Book Nook for All: How Library Partnerships Can Grow Advocacy

Abstract

“Town and gown” partnerships—i.e., partnerships between universities and the communities in which they operate—are growing in popularity and strength, and libraries should be leaders in creating these partnerships. In the spring of 2018, Courtright Memorial Library (CML) and Westerville Public Library (WPL) joined forces to bring a shared browsing collection to their local constituents. This article will examine the process, outcome, and continued work of developing and marketing this collection. It will also explore the partnership that developed naturally between these two libraries of different types during the creation of the shared browsing collection, specifically the cosponsoring of a collaborative author event. Finally, it will consider future possibilities for collaboration between the two libraries going forward and provide suggestions to other libraries for how they can begin similar projects with partners in their area. This article will be relevant to those who are interested in generating collaborative community partnerships, jump-starting new projects, and creating marketing campaigns to reach a broad audience.

Keywords

• marketing
• advocacy
• partnerships
• town and gown
• popular fiction