Libraries can’t do this work alone. One of the most helpful resources that we know of is the University of Kansas’s Community Toolbox. While this is not a library-centric resource, it will serve as a guide through the steps that are needed to do the hard work of community change. One of the toolkits is “Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships“, which we will summarize. Please do go to this resource, though.
- Name and describe the purpose of the partnership, including how this particular partnership can make a difference in the community and why it is needed.
- Define the membership. Look outward and find organizations that are already doing the work. Identify the barriers to working with these groups, and then determine how to overcome them. Contact them, recognizing what they bring to the table, and emphasizing that you want to work with them, to promote their work. Remember that this is not about the library, it is about the community.
- Outline the vision and mission of the partnership. What is the ideal vision for the future? What are your big, audacious goals? What are the barriers to meeting those goals?
- What are your assets (financial, material, and human)? What kind of a budget do you need to enhance your assets and meet your goals? Identify sources of funding that can help you collectively meet your goals.
- Describe each member’s responsibilities within the partnership. Write those down, and be accountable. What does the ideal structure of the partnership look like? Will it work through committees, task forces, or work groups, or will a formal Board of Directors be used for advice and to get more buy-in from the community?
- Meet regularly to determine how each member of the partnership or coalition is working, what they need to be successful, and if there need to be adjustments to workloads or goals. Change happens!