by Beth Staats
Quick Summary
This year at the Lib Tech Conference I attended a fun session presented by Honna Veerkamp, the Creative Experience Specialist (what a cool title) at the St.
This year at the Lib Tech Conference I attended a fun session presented by Honna Veerkamp, the Creative Experience Specialist (what a cool title) at the St. Louis Public Library. The session was titled, People Power: Strengthening Libraries Through Community Partnerships, and the room was beyond full with many people sitting on the floor. Honna offered up some great tips and also gave the audience time to gather in small groups to discuss and share how outreach or partnerships may have worked, or not worked, in our libraries. It was great to see that within my group there were business cards exchanged and connections made. To summarize, take a look at the ideas below:
- Outreach and networking go hand-in-hand. Save contacts and business cards even if you don't know how you'll use them.
- Say yes to opportunities, you never know where they will lead.
- Don't dismiss spontaneous connections. Be willing to talk to people unexpectedly.
- Cultivate connections with colleagues and foster regional and long distance connections based on aligned interests.
- Don't work in silos. Support other initiatives.
- Be generous with knowledge and resources and it will be reciprocated.
- Create institutional allies- seek connections with individuals- partnerships don't have to be formal to lead to opportunities.
- Support artists and local entrepeneurs- they often times will offer pro bono workshops.
- Ask for in-kind dontations - companies and organizations like donating to libraries.
Always be thinking about where you can make connections!
