Rebecca C.

Zimmerman

Collaborations Between School and Public Libraries:

How to Best Serve Middle School Students All Year Long

School libraries serve an integral role in improving the literary, academic, social,

emotional, and community lives of middle school students. They can only serve students,

however, when they are connected to where those students live and spend their time. For

traditional school libraries, this means cutting off service at 4 p.m. on school days from August

to June. Public libraries have the potential to improve student lives and learning during these

dead zones. They are open to the public year round, on weekends, and commonly in the

evenings with teen spaces, resources, and designated youth librarians. Sadly, these libraries also

run into significant boundaries when trying to reach the very populations they want to serve.

Middle schoolers cannot drive. Therefore their only access to the public library may be through

costly and unreliable public transportation, intermittent rides from parents and friends, or walks

through less-than-safe neighborhoods. While they are open longer than school libraries, public

libraries and public librarians are not as familiar to students as their schools. Even if they know

about the services and resources provided by public libraries, middle schoolers may stay away

from these spaces fearing stringent rules, unknown adults, and unwanted glares. In this paper, I

am going to look at the the ways that public and school libraries can best work together to serve

middle school students, combining their strengths to mitigate their weaknesses, and providing a

3rd space for middle schoolers personal, social, and academic growth all year round.

One problem that Card (2019) ran into while creating a wholesome school library

environment for underprivileged youth was the idea that the library should be not just a

primarily, but a “purely” academic space. Her school administrators enforced rules, including no

cell phones, no sleeping, and no eating, that she saw to be detrimental to the idea of the library
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serving as a safe space for students (Card 2019). She wanted students who felt overwhelmed,

over disciplined, or bullied to feel like that could rest or eat lunch in the library, not just be

expected to constantly study there (Card 2019). This, she found was especially important for

Black, Latinx, and other marginalized youth.

In 2013, some of Card’s students would literally hold onto her legs and beg her not to

close the library after school so they did not have to walk home. She soon found out why. One

day when walking the 10 blocks from the school to the train station, she witnessed a police

officer pull his gun on a group of black high schoolers for nothing more than walking in the

snow with earbuds and not hearing the policeman when he first asked the youth a question. The

officer then called in back up, made the boys lie face down in the snow, patted down all boys in

the general vicinity, and pointed his gun at anyone who tried to interrupt them. This made Card

(2019) realize that her library was one of the only free places that underprivileged youth in her

town could go to safely be out with friends. She admitted that a large part shortage for youth

spaces existed because the local public library was closed for repairs (Card 2019). Because of

the sad fact that so many marginalized youth are sent the message that they are less valuable than

their peers and that they deserve to be treated with callousness and disrespect and because

libraries are in the unique and incredibly important position to combat this message by providing

a 3rd space in which teens can safely be part of a loving community, I want to make sure that

any interventions that we focus on do not simply provide academic support. They should also

provide middle schoolers with the sense that they have intrinsic value and deserve to take up

space in their communities.

This one-sided focus on academics instead of whole-person learning is one reason why I

want to change the conception that the only collaboration that can exist between school and
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public libraries must surround summer reading programs. This does not mean that summer

reading collaborations are not important. As Moreillon (2014) states, these programs can help

close the reading gap between impoverished and affluent students and serve student’s year round

literacy needs. However, I would like to focus on why some summer reading collaborations

work so well and how those ideas can be applied to year-long collaborations between school and

public libraries. Moreillon (2014) gives us a glance into how this could be possible. She talks

about building relationships with local public libraries as a first step to collaboration. This might

look like first requesting and picking up books from local libraries to support school curriculum,

then making an appointment to meet one-on-one with public teen, youth, and children’s

librarians to talk about your mutual goals and struggles. That can move into more formal

relationships with measurable objectives, like those listed in Moreillon’s (2014) Summer

Reading Planning Timeline.

Public librarians can also launch these kinds of collaborative relationships. Hansen and

Mitchell (2018) describe the “Hot Summer Reads” program headed by the Skokie Public

Library. There a group of librarians compiled an exciting list of books meant to appeal to sixth

through eighth graders, created an in-library display near the youth services desk, and then

started contacting local schools. Through April and May, these public librarians gave booktalks

to individual classrooms, grade-level groups, and whole-school assemblies (Hansen and Michell

2018). After each booktalk, librarians reported an “influx” of students at their branch to check

out the books. By the end of the summer each novel listed had huge checkout rates and long

waitlists. This turned into further opportunities for collaborations as students began to ask their

school librarians if they could nominate their favorite titles for the next year’s list (Hansen and

Michell 2018). This program was successful for many reasons. First, it was approached with
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enthusiasm and a solid goal: Skokie public librarians wanted to reverse the measured trend that

local middle schoolers were reading less for pleasure (Hansen and Mitchell 2018). Secondly,

those in charge of the program reached out to their collaborative partners early. Finally, they

worked with their partner libraries to create results, working on a timeline that worked best for

local schools and switching their approaches depending on what each of their collaborators

needed at the time.

In her research on library grants, Brown (2004) found very similar results to the Skokie

project. Collaborations between libraries flourished when they exhibited a shared vision, mutual

trust and respect between collaborators, and distinctive goal statements (Brown 2004). However,

she also identified common problems that library collaboration programs faced. Most of the

projects that had issues struggled with formal and informal communication; they did not have the

scheduled time and flexibility to check in with their partners on a regular enough basis to keep

up interest and motivation in collaborative demands in the face of obstacles or pressing single-

partner priorities (Brown 2004). Secondly, many of the programs had trouble keeping up

relationships between partners because interested parties within the participating organizations

changed; people got sick or transferred which often sent the projects back to the drawing board

for support (Brown 2004). When forming library collaboration, then, it is imperative that we

connect with as many people as possible both from our libraries and those we wish to partner

with. That way if one or two people run into personal or professional obstacles, the rest of the

project can still continue with only mild delays. It is also important that we plan extra time into

our schedules to meet together as equal partners in action so that all collaborators feel invested

and excited about the opportunities such collaborations provide. It is only when both school and
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public libraries are truly united and excited about working together to improve the lives of young

people that impactly library collaboration is possible.

Finally, financial constraints are a driving factor behind library collaboration efforts. As

Brown (2004) writes, shared resources and responsibilities can lead to reduced costs for all those

involved. This is especially important for libraries as this can lead to expanded services, greater

visibility in their communities, and better ways to serve all people, including those with

disabilities, those that live in rural or remote areas, and those at an economic disadvantage

(Brown 2004). Meanwhile, libraries are facing budget cuts as well as increasing demands for

youth services. In 2012, Miller and Girmscheid reported that public libraries faced a 1% budget

cut across the board for youth materials. This was especially pronounced in urban libraries

whose children’s budgets were cut but 4% and whose young adult budgets were cut by 4%

(Miller and Girmscheid 2012). While this may not seem like much of a difference, these

libraries were also expecting a 69% increase in youth material checkouts (Miller and Girmscheid

2012). They were being expected to provide more new and topical youth programs, services,

and materials to more interested patrons with less and less money each year. To combat this

trend, Miller and Girmscheid (2012) advocate for school and public libraries joining forces to

supplement both their dwindling budgets. If public libraries would actively collaborate with

school libraries to purchase materials that align with school curriculum, homework assignments,

and greater school objectives, both libraries could benefit from a greater number of resources

that would benefit their user groups without having to spend more money (Miller and

Girmscheid). While Miller and Girmscheid word their article from a public library perspective,

this could certainly be a place for school librarians to start collaborative efforts with public

libraries in their areas. I would advise school librarians to start small; ask youth librarians if they
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would be interested in aligning their displays with school projects and summer reading lists.

Then, if possible, move forward to broaching the topic of adding to library collections.

As Moreillion (2014) stated, sharing materials between public and school libraries can be

as simple as school librarians borrowing public books for their students’ use. However, to fully

access both collections and make shared resources a true reality, middle school students need

their own library cards. This is difficult to achieve for two reasons: In order to get a library

card, students usually need to be present in the library branch which we already discussed is

difficult for middle schoolers because they do not have access to safe and reliable personal

transportation. Secondly, because of legal reasons, all patrons under the age of 14 must have a

parent sign their library card application form before it can be turned in. Cooksey (2017)

attempted to solve the parental side of this issue by hosting a “Fall for Books Fun Fest for Kids.”

School and public librarians teamed up to host free carnival games in a park across from the

public library where children and adults were both encouraged to sign up for library cards

(Cooksey 2017). I propose that we learn from this idea, but take it one step farther by bringing

public library card sign-ups to school events where parents and middle schoolers are both already

present. I would love to see school librarians invite public librarians to school open houses,

tours, and parent-teacher conferences where they could set up tables of information about local

library branches, their programs, and opportunities for youth learning throughout the community.

This would help combat both parental and transportational boundaries to material sharing for

youth while increasing visibility for public libraries and strengthening the bond between all

libraries as community partners.

I believe we can further expand the reach of shared collections between school and public

libraries that middle school students can access by advocating for new technological
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advancements. Most public libraries, including all branches of the Greensboro, NC public

system, now provide patrons with access to Overdrive. Overdrive is an online collection of

ebooks, audiobooks, and graphic novels that anyone with a valid library card can read on their

phone, computer, ipad, or other digital device. For our purposes, the most useful things about

Overdrive is that you do not need constant wifi or data access in order to read books retrieved by

the service and, after you obtain a library card, you do not need to step foot in the library in order

to access the thousands of materials found there. Using Overdrive, middle schoolers with access

to library cards and smartphones, but not home internet access, could download books at school

and then take them home for additional reading. They would never have to worry about losing,

returning, or paying overdue fines for these materials because after 14 days, the checkout period

for Overdrive books, the digital files simply disappear from the device of the patron who

checked them out, returning to the catalog for the next user. Middle schoolers without digital

devices of their own could access books that would double or triple their school library’s ebook

collection via desktops and laptops at their schools. This would have the potential to better serve

more diverse learners who need more big print materials or audiobooks. I could add to both the

academic and personal reading selections of school libraries. Finally, it would give public

libraries more patron check-out statistics giving them more compelling data to rely on for

fundraising and demonstrating community impact.

Overdrive is not a perfect solution to all resource sharing between libraries. First,

Overdrive’s collection is owned and managed by Rakuten Overdrive, Inc., not the libraries who

use it. Therefore its selection of materials cannot be coordinated with school or public needs. In

addition, while Overdrive is creating an off-shoot of its program where students can access its

materials with their school IDs, most libraries still require users to have a public library card in
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the first place which can be hard for middle schoolers to obtain. Finally, Overdrive still relies on

users to have their own technological platforms to access materials which can exacerbate

divisions between students of different economic classes. With its ability to work without wifi

and with the growing ability of schools to lend this kind of technology to students, this barrier is

growing smaller, but it is still something to consider. Print materials are still important for

students and no library should put all their time, funding, or collaboration efforts into electronic

materials.

As we have discussed, collaborations between school and public libraries cannot involve

materials alone. They must also meet teens where they are for year-round services and

programs. Danville Public Library in East Central Illinois started doing this by partnering not

only with school libraries, but also with other community organizations including the Boys &

Girls Club, the YMCA, and several housing projects in conjunction with Danville Housing

Authority (Hansen and Michell 2018). According to Danville librarians this removed many of

the barriers middle schoolers had to accessing library services, doing away with issues of

transportation, fear of library spaces, and lack of library cards (Hansen and Michell 2018). They

made their programs work by following the frameworks we discussed above: They contacted

collaborative partners early in the process, created a schedule that worked for each individual

site, and solicited feedback throughout the process to continue improving the program and make

sure that all collaborators felt like partners in the participants’ success (Hansen and Mitchell

2018). While connecting community partners to school and public library collaborations

complicates things, adding scheduling time, people to contact, and more events to plan around, it

has the potential to greatly improve library’s abilities to reach middle school students where they

are. It also shows that both libraries and middle schoolers belong to a greater community. For
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libraries, this can improve visibility and public relations. For middle schoolers, this can improve

resilience and quality of life.

In a perfect world, school and public librarians everywhere would co-host programs at

least once a month at public library branches, impoverished neighborhoods, and, during the

school year, school assemblies. These joint programs would address both school and public

library goals. Over the summer, for example, middle school science programs might focus on

fiction related to astronomy, a regular piece of seventh or eighth grade school curriculum, while

showing off library assets and connecting lower income students to local planetariums. These

programs would allow students to discover and explore topics they have been introduced to or

will learn about in school in more personal, self-directed ways, promoting curiosity, wonder, and

literacy. Sadly, we don’t live in that perfect world. For every school and public library

collaboration that goes well, like the Limitless Libraries project with Nashville Public Library in

Nashville, TN, there is a librarian who calls such attempted collaborations a “complete failure”

(Ham 2012). As school librarians, we need to understand that collaboration takes buy-in from all

involved partners, time, communication, funding, and hard work. Only then can it produce the

results that we dream of to help middle school students excel socially, academically, and

personally all year round.

References

Brown, C. A. (2004). Characteristics of successful partnerships between libraries, schools, and

community agencies. Library Philosophy and Practice, 6(2). Retrieved from

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A128664856/AONE?u=gree35277&sid=AONE&xid=2c50b46b

Card, M. (2019, August). Comfort Zone: School and public libraries are vitally important for
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many black and Latinx students. School Library Journal, 65(7), 36+. Retrieved from

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A596317654/AONE?u=gree35277&sid=AONE&xid=cc409b22

Cooksey, A. J. (2017, January-February). Partnerships beyond four walls: how school-public

library relationships create community. American Libraries, 48(1-2), 72. Retrieved from

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A476729766/AONE?u=gree35277&sid=AONE&xid=74696c4d

Ham, S. (2012, July). Tag-team librarianship: partnerships between public and school libraries

work well sometimes, but not always. School Library Journal, 58(7), 8+. Retrieved from

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A295258418/AONE?u=gree35277&sid=AONE&xid=eed555d3

Hansen, L., & Michell, M. (2018). Summer Reading, Summer Collaborating. ILA Reporter,

36(5), 10–12. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=lih&AN=132243956&site=ehost-live

Miller, R. T., & Girmscheid, L. (2012, May). It takes two: SLJ's first public library spending

survey uncovers an opportunity for tighter collaboration between school and public

librarians. School Library Journal, 58(5), 26+. Retrieved from

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A288290604/AONE?u=gree35277&sid=AONE&xid=c492e065

Moreillon, J. (2014, March). Leadership: collaboration for summer reading. School Library

Monthly, 30(6), 24+. Retrieved from

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A404175309/AONE?u=gree35277&sid=AONE&xid=ba2d33b2