Part 1 -- Collaborative Projects in Motion Speaker's Notes

Ideas for Partners
Ideas recorded in this section include ideas for individual partnerships in communities as well as suggestions for the partnership online toolkit.

1. For comfortable terminology, consider renaming or identifying the broader scope of educational initiatives. For example instead of breaking up educational arenas as K-12, and then college or university call it K-14, and/or K-16.

2. Partnerships should emphasize that the partnership process is inherent to basic mission of the library…put examples of sample mission statements on website or link to relevant sites.

3. Identify common purpose of working within communities such as “neighborhood enhancement teams.”

4. Colleges and universities should see collaborations as identifying and training or preparing potential students.

5. Community partnerships should not exclude unusual groups in the community as newer groups (many represent unusual community members or new tech areas) could provide rich partnerships.

6. Higher education should consider targeting community areas already identified as having potential need such as public housing units or subsidized daycare.

7. Higher education professionals should begin the process of seeking partnerships by having their professionals identify all contacts they currently have and have gathered for whatever reason. One presenter identified “serendipity” as a reason that a project was begun.

8. Colleges and universities are beginning to have active economic development issues, research, studies, etc. Community partnership fit into this area as well.

9. Many partnerships “out there” are solely high tech connections for community group access to the Internet. These are valid, important projects and should be the basis for many partnerships in order to combat the digital divide.
 

Sustaining Partnerships
This section asked participants to record those ideas from presenters that spoke to elements for sustaining partnerships.

1. All levels of participants should identify and speak to all levels of benefits.

2. Stress that in this new paradigm of involvement that partnerships are not just individual projects that will begin and end, rather, they are a “change in process.”

3. All partners should be prepared to spend time and a single individual’s attention should be given to the project for coordinator and quality control.

4. Partners should build in flexibility and evaluation to the process.

5. All partners should understand and know background of all partners. This is a process of education and can help in explaining the “whys and wherefores” when things happen.

6. Not all projects duplicate well. Benchmark and copy carefully.

7. Although not always possible or fruitful, look first at long standing relationships for partnerships to see if those will work.

8. Establish organizational links such as working with schools and expanding through K-12 principals’ organizations.

9. Partnerships can’t be successful without commitment from administrations and your institutional support.

10. As in earlier section, look at projects as a process and not a “just a project” with an ending.

11. Seek grant funding but look to building in “what works” from the beginning so it becomes part of the process.

12. Identify ways (from the beginning) to disseminate successes of partnerships.

13. Institutionalize the process/results by covering in goals or linking with existing goals.

13. Always have a single contact person for each partnership.

14. Always have a written statement of process or a  written contract.

15. If possible, stress where partnership request little or no additional public sector funding for good rewards. One can then illustrate where replication or expansion needs support.
 

Motivating Partners
How are partnerships and partners motivated? Why do people/why should people want to partner?

1.  Stress broad grade levels, that is “K-16” partnerships. Identify self interests for each partner. Identify the instructional pipeline for information literacy library partnerships. Indicate how library partnership for IL support university commitment to outreach. Is there any way to show how partnerships increase enrollment?

2. Always be sure to customize to community and make it clear when/if you benchmark how you have customized for your community.

3.  Can you tie partnership into college recruitment with participating schools?

4. Can you motivate public librarians by assisting them in serving your students? Initially they are serving your staff with specific training or staff.

5. Can partnerships tap into or create online learning communities?

6. Pay attention to the timing of the process for ALL partners. What works for the academic year won’t work for a K-12 or public year for $ or decision-making.

7. Can partners trade or play off of a tradition of being involved in community?

8.  Technology incentives work. Can partners/public become interested because people can "earn a computer?" (Southwest Project)

9.  Make sure your partnerships are “represented” by dynamic speakers.

10. Can you begin partnership by taking “baby steps” and linking existing projects? Especially technology ones?

11. Good faith is always shown when partners contribute facilities and/or access to facilities. Can this be done on a partial basis if full time is not economically sound or possible?

12. One partner picked their own name. Branding the project or process is a good idea…Southwest Project name was a good name  “etropolis.”

13. Don’t be afraid to think big in the beginning. Sometimes you can continue to think big throughout the project!
 

Potential Problems to Avoid
Participants were asked to record potential problems they got directly from presenters or perceived for their own situation.

1. Lack of public library involvement or involvement by all partners possible. Lack of knowledge by everyone about what information is and can and should do.  Unequal resources in partnerships impede progress. (Unequal doesn’t always mean things can’t be done. If we wait until we all have equal resources, nothing will happen. At least equal commitment!)
Lack of a core set of principals for IL that would apply to all partners.

2. Don't reinvent wheel if it doesn’t work for you.

3. Don’t be too specific in identifying what you want to happen. Leave project/process ideas broad.

4. It is natural for partners or potential partners to have staff resistance/fear/insularity.

5. There is always a question of control…in partnerships issues..who has it? Is anyone losing it?

6. Adding sponsors and partners should always be possible.

7. Length of time to sustain partners may vary by partner.

8. Lack of knowledge of another culture with culture meaning actual culture and organizational culture.

9. BE sure you involving all/key players in the beginning and throughout the process.

10. ALWAYS clarify the difference between info lit vs. technology. There is a general lack of understanding about info lit vs. technology.

11.  Staff resistance – can be met by inclusion and education.

11. It takes time to build consensus among partners and within organizations that partnerships are the right thing to do.

12. There are MANY different organizational cultures to honor. People should not group such as thinking that all elementary schools or all community colleges have the same culture.