Partnerships

Our partnership was featured on the NEA Big Read national blog

Also featured on the website, Library as Incubator Project

Worked with us on the Big Yarn

What does the phrase “library as incubator” mean to you?

“Libraries have always been incubators. Essentially, that is exactly what they are. They are the neighborhood pub for thinkers. They are the grocery store for the curious.” Melanie Hovey, Lemon Street Gallery

Art from Lemon Street Gallery

More Art From Lemon Street Gallery

The Big Yarn

Click icon to add picture

Big Yarn

Yarn Bombing

Lessons

Starts with a conversation Everyone loves the library

Plan early and plan for the unexpected Mix-ups will happen Try to get written agreements between the library and

participating partners Partnerships are part of our new strategic plan

Apply, Apply, Apply

Grant process is simple Encourages your library to get out into the community The Big Read staff is awesome. They want you to

succeed.

The Big Read @ the Kenosha Public Library

2010 – Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 2012 – Sun Stone and Shadows: 20

Mexican Short Stories edited by Jorge Hernandez

2013 – Short Stories and Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe

2014 – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, UW–Parkside

2015 – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (tentative)

QUESTIONS?