Library Media Center/Public Library Cooperation 		 
  Ideas of other collaboration and cooperation between Public and School Libraries are welcome! Please email Susan Babb!

School/Public Library Cooperative Activities

The ALSC/AASL/YALSA Joint Task Force on School/Public Library Cooperative Activities looks at local and national models of school/public library cooperative activities. The group met for the first time at the January 2004 Midwinter Meeting. The group is charged with creating an action plan to develop a product (program, Web site, toolkit) to function as a clearinghouse for ideas about activities, programs, and services to promote best practices in school/public library cooperation.

Exemplary web sites for public library-school partnerships, created by Kate Todd, N.Y. University

Bibliography of articles and books, published in 2003:

  • A+ Partners in Education: Positioning Libraries as a Cornerstone in the Education Process, by Valerie J. Gross. Children and Libraries, Summer/Fall 2003, pp. 27-31.
  • Information Literacy Collaboration: A Shared Responsibility, by Jo Ann Carr and Ilene F. Rockman. American Libraries, September 2003, pp. 52-54.
  • School & Public Libraries: Developing the Natural Alliance, by Natalie Reif Ziarnik. ALA, 2003, isbn 0-8389-0841-1.
The Summer Reading List
Top Ten Tips
for a Successful Collaborative (Reading)		 A History of a Collaboration in Beverly


"Top 10 Tips for a Successful Collaborative Summer Reading Program"
(Used with permission from the Youth Services Librarians at the Reading Public Library)

  1. Monthly meetings with the Media Specialists and Public Librarians. Building a relationship is vital.
  2. Support from Public Library and School Administration.
  3. Virtual meetings. Time is of the essence.
  4. Public relations is essential. If the word does not get out, then the program can not succeed.
  5. Research. Know your titles and come to meetings prepared with suggestions.
  6. Involve others and give credit. Include anyone interested in assisting with the lists.
  7. Change genres. Keep the lists interesting and current.
  8. Booktalk the list. Any opportunity -- use the list.
  9. Paperbacks. They are cheaper, lighter, and more appealing to young adults (and parent's wallets and library budgets).
  10. Distribution. Be creative in getting the list distributed. Find out where the young adults go and put the lists there.
"A History of Collaboration between the Public and School Libraries"
(Used with permission from the Beverly Public and Schools)
The idea of a collaborative program was first conceived in 1991 from a conversation between then Superintendant Harry Harutunian and Library Director Tom Scully.
At that point, the school had been conducting a required reading program over the summer, since the early 1980s. Harutunian offered to expand the school courier route to include the Library. This delivery system is used frequently today for interlibrary loan (among other materials) between the school libraries and the Public Library, which serves as a conduit to NMRLS.
The first joint summer reading program was in the summers of 1992 and 1993. It was the result of planning by school and public librarians, who began to meet quarterly, or every other month.The Public Library distributes the school's required reading books. The books are owned by the school library, and the Public Library agreed to house the books for distribution during the summer.
One of the results of these discussions was to register public library cards for students at the middle schools and high school during lunch periods. This was accomplished by bringing a terminal that could be plugged into the NOBLE system.
Another result of the meetings was a staff swap where public librarians switched positions with school librarians.

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