Increased Community Outcomes or Better Outcomes from Library Partnership: Through an Equity Lens

ABSTRACT

Library programs and services serve communities, and they aim to increase information literacy, knowledge, increase access and decrease barriers. These benefits can be enhanced through partnerships between libraries and outside organizations. To explore what types of partnerships exist among libraries and discover more about resulting community benefits, a literature search was conducted looking for examples of shared experiences of different libraries. The literature search was completed utilizing a health focused database, an educational focused database and a library focused database: PubMed, Educational Institution of Educational Sciences (ERIC) and Library & Information Science Abstracts (LISA). A combination of keywords and controlled vocabulary were utilized that best described the topic of library partnerships and collaboration which support health initiatives. The articles retrieved highlighted three thematic concepts of community benefits from library collaborations such as increased engagement and satisfaction with programs, increased learning for library staff and increased access to resources for community members. Partnerships between individual libraries as well as partnerships between libraries and outside organizations have the potential to provide positive, equitable and tangible benefits for both libraries and the communities they serve. More research and investigation in the area of library partnerships and community benefits is recommended to help continue the progress and success that has already been established.

KEYWORDS:

• Community
• library collaborations
• library partnerships

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).