The reference (or other) librarian should be at the very center of community life.
It all begins with a directory of locally available activities and services, offered by nonprofit organizations, and managed by the public library.
The directory is just a lead-in – really this is about active relationships between nonprofit organizations, the local public library, and the community.
This is also about personally connecting and resource management.
Nonprofit resources and the local public library are already in place.
Increased interaction between these two entities does increase community access to local resources, and it also offers the local library new ways of connecting with the community.
One method connects people to resources, while the other uses connection as a resource.
All it takes is a shift in how information is managed – just like relationships, resource management can be static or dynamic.
Annual nonprofit festival
Displays
Meeting space for organizations
Nonprofit conference
Nonprofit event board
Display tables
Nonprofit collaboration
Etcetera
In all of these activities, personal relationships and networking can help create new pathways for community members to interact and participate.
Increased people-to-people interaction promotes relationships.
By making locally available resources more accessible – and encouraging communication between nonprofit organizations, the library, and the community – the public library can offer a reference service that affects more people in a positive way.
Read the full story here (website).
Or shorter pdf version here.
Librarians, and nonprofit activities and services, are the community resources: just connect them.