The reference 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 it’s about relationships between nonprofit organizations, the local public library, and the community.
This is about personal connections and resource management.
Nonprofit resources and the local public library already exist – greater interaction between these two entities increases community access to local resources and also offers the library new ways of connecting with the community.
One way connects people to resources, 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.
Librarians, and nonprofit activities and services, are the community resources.